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Faa di Bruno, Francesco - Italian mathematician and priest (1825-1888)
Faber, Felix - German writer, born about 1441 at Zurich, of a famous family commonly known as Schmid; died in 1502 at Ulm, Germany
Faber, Frederick William - Oratorian and devotional writer (1814-1863)
Faber, Johann - Theologian (1478-1541)
Faber, Johann - Controversialist and preacher (1504-1558)
Faber, Johann Augustanus - Theologian, born at Fribourg, Switzerland, c. 1470; died about 1531
Faber, Matthias - Writer and preacher, born at Altomuenster, Germany, 24 February, 1586; died at Tyrnau, 26 April 1653
Faber, Peter, Saint - French priest, one of the first Jesuits, d. 1546
Faber, Philip - Theologian, philosopher and noted commentator of Duns Scotus (1564-1630)
Fabian, Pope Saint - Biography of this pope who was martyred in 250
Fabiola, Saint - Divorced, remarried, widowed, penitent, renowned for her generosity. She died in 399 or 400
Fabre, Joseph - Second Superior General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1824-1892)
Fabri, Honoré - Jesuit, theologian, b. about 1607 in the Department of Ain, France; d. at Rome, 8 March, 1688
Fabri, Philip - Theologian, philosopher and noted commentator of Duns Scotus (1564-1630)
Fabriano and Matelica - Fabriano, a city in the province of Macerata, Central Italy, is noted for its paper manufactories and its trade in salted fish. The town of Matelica possesses some ancient inscriptions. A Roman colony was established there in 89 B.C
Fabrica Ecclesiæ - Latin term, meaning, etymologically, the construction of a church, but in a broader sense the funds necessary for such construction
Fabricius, Hieronymus - Italian anatomist and surgeon. 1537-1619)
Fabyan, Robert - English chronicler, died 28 February, 1513
Façade - The face or front of any building. In ecclesiastical architecture the term is generally used to designate the west front; sometimes the transept fronts
Facciolati, Jacopo - Lexicographer and philologist (1682-1769)
Fact, Dogmatic - Any fact connected with a dogma and on which the application of the dogma to a particular case depends
Faculties, Canonical - In law, a faculty is the authority, privilege, or permission, to perform an act or function
Faculties of the Soul - Article covers the meaning and classification
Facundus of Hermiane - A sixth-century Christian author, Bishop of Hermiane in Africa, about whose career very little is known
Faenza - Diocese in the province of Ravenna (Central Italy), suffragan of Ravenna
Fagnani, Prospero - Canonist, b. in Italy, place and date of birth uncertain; d. in 1678
Fagnano, Guilio Carlo de' Toschi di - Mathematician (1682-1766)
Faillon, Etienne-Michel - Historian (1800-1870)
Faith - In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word means essentially steadfastness. As signifying man's attitude towards God it means trustfulness or fiducia
Faith, Hope, and Charity (Saints) - Two groups of martyrs. The first were martyred along with their mother Sophia during the reign of Hadrian, and buried on the Aurelian Way. The second band, also along with someone named Sophia, were martyred at a later date, and buried along the Appian Way
Faith, The Rule of - The word rule (Lat. regula, Gr. kanon) means a standard by which something can be tested, and the rule of faith means something extrinsic to our faith, and serving as its norm or measure
Faithful, The - Those who have bound themselves to a religious association, whose doctrine they accept, and into whose rites they have been initiated. Among Christians the term is applied to those who have been fully initiated by baptism and, regularly speaking, by confirmation
Falco, Juan Conchillos - Painter, b. at Valencia of an ancient noble family in 1641; d. 14 May, 1711
Faldstool - A movable folding chair used in pontifical functions by the bishop outside of his cathedral, or within it if he is not at his throne or cathedra
Falkner, Thomas - Surgeon and missionary (1707-1784)
Fall River - A suffragan see of the Province of Boston; comprises the counties of Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket, with the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Wareham in Plymouth county, Massachusetts
Fallopio, Gabriello - Anatomist (1523-1562)
Falloux du Coudray - Frederic Alfred Pierre (1811-1885)
False Decretals - A name given to certain apocryphal papal letters contained in a collection of canon laws composed about the middle of the ninth century by an author who uses the pseudonym of Isidore Mercator, in the opening preface to the collection
Falsity - A perversion of truth originating in the deceitfulness of one party, and culminating in the damage of another party
Famagusta - A titular see in the Island of Cyprus
Familiars - Strictly speaking, seculars subject to a master's authority and maintained at his expense. In canon law the term usually signifies seculars residing in monasteries and other religious houses, actually employed therein as servants and subject to the authority of the regular prelate to the same extent as servants are subject to their masters
Family - In the classical Roman period the familia rarely included the parents or the children. Its English derivative was frequently used in former times to describe all the persons of the domestic circle, parents, children, and servants. Present usage, however, excludes servants
Fano - Located in Italy
Fanon - Shoulder-cape worn by the pope
