FATHER FRANCIS NUGENT, 0. S. F. C

non poterat ». Secondly the Capuchins do not interfère in civil matters and therefore the présence of the Confraternity in their Church shows that it was not founded « supra utile humanum sed unice pro gloria Dei et salute animarum ». Therefore his Paternity must not interfère even in the least in what was done « ex suae Sanctitatis mandato in utiHtatem hujus provinciae (') »• Scarcely would it be possible for a Friar to défend more enthusiastically the work of his brethren than did the Papal Nuncio in this letter. He must hâve made mention of the matter too at the Papal Court, for within the next year or two we find several letters of commendation from the Pope and Cardinals.

So great was the success of Fr. Francis in establishing the Order in Germany and so well did it flourish there, that Pope Clément IX divided the Province into two — that of Cologne and that of the Rhine — by brief of 7 September 1667, only some fifty years after the foundation (-).

The Fathers of the Walloon district having presented the unbuilt convent at Charleville to Father Francis for the Irish missionaries, he took with him Father Robert Commin of Limerick and set about having the convent built (^). During the érection of the convent the Fathers lived in a hospice in St. Charles Street (*)•

The same year, 1615, having been appointed Vicar-Apostolic and Commissary-General of Ireland by Pope Paul V, Fr. Francis sent as first missioner into Ireland, Fr. Stephen Daly of Athlone naming him Superior of the Mission there. During the next 3 years he sent 4 other Fathers to help him. Their holy life and arduous zeal soon earned for them the love and admiration oî the people and the highest encomiums from the Bishops (■)•

Father Francis was again in Rome for the General Chapter held 1 June 1618(''). Fr Clemens a Noto was elected Vicar-General and Fr. Jérôme of Castelferretto, Procurator, to both of whom Fr. Francis and his labours were well known. At this Chapter it was decreed that the Convent of Charleville should be set aside entirely and solely for the use of the Irish Mission. Moreover the General sent Letters of Obédience, dated Rome 2 July 1618, to ail the Irish

(1) Bullarium, l. c.

(2j Bul.arium, t. IV, p. 311.

(3) Historié, «5 3.

(4) FMR, t. V, p. 78.

(5) Anmli, t. I, p. 153; Historié, ^ 3, an. 1615; FA\R, t. V, p. 102.

(6) Ordinationes, p. 46 ; Historié, % 3.

Capuchins dwelling elsewhere ordering them to repair to Charleville and dwell there. He also granted permission to establish Philosophical and Theological Studies tiiere (0-

In 1619 Father Francis began and taught through a course of Theology at Charleville ; while ■ he had « a certain Jew named Abraham » to give lessons in the Hebrew tongue (").

On the 3rd of October 1620 the Irish Friars entered into possession of their new convent. This was made the occasion of a great célébration by the inhabitants both of Charleville and of Maisirs. The day following, the feast of our Holy Father, St Francis, there was Solemn Mass at which the Dean of Maisirs preached. In the afternoon the Duc de Nevers who graced fhe cérémonies by his présence entertained the Clergy and Magistrates of both towns to a princely dinner. Claude de Moy, Countess of Chaligny, was présent, too, on this eventful occasion (').

Fr. Francis was appointed by the Provincial Chapter of Wallonia, first Guardian of this convent. He was succeeded by Fr. John Baptist Brown in 1622 and by Fr. Nicholas Archbald in 1623-1625, when he was himself again appointed a second time (^).

Fr. General arrived in the district in 1623 and held a Provincial Chapter at Mons ; Fr. Francis as Discreet of the Convent accompanied the Guardian thereto. Permission was given to receive some novices at Charleville but owing to the great opposition of the Fathers of the Walloon Province an absolute novitiate was not allowed, lest it might injure the novitiate of that Province (^).

At Rome Father Francis defended Tauler on the subject of Poverty, and at this chapter he had another defence to make on the same subject. Moved by their extraordinary zeal of Poverty, the Walloon Friars opposed the Irish Friars'way of living « quoad eleemosinas pecuniarias ». But to the question : « Estne ibi aliquid contra regulam? », they were forced to answer in the négative. Whereupon the General replied ; « Transeat ergo nihil amplius audiamus super hoc : si nihil est contra regulam salva sunt omnia ». And when he and his consultors, — one of whom was

(1) Historié, l. c.

(2) Historié, ?; 4.

(3) Ibidem. Some years later (9 Juni 1624) this noble lady received the habit of a «religieuse Sepulcrine > in the Chu-ch of the irish Capuchins at Charleville (F. DE MoNTiMONT, Histoire des anciens souverains d'Arches et Charleville, ms conservé aux archives de la ville de Charleville).

(4) Historié, ^i 4.

(5) Historié, S 5.

