Appendix

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The Centenary Medal struck at Monte Cassino to Commemorate the i^ooth Anniversary of the Birth of St. Benedict.

Decree of the late Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX., granting new indulgences to the Centenary Medal.

PIUS IX. POPE.

Unto the perpetual memorial thereof.

Whereas the solemn centenary in honour of St. Benedict is to be celebrated in the coming year 1880, whereas also the Crypt in the Arch-abbey of Monte Cassino, founded by the holy Patriarch himself, and subject to no diocese of our Roman province, and wherein is the tomb of the same St. Benedict and of his sister St. Scholastica, and whereas the Tower also in which the Saint himself dwelt in his life on earth, are both being restored, by means of the offerings of the faithful from all countries of the world ; our beloved son, Nicholaus d’Orgemont, Abbot Ordinary of Monte Cassino, has, after wholesome counsel, caused the holy and ancient medal of St. Benedict to be restruck, in order to perpetuate the memory of that solemnity, and of the piety of the faithful, and has likewise earnestly besought us to enrich the same with new indulgences. Wishing with all our heart to comply with these requests, walking in the footsteps of our predecessors, as a pledge of our special love towards the above-named Arch-abbey, which, to use the words of our predecessor Benedict XIII. of happy memory, “has been consecrated by the daily indwelling of its founder even till his death, and also by the promulgation by him of his Rule, by the splendour of his miracles, in a word, ennobled by being the resting-place of his sacred body, and, as fountainhead of the whole Order, has ever been held in great honour and esteem by all, and especially by the Roman Pontiffs our predecessors/' trusting in the mercy of Almighty God, and relying on the authority of his blessed Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, to each and all of the faithful of Christ, of both sexes, who shall wear that holy medal given to them by the Abbot Ordinary of Monte Cassino for the time being, or by any priest whom he shall please to delegate for this purpose, to such as these, by the tenor of these present letters, we give and grant, besides the indulgences already granted, power and permission freely and lawfully to gain each and all the indulgences, plenary as well as partial, conceded by this Holy See to those visiting the above-named holy places, to wit, the Basilica and Cathedral Church, the Crypt, and Tower of St. Benedict, on condition that they visit some church, or public oratory, and there earnestly pray for the conversion of sinners, and moreover accomplish in the Lord those works of piety usually enjoined. This decree shall hold good, notwithstanding whatsoever may be done contrary to its tenor. For present and future times these letters shall be of effect. We wish, moreover, that to written copies of these presents, or even to printed copies, signed by our public notary, and sealed by the seal of some ecclesiastical dignity, the same weight be given, in all its absoluteness, which would be given to these presents, were they brought forth and shown. Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, under the ring of the Fisherman, on the 31st day of August 1877, i n thirty-second year of our Pontificate.

Signed for his Eminence Card. Asaumio.

D. Jacobini (Substitutus).

A LIST OF SPECIAL INDULGENCES which

HAVE BEEN GRANTED BY THE HOLY SEE TO ALL THOSE WHO VISIT THE CATHEDRAL

Church of Monte Cassino, or the Crypt and Tower of our most Holy Father St. Benedict at the same Abbey.

I. — For visiting the Basilica or Crypt.

On any day whatever , once in the year :

A plenary indulgence to all making a devout pilgrimage to the Arch-abbey of Monte Cassino, granted by Clement XI.

On the Circumcision of our Lord :

On the Epiphany of our Lord and during its Octave : An indulgence of two years and two quarantines , granted by Urban V.

On the Purification of the B. V \ M. :

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines , granted by Innocent V.

On the Feast of St. Scholastica , Virgin :

A plenary indulgence , granted by Urban VII.

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines during its octave, granted by Innocent VII.

On the Feast of our most Holy Father St. Benedict :

A plenary indulgence , granted by Paul V.

An indulgence of two years and two quarantines during its octave, granted by Urban V.; and also of one year and forty days during its octave, ^granted by Alexander IV. %

On the Annunciation of the B. V. M. :

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

On each of the Sundays of Lent :

On Easter Sunday and during its Octave :

An indulgence of Jive years and Jive quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

Ascension of our Lord and during its Octave :

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

On Whitsunday and the six Jollowing days :

An indulgence of five years and Jive quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

On Corpus Christi and during its Octave :

On the Feast of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul:

On the 2 d of August:

A plenary indulgence called of the Portiuncula , granted by Pius IX.