Faraud, Henri - Canadian bishop (1823-1890)
Farfa, Abbey of - A legend in the 'Chronicon Farfense' relates the foundation of a monastery at Farfa in the time of the Emperors Julian, or Gratian, by the Syrian St. Laurentius, who had come to Rome with his sister, Susannah, and had been made Bishop of Spoleto
Fargo - Diocese; suffragan of St. Paul, U.S.A
Faribault, George-Barthélemy - Canadian archaeologist (1789-1866)
Faribault, Jean-Baptiste - Early settler in Minnesota (1774-1860)
Farinato, Paolo - Italian painter (1524-1606)
Faringdon, Blessed Hugh - His family name was Cook; Faringdon is his probable birthplace. Mitred abbot of Reading. When he refused to surrender the abbey, he was condemned to death. Martyred in 1539
Farlati, Daniele - Ecclesiastical historian (1690-1773)
Farnese, Alessandro - Cardinal (1520-1589)
Faro - A suffragan of Evora, Portugal, and extending over the province of Algarve
Faroe Islands - A group of Danish islands rising from the sea some four hundred miles west of Norway and almost as far south of Iceland
Fast - Abstinence from food or drink
Fatalism - The view which holds that all events in the history of the world, and, in particular, the actions and incidents which make up the story of each individual life, are determined by fate
Fate - Lat. fatum, from fari, to tell or predict
Fathers of the Church - The word Father is used in the New Testament to mean a teacher of spiritual things, by whose means the soul of man is born again into the likeness of Christ:
Fathers of Mercy, The - A congregation of missionary priests first established at Lyons, France, in 1808, and later at Paris, in 1814, and finally approved by Pope Gregory XVI, 18 February, 1834
Faye, Hervé-Auguste-Etienne-Albann - Astronomer (1814-1902)
Faunt, Lawrence Arthur - Jesuit theologian (1554-1590)
Fauriel, Charles-Claude - French historian (1772-1844)
Faustinus and Jovita, Saints - Brothers martyred at Brescia in 120
Faustus of Riez - Bishop of Riez in Southern Gaul, the best known and most distinguished defender of Semipelagianism, b. between 405 and 410, d. between 490 and 495
Faversham Abbey - A former Benedictine monastery of the Cluniac Congregation situated in the County of Kent about nine miles west of Canterbury. It was founded about 1147 by King Stephen and Queen Matilda
Fathers, The Apostolic - Christian writers of the first and second centuries who are known, or are considered, to have had personal relations with some of the Apostles, or to have been so influenced by them that their writings may be held as echoes of genuine Apostolic teaching
Fear (in Canon Law) - A mental disturbance caused by the perception of instant or future danger
Fear (from a Moral Standpoint) - Viewed from the moral standpoint, that is, in so far as it is a factor to be reckoned with in pronouncing upon the freedom of human acts, as well as offering an adequate excuse for failing to comply with positive law, particularly if the law be of human origin
Feast of Fools - A celebration marked by much license and buffoonery, which in many parts of Europe, and particularly in France, during the later middle ages took place every year on or about the feast of the Circumcision (1 Jan.)
Feasts, Ecclesiastical - Feast Days, or Holy Days, are days which are celebrated in commemoration of the sacred mysteries and events recorded in the history of our redemption, in memory of the Virgin Mother of Christ, or of His apostles, martyrs, and saints, by special services and rest from work
Febronianism - The politico-ecclesiastical system outlined by Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, Auxiliary Bishop of Trier, under the pseudonym Justinus Febronius
Feckenham, John de - Last Abbot of Westminster, and confessor of the Faith; b. in Feckenham Forest, Worcestershire, in 1515(?); d. at Wisbech Castle, 16 Oct., 1585
Feder, Johann Michael - German theologian (1753-1824)
Feilding, Rudolph William Basil - English convert (1823-1892)
Feilmoser, Andreas Benedict - Theologian and Scripture scholar (1777-1831)
Felbiger, Johann Ignaz von - German Augustinian (1724-1788)
Felician and Primus, Saints - Martyrs of the Diocletian persecution, in about 304
Felician Sisters, O.S.F. - Founded 21 November, 1855, at Warsaw, Poland, by Mother Mary Angela
Felicissimus - Third-century schismatic
Felicitas, Saint - Roman martyr. Article explains how she and the seven martyrs who are called her sons have come to have different feast days
Felicitas and Perpetua, Saints - Martyred at Carthage in 203
Felix I, Pope Saint - The successor of Pope St. Dionysius, Felix died in 274. He is sometimes confused with a Roman martyr of the same name
Felix II - Pope (more properly Antipope), 355-358; d. 22 Nov., 365
Felix III (II), Pope Saint - Felix II was an antipope, irregularly imposed by the Arians while Pope Liberius was still alive, so St. Felix III is sometimes called Felix II. Pope St. Felix III was much involved in battling heresy, and died in 492
Felix IV (III), Pope Saint - Since Felix II was an antipope imposed by the Arians while Pope Liberius was still alive, St. Felix IV is sometimes called Felix III. Pope St. Felix IV died in 530
Felix V - Regnal name of Amadeus of Savoy, Antipope (1440-1449) (1383-1451)
Félix, Célestin Joseph - French Jesuit, b. at Neuville-sur-l' Escaut (Nord), 28 June 1810; d. at Lille, 7 July, 1891
Felix and Adauctus, Saints - Martyrs at Rome in 303. 'Adauctus' is not the second martyr's proper name--it means 'added.'
