by the tribulations which she may have to bear for our sakes; they rather shall be our glory, for "none of us shall suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a railer, or a coveter of other men's things; but if as a Christian, let us not be ashamed, but let us glorify God in this name.”1 To the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, then, dearly beloved, we, your unworthy pastors, this day commend your souls, so dear to Christ who redeemed them with His precious blood, so dear to us who must so soon give an account of them to the Prince of Pastors, that, "being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth. To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God. Now to Him, who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in Him, to Him be glory in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end, Amen."2 Dated this 22nd day of January, 1873. PAUL CARDINAL CULLEN. Arch- THOMAS FEENY, Bishop of Killala. of J. P. LEAHY, Bishop of Dromore. LAURENCE GILLOOLY, Bishop of THOMAS FURLONG, Bishop of Ferns. PATRICK DORRIAN, Bishop of Down and Connor. GEORGE BUTLER, Bishop of Lim- NICHOLAS CONATY, Bishop of THOMAS NULTY, Bishop of Meath. JAMES LYNCH, Coadjutor Bishop of GEORGE CONROY, Bishop of Ardagh JAMES MACDEVITT, Bishop of PATRICK DUGGAN, Bishop of Clon- HUGH CONWAY, Coadjutor Bishop of Killala. E. J. M'CORMACK, Coadjutor Bishop of Achonry. JAMES RYAN, Bishop of Killaloe. PATRICK FRANCIS MORAN, Bishop of Ossory. The solemn Consecration of Catholic Ireland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as appointed in the Pastoral, will take place in every Diocese on Passion Sunday next. 208 IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL COLLEGES SINCE THE REFORMATION. SEVILLE. IN the issue of the IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL RECORD for the month of October, I have read the very interesting notice of the religious life and virtues of Father James Carney, quoted by an esteemed contributor, E. J. H., from Redan's Commentary on the Machabees, and occasioned by the very curious epigram written by Father Carney on that work. E. J. H. says it is difficult to identify this James Carney with the priest of the same name who was first rector of the Irish College of Seville; but I have no doubt they are one and the same. There are three things which I suppose create the difficulty of identification: Ist, in the article published in the July number of the RECORD it is said: “That he (Theobald Copleton) procured for their direction a priest from the College of Salamanca, called James Carney, who did them great service for a considerable time, till he determined on going to Ireland," &c., and the Father Carney, eulogised by Redan, died in Spain; 2nd, James Carney, of Seville, is described as a secular priest, and the other was a Jesuit; and, 3rd, what Redan says of his entering the Society in 1621, after he had commenced his theology in the College of Salamanca. But I think I can remove these difficulties. As regards the first, it simply arose from an oversight in transcribing the note. The sentence should have run thus: -"He procured for their direction a priest from the College of Salamanca, called James Carney, who did them great service for a considerable time; and he spared no toil till he determined," &c.; from which it is clear the determination of going to the Irish Mission refers to Copleton and not to James Carney. As regards the second, Zuñiga says the devout and zealous priest who laboured for the establishment of the College, afterwards entered the Society of Jesus; and as Copleton never became a Jesuit, and James Carney did, as I find from a note by one of the Jesuits of the College of Seville, his remarks can only apply to the latter, and consequently refers to the efforts made by him, after coming from Salamanca, to interest the pious and charitable in the good work he had on hands. The third difficulty I confess is harder to get over; but if we consider that, like many other Irish students, some of whom even came to Spain already ordained, he may have received ordination before completing his course, which he interrupted to attend to the call of Stapleton, and returned to finish in Salamanca after leaving Seville, it will not appear so insuperable as at first sight. In that case, however, we must doubt Redan's accuracy when he says he was only fifty years of age at his death; but the identity of name, place, time, character, and religious profession, makes the identity of person so probable to my mind, that I have no hesitation in coming to that conclusion if necessary. E. J. H. expresses "regret at not knowing more concerning the men who, like Stapleton and Carney, served their Church and country in those colleges." Well, I shall try in this article to give an account of some other men of note connected with the College of Seville, and a few more additional items of its history, which, though, perhaps, of no great importance in themselves, may not be uninteresting to some of the Irish readers of the RECORD. As soon as the Society of Jesus took possession of the College, in 1619, Father Richard Conway and Father Michael de Morales proceeded to make an inventory of the property of the house, and a list of its benefactors and students, and to draw up a relatio of its state. They found everything in a miserable state through the neglect of those who had the lay administration in their hands, who robbed it of all the linen, did away with beds, tables, books, and other things of the kind, and even stole a donkey which was employed in bringing water. The few remaining chattels were valued at £12. In the shape of provisions, there was only a small quantity of wheat, which would barely suffice for a month; and in addition to this poverty, there were several large debts which had to be paid afterwards. There were eighteen persons in the house, including the Rector, collegians and servants. The relatio drawn up by Father Conway brought the institution under the notice of people of quality, and the fathers contributed to spread, by their sermons from the pulpit, a knowledge of its object, and want of means; so that the zeal of some, and the charity of