On the Assumption of our Blessed Lady :

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

On the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Monte CassinOy October 1st:

An indulgence of forty days , granted by Alexander II.

An indulgence of one year and forty days , granted by Alexander IV.

An indulgence of fifty years and fifty quarantines , granted by Benedict XIII.

• For visiting the following Altars :

That of our most Holy Father St. Benedict in the Crypt, an indulgence of one hundred days.

That of the Assumption of the B. V. M., an indulgence of forty days .

That of St. John the Baptist, an indulgence of forty days .

That of St. Victor, Pope, an indulgence of forty days: all these granted by the consecrators of the altars.

On All Saints and during its Octave :

On Christmas Day and during its Octave :

An indulgence of Jwo years and two quarantines , granted by Urban V.

An indulgence of five years and five quarantines , granted by Innocent VII.

Besides these indulgences, those special indulgences may be gained in the Basilica of Monte Cassino, which Clement X. granted to all churches of our Order, viz., a plenary indulgence on the five greater feasts of our Order — on the Feast of our most Holy Father St. Benedict, of St. Scholastica Virgin, of St. Maurus, St. Placid, St. Gertrude, and all Saints of our Order.

II. — For visiting the Tower in which St. Benedict dwelt during his sojourn on earth, special indulgences are granted.

On each day throughout the year:

An indulgence of one hundred days , granted by Gregory XIII.

On the Feast of our most Holy Father St. Benedict : A plenary indulgence 9 granted by Gregory XIII.

On the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Monte Cassino 9 October ist :

A plenary indulgence , granted by Gregory XIII. N.B. — These indulgences may be gained by the faithful on the specified days, on their visiting any church or public oratory, provided they wear one of the Monte Cassino Centenary medals blessed by a priest having the power, and fulfil the necessary conditions, according to the decree (Cum Centenaria Solemnia) given above.

EXTRACTS from the LETTER of the Abbot of Monte Cassino “To the Right Rev. Abbots and Prelates living the Monastic Life”

UNDER THE RULE OF THE GREAT PATRIARCH

St. Benedict.

“The Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX., for the happy success of the works begun in the Arch-abbey of Monte Cassino, to commemorate the centenary celebration in honour of St. Benedict, in most loving kindness and by autograph letter granted to us, according to our petition, his apostolic benediction, and at the same time was amongst the first, with liberal munificence, to assist us. Moreover, to show the strongest proofs of his Apostolic

Google approbation and benevolence, that most Holy Pontiff willed, in addition to the ordinary indulgences attached to every medal of St. Benedict, to enrich this one (which we have taken care to have struck in a new and more elegant style, in order to perpetuate the memory of this solemn centenary), with each and all of those indulgences which may be gained by visiting the Basilica and Cathedral Church of Monte Cassino, the Crypt, and also the Tower of our most Holy Father St. Benedict ; and these indulgences are granted to all the faithful for wearing one of the above-mentioned medals of St. Benedict struck by us, and given to them by us or by a priest delegated by us.” #

“ The faculty of blessing and distributing the medals of St. Benedict in the new form, enriched with new and exceptional indulgences, we, by these presents, desire to communicate to all abbots and prelates serving under the Rule of our most Holy Father St. Benedict, to whom also we give power to subdelegate any one they wish of their own subjects who are both monks and priests. But it must be borne in mind that this faculty does not refer to any medal of St. Benedict whatsoever, but only to those which we have had struck in four sizes, in bronze and silver, in order to perpetuate the memory of the fourteenth centenary of our most Holy Father, and of the so great and beneficent piety both of his sons and of the faithful of Christ in general. And without delay, to each of those monasteries under the Rule of our most Holy Father St. Benedict whose abbots or prelates shall be pleased to make known to us the number of their brethren, together with name and address, we will send gratis, as many of these medals in bronze as there shall be brethren in each monastery.

“ Moreover, if any one, to increase the devotion and filial love of the faithful of Christ towards our most Holy Father, wish to obtain more of these medals, let him make known to us exactly, the size, metal, and number. They are sold, according to size and metal, at the following prices : x — s. d.

I. size....

....2 inches..

... IO o

II. size....

o

III. size

4 inch ..