Felix and Nabor, Saints - Martyrs in the Diocletian persecution
Felix of Cantalice, Saint - Biography of this Capuchin lay brother, known for his goodness, popular with children, d. 1587
Felix of Nola, Saint - Third-century confessor. Possibly the same as St. Felix of Nola, bishop and martyr
Felix of Valois, Saint - Co-founder of the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives, d. 1212
Feller, François-Xavier de - An author and apologist, b. at Brussels 18 August, 1735; d. at Ratisbon 22 May, 1802
Feneberg, Johann Michael Nathanael - Born in Oberdorf, Allgau, Bavaria, 9 Feb., 1751; died 12 Oct., 1812. He studied at Kaufbeuren and in the Jesuit gymnasium at Augsburg, and in 1770 entered the Society of Jesus, at Landsberg, Bavaria
Fénelon, François de Salignac de la Mothe- - French bishop and author, b. in the Chateau de Fenelon in Perigord (Dordogne), 6 August, 1651; d. at Cambrai, 7 January, 1715
Fenn, John - Born at Montacute near Wells in Somersetshire; d. 27 Dec., 1615. He was the eldest brother of Ven. James Fenn, the martyr, and Robert Fenn, the confessor
Ferber, Nicolaus - A Friar Minor and controversialist, born at Herborn, Germany, in 1485; died at Toulouse, 15 April, 1534
Ferdinand, Blessed - Prince of Portugal, always pious and known for his generosity. When a military mission of his brother failed, Ferdinand offered himself as a hostage, and died in captivity in 1443
Ferdinand II - Emperor, eldest son of Archduke Karl and the Bavarian Princess Maria, b. 1578; d. 15 February, 1637
Ferdinand III, Saint - King of Leon and Castile, Third Order Franciscan, d. 1252
Ferdinando, Luigi, Count de Marsigli - Italian geographer and naturalist, b. at Bologna 10 July, 1658; d. at Bologna 1 Nov., 1730
Ferentino, Diocese of - In the province of Rome, immediately subject to the Holy See
Fergus, Saints - There are at least ten Irish saints named Fergus. This article gives details on three of them: St. Fergus Cruithneach, or the Pict, bishop, d. about 730; St. Fergus, Bishop of Duleek, d. 778; and St. Fergus, Bishop of Downpatrick, d. 583
Feria - A day on which the people, especially the slaves, were not obliged to work, and on which there were no court sessions
Ferland, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine - A French Canadian historian, b. at Montreal, 25 December, 1805; d. at Quebec, 11 January, 1865
Fermo, Archdiocese of - In the province of Ascoli Piceno (Central Italy)
Fernández, Antonio - A Jesuit missionary; b. at Lisbon, c. 1569; d. at Goa, 12 November, 1642
Fernández, Juan - A Jesuit lay brother and missionary; b. at Cordova; d. 12 June, 1567, in Japan
Fernández de Palencia, Diego - A Spanish conqueror and historian; b. at Palencia in the early part of the sixteenth century
Ferns - Diocese in the province of Leinster (Ireland), suffragan of Dublin
Ferrara - Archdiocese immediately subject to the Holy See
Ferrari, Gaudenzio - An Italian painter and the greatest master of the Piedmontese School, b. at Valduggia, near Novara. Italy, c. 1470: d. at Milan, 31 January, 1546
Ferraris, Lucius - An eighteenth-century canonist of the Franciscan Order
Ferre, Vicente - Theologian (d. 1682)
Ferreira, Antonio - A poet, important both for his lyric and his dramatic compositions, b. at Lisbon, Portugal, in 1528; d. there of the plague in 1569
Ferrer, Rafael - A Spanish missionary and explorer; b. at Valencia, in 1570; d. at San Jose, Peru, in 1611
Ferrer, Saint Vincent - Biography of this Spanish-born Dominican missionary, who died in 1419
Ferrières, Abbey of - Situated in the Diocese of Orleans, department of Loiret, and arrondissement of Montargis
Ferstel, Heinrich, Freiherr von - Architect; with Hansen and Schmidt, the creator of modern Vienna; b. 7 July, 1828, at Vienna; d. at Grinzing, near Vienna, 14 July, 1883
Fesch, Joseph - Cardinal, b. at Ajaccio, Corsica, 3 January, 1763; d. at Rome, 13 May, 1839