FATHER FRANCIS NUQENT, O. S. F. C. (1569-1635). 203

the Ven. Honoratus of Paris, Definitor-General — had examinée! ail in writing he declared publicly : « Non video ego hic quicquam contra Regulam ». And once again Fr. Francis, views on Poverty were îound and declared perîectly Orthodox (').

After 44 years absence from Ireland Fr. Francis in 1624 came accompanied by Frs Christopher Kearney and Edward Bath to visit the missionaries whom he had sent there. The Deputy — Lord Falkland — hearing of his sailing endeavoured to capture him ; but God preserved him from falling into such hands (-').

Everywhere Father Francis was received honourably and the and the Catholic Bishops holding a Synod in Dublin invited none of the Regulars to it except Fr. Francis ( ). They wrote a commendatory letter in favour of the Capuchin Order dated 4 September 1624. Towards the end of it is found the following : — «... Rdo. P. Francisco Nugent, Ordinis Capucinorum Missionis Hibernicae Superiori, committunt Episcopi et Vicarii Apostolici et Vicarii Générales ut Ssmo. Domino nostro, Congregationi de Propaganda Fide, Cardinal! Protectori ... plene fideliterque référât statum totius cleri et Catholicorum in hoc Regno cum intentione, studio et affectu procurandi nobis opportuna colamina et refrigeria (^). »

During this visit the first convent of the Order in Ireland was founded at Dublin, though it was seized a few years later by the Government and converted to the use of the University of Dublin C^). Of this convent Fr. Francis appointed Fr. Edward Bath, superior ("j

After about a year's sojourn in Ireland he returned to France, and paid a visit to the Holy House of Loreto on his way to Rome ("). Thither he went probably for the General Chapter held at St Bonaventure's 16 May 1625, the centenary of the foundation of the Capuchin Congrégation of the Friars Minor ("*). At this Chapter, Charleville was made independent and subject only to the Minister-General ('0-

(1) Historié, ^ 5.

(2) FMR, t. V, p. 104.

(3) Ibidem.

(4) Spicilegium, p. 135.

(5) FMR, t. V, p. 104 and 130.

(6) FMR, t. V, p. 132. De Burgo (Hibernia dominicana, c. X, n. 15, p. 195) gives Fr. Edmund Ling of Cashel as Superior.

(7) FMR, o. c.

(8) Ordinationes, p. 52.

(9) Historié, S 4; FMR, t. VI, p. 69.

During his stay in Rome Fr. Francis had spécial audiences with the Pope and Cardinals and obtained spécial and exceptional faculties for the Irish Mission (')• The Minister-General oî the Friars Minor Conventual — Fr. Félix de Cassia — by a letter dated Rome 27 June 1625, granted to Fr. Francis permission to to occupy the former résidences of the Conventuals in Ireland, and faculties to erect the Archconfraternity of the Cord of St Francis (-).

That year, too, Peter Lombard, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of AH Ireland died (^')- The Primacy was offered to Father Francis but he refused it, his little mission being dearer to him than dignities (^). Yet there were many candidates for that honour both from the secular and regular clergy (■ ). The Pope accepted Fr. Francis' renunciation conceiving a still higher opinion of him on that account ('^).

In 1628 ('), Fr. Francis though now old and aîflicted with goût came again to Ireland as Visitator, being so appointed by the Commissary-General, Alexander of Lyons. After spending over a year in Ireland he returned again to Charleville. Hère his labours for God and Ireland were terminated in 1635 (-).

His zeal in the spread of the Capuchin Order and his exemplary life in strict accord with the spirit of that Reform merited for him the epitaph « vere Capucinus » : his labours for the extension of the Faith and in defence of Religion merited for him from Pope Paul V the encomium « Columen Ecclesiae et lumen orthodoxae fidei (") » ; his establishing the Collège at Lille for the éducation of 25 Irish youths and his life-work in establishing the nucleus of an Irish Province merit that he should be styled « vere hibernus », nay even that he should be considered a second Saint Patrick ('").

Our Aima Mater may be proud both of the high standard

(1) FMR, t. V, p. 133; t. VI, p. 69.

(2) Bul/arium, t. V, p. 274-275.

(3) He too was a student and afterwards professer of Louvain. Vide Encyclopedia, vol. IX, p. 336.

(4) Annali, t. I, p. 159; FMR, t. V, p. 133.

(5) Report, p. 82-92.

(6) Annali, t. I, p. 159.

(7) FMR, t. VI, p. 87, Fr. Christopher's report. Cfr FMR, t. V, p. 133, where the date given is 1629. The same discrepancy occurs re the length of his stay in Ireland.

(8) FMR, t. V, p. 159; t. VI, p. 87; Bullarium, t. V, p. 276.

(9) Bullarium, t. V, p. 276; Annali, t. 1, p. 159.

(10) Annali, t. I, p. 159.