•4

IV. size

;....£ inch

• 2 8

THE ENGLISH BENEDICTINE CENTENARY MEDAL-CROSS.

When God created our first parents and placed them in the garden of Paradise, he gave them dominion over the whole world and all that was in it. By their fall they transferred their allegiance from him to the devil, who thereby acquired power over them and their domain; and from the book of Job and the Gospels, we see what 1 These may be obtained in England : see Note, end of Chapter xy.

mighty sway he can wield over man and over all animate and inanimate nature. Our Blessed Lord came to destroy this reign of the devil, and he gave to the Apostles, as the ministers of his Church, power over the devils to cast them out. The Church directly exercises this power in blessing the medals of St. Benedict, which are first exorcised, that is, are withdrawn from the dominion of the devil, and are blessed and indulgenced, as a protection against temptation, and a preservative against dangers of soul and body.

The Holy See having declared that the blessing and the indulgences attached to the medal may be applied to a medal-cross of St. Benedict, one of a new design has been struck in honour of the fourteenth centenarv of St. Benedict’s birth, which occurs during this year, 1880.

At the intersection of a floriated Latin cross is placed the medal of St. Benedict. The emblems on the cross recall that heroic act recorded by St. Gregory the Great, when St. Benedict, in the seventeenth year of his age, threw himself into a bed of briars and thistles, to overcome a temptation of the flesh. On the “ reverse,” thorns are represented as growing out of the ground, for the senses of man are prone to evil from his youth. In the arms of the cross are placed thistles: besides commemorating St. Benedict’s mortification, these deceptive flowers may be regarded as emblems of those sinful pleasures which cannot be indulged in, without their wounding body and soul ; “ nemo me impune lacessit ” has thus a spiritual meaning. Above the medal, in the upper limb of the cross is placed the rose. About seven hundred years after St. Benedict’s trial and victory, St. Francis of Assisi visited the spot, and on the briars grafted roses, which are flourishing at the present day.

The rose is placed above the medal, because the thorns and thistles of temptations become flowers of virtue through the prayers and intercession of the Saint. On the “ obverse” of the cross is a lily, the emblem of purity; and, as chastity is a supernatural virtue, it is represented as growing out of a vase, and not out of the earth ; and, although the stem is covered with leaves, it only bursts into flower when it surrounds the medal of our Holy Father; for the example and protection of the Saints are necessary for the virtue to become perfect and pleasing to God.

The Medal Cross. 1

New design in honour of the fourteenth centenary of the birth of St. Benedict.

White metal . . . . 6d.

Brass 9 d.

Bronze . . . . . is.

Pure silver 8s.

Explanation of the medal-cross . id.

1 See Note, end of Chapter xii., for where to obtain this medal-cross.

HYMN TO ST. BENEDICT.

Father of many children ! in the gloom Of the long past, how beautiful thou art !

And still, dear Saint ! the weary nations come To drink from out thine unexhausted heart.

There are sweet waters in thy fountains still,

In every changeful age they have been flowing ;

While faithful sons thy destinies fulfil

Through the wide world, like rivers in their going.

Kings with thy wisdom in their hearts, dear Saint ! Have grown more royal ’neath thy Christlike rule ;

And when the earth with ignorance was faint, Learning found shelter in thy tranquil school.

Deserts have blossomed where thy feet have trod ; Thy homes have been safe shelters for the weary ;

And in dark times the glory of our God Fled to thy houses to find sanctuary.

O Benedict ! thy special gifts are peace,

Freedom of heart and sweet simplicity;

They fail not with the ages, but increase,

As thine own graces grew of old in thee.

Give us great hearts, dear Father ! hearts as wide As thine, that was far wider than the world —

Hearts by incessant labour sanctified,

Yet with the peace of prayer within them furled.

Thou art the Christian Abraham — to thee,

Saint of insatiate love ! thy God hath given,

For thy grand faith, a sainted family,

Countless as are the crowded stars in heaven.

Kind Shepherd ! tend us with thy pastoral love Across the mountains to our heavenly rest !

Father ! we see thee beckoning from above —

We come ! we come ! to bless thee, and be blest !

— Faber,

“ En all tying» majj ©oU lie gtortfkU.”

(Rule of St. Benedict, ch. Ivii.) ’