others, in a short time "lifted it out of the mud, and the collegians were able to prosecute their studies with less embarrassment." The paper called the Origin, Progress, and State of the, &c., in 1623, says :-" A female servant of God gave another 100 ducados (£10), &c. With this addition to our funds we manage to keep sixteen collegians, four members of the Society, and two servants, although the provincial advised, in his late visit, that only twelve students should be admitted, till God would send more means. Thanks be to VOL. IX. 14 the Lord, ever since the Society took this house in charge, we were able to send two missioners every year to Ireland, and singular are the fruits they have produced in bringing back souls to God, and confirming the weak. I have learned that one, whom we sent last year, had converted nineteen heretics, and reaps a most extensive harvest. And although when here, he was of known zeal, he seems to have exceeded himself in Ireland, and to have received a particular grace from God.1 In con "And another of our collegians became a martyr, being burned alive last year, because he would not renounce the faith, in Algeria. He was chaplain to the Irish forces, and served the king in his royal armada; but it would take me a long time to recount all that occurred in this way. clusion, it is certain that the faith and Christianity now in Ireland (and it is great) is, in a great measure, due to those reared in this Seminary, and other kindred ones. And what is to be deplored, is our inability to rear more for so great a harvest as there is in four archbishoprics and thirty-six bishoprics. If we could only send one to each diocese in every seven years, we would regard it as a great blessing. Rogamus ergo Dominum nostrum ut mittat operarios in vineam suam." Even when preparing for the arduous duties of the Irish mission, our young collegians had many opportunities of exercising their zeal among the soldiers of their native country in the service of his Catholic Majesty. Many of them came out ordained, or were ordained early in their course, and these priests were accustomed to go on missions to the Irish soldiers, among whom they administered the sacraments, corrected abuses, and suppressed enmities. So well pleased were the soldiers with the services rendered them, that officers and men always received the missioners with great respect, and manifested an ardent desire to have one of the priests from the College always with them to attend to their spiritual necessities. They voluntarily offered a certain sum of their pay 1 This was, probably, William Suple, who was one of those found by Father Conway in the house in 1619, and in February, 1620, stood a public general thesis in Theology, and gave proof of great talents and extensive acquirements. 2 "Among the many cases of edification which resulted from their labours, was the conversion of an Englishman. He was properly instructed in the mysteries of our holy religion, and a day was appointed for receiving him into the Church. He was to attend before the Commissioner of the Holy Office of the Inquisition to make a recantation of his errors, but as he should have to travel a distance of six miles, and was very unwell, he was advised to postpone the ceremony, as he was quite unfit to undertake such a journey. However, the poor fellow would brook no delay, but started on foot, and performed the journey as if he were in excellent health. He made his recantation with tears, was received, and after for the support of some students; and we are told of one Captain French who not only allowed the College an annual offering of considerable value while he remained in the country, but continued to remit his generous contribution even after he went to the Indies. The Irish merchants of Seville and Cadiz likewise undertook to pay a percentage on every pipe of wine they should export to the British Isles. These offerings were of great moment in the struggling state of our infant College, and afforded great relief. No less so was the privilege granted by His Holiness to the fishermen to fish on six Sundays in the year for the benefit of the College. These poor men had offered their services to Father Conway, who immediately petitioned the Holy See in the following terms:-" Most Holy Father-In the year 1605, at the request of the Protectors and Students of the Colleges of the Irish Nation in Lisbon and Salamanca, your Holiness benignly granted to the fishermen of Setnual and Casquaes, and other districts of Portugal, Galicia, and the provinces of Biscay, permission to fish on six Sundays or festivals every year, and to sell the fish thus taken for the benefit of the aforesaid Colleges, to aid them in their temporal support. It happens that the Seminary of the same Irish nation, in Seville, is now in the like need of succour and maintenance. Wherefore we humbly supplicate your Holiness to grant a similar permission to the fishermen of the coast of Andalusia, that this Seminary may thus receive some succour and emolument," &c. Paul V. graciously acceded to this request, and in Sancta Maria Major, on the 9th of September, 1619, expedited an Indult, addressed Dilecto Filio Officiali Hispalensi, in which he commanded him to grant, by apostolic authority, to all and each one of the fishermen of the province of Andalusia, bordering on the Mediterranean and the ocean, permission for four years to fish on six Sundays or festival days, in the seas, rivers, lakes, and ponds, even by night (post tamen Divinorum Officiorum celebrationem), the fruit of their toil to be given freely and without condition to the Irish College of Seville, for the support of the rector and students and the persons employed in their service; and to declare, by the same apostolic authority, that these fishermen were not to be molested, hindered, or impeded in any way, by any person, no matter what his authority; and to pronounce null and void anything which any person of whatsoever authority, confessing and communicating, went away, filled with holy joy, not only resolved to persevere in the grace bestowed on him, but to endeavour to bring all his countrymen, whom he might meet, to a participation in a like favor." |