Fessler, Josef - Bishop of St. Polten in Austria and secretary of the Vatican Council; b. 2 December, 1813, at Lochau near Bregenz in the Vorarlberg; d. 25 April, 1872
Fetherston, Blessed Richard - Priest and martyr, died at Smithfield, 1540
Feti, Domenico - Italian painter; born at Rome, 1589; died at Venice, 1624
Fetishism - The word fetish is derived through the Portuguese feitico from the Latin factitius (facere, to do, or to make), signifying made by art, artificial (cf. Old English fetys in Chaucer)
Feuardent, François - Franciscan, theologian, preacher of the Ligue, b. at Coutanees, Normandy, in 1539; d. at Paris, 1 Jan., 1610
Feuchtersleben, Baron Ernst von - An Austrian poet, philosopher, and physician; born at Vienna, 29 April, 1806; died 3 September, 1849
Feudalism - The source of feudalism rises from an intermingling of barbarian usage and Roman law
Feuillants - The Cistercians who, about 1145, founded an abbey in a shady valley in the Diocese of Rieux (now Toulouse) named it Fuliens, later Les Feuillans or Notre-Dame des Feuillans
Feuillet, Louis - Geographer, b. at Mane near Forcalquier, France, in 1660; d. at Marseilles in 1732
Féval, Paul-Henri-Corentin - French novelist (1817-1887)
Feyjóo y Montenegro, Benito Jerónimo - Spanish writer (1676-1764)
Fiacc, Saint - Poet, chief bishop of Leinster, d. around 520
Fiacre, Saint - Biography of this Irish priest and hermit, patron saint of gardeners, d. 670
Ficino, Marsilio - Entry on this Renaissance Platonist, by M. Schumacher. Details his life and explores his relation to the classical thinkers
Ficker, Julius - Historian, b. at Paderborn, Germany, 30 April, 1826; d. at Innsbruck, 10 June, 1902
Fideism - A philosophical term meaning a system of philosophy or an attitude of mind, which, denying the power of unaided human reason to reach certitude, affirms that the fundamental act of human knowledge consists in an act of faith, and the supreme criterion of certitude is authority
Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Saint - Former lawyer who joined the Capuchins, and was sent as a missionary to the Calvinists. Martyred in 1622
Fiesole - Diocese in the province of Tuscany, suffragan of Florence
Fiji, Vicariate Apostolic of - Comprising the islands belonging to the Fiji Archipelago
Filby, Blessed William - English priest, martyred in 1582. Article also has details on Bl. Laurence Richardson and St. Luke Kirby, his companions in martyrdom
Figueroa, Francisco de - A celebrated Spanish poet, surnamed 'the Divine', b. at Alcala de Henares, c. 1540, d. there, 1620
Figueroa, Francisco García de la Rosa - Franciscan, b. in the latter part of the eighteenth century at Toluca, in the Archdiocese of Mexico; date of death unknown
Filelfo, Franscesco - A humanist, b. at Tolentino, 25 July, 1398; d. at Florence 31 July, 1481
Filial Church - A church to which is annexed the cure of souls, but which remains dependent on another church
Filicaja, Vincenzo da - Lyric poet; born at Florence, 30 December, 1642; died there 24 September, 1707
Filioque - It expresses the Procession of the Holy Ghost from both Father and Son as one Principle; and, it was the occasion of the Greek schism
Fillastre, Guillaume - French cardinal, canonist, humanist, and geographer (1348-1428)
Filliucci, Vincenzo - Jesuit moralist (1566-1622)
Filliucius, Felix - An Italian humanist, philosopher, and theologian, b. at Siena about the year 1525; supposed to have d. at Florence c. 1590
Final Perseverance - The preservation of the state of grace till the end of life
Finan, Saint - Irish monk, second Bishop of Lindisfarne, d. 661
Finbarr, Saint - Bishop and patron of Cork, Ireland (550-623)
Finch, Ven. John - A layman, raised Protestant. As a young man he converted to Catholicism, married, served as a catechist, and made his home a center of missionary activity. Captured, he was tortured and imprisoned for three years before being martyred in 1584
Finglow, Ven. John - Yorkshire priest, martyred in 1586
Finland - As of the time of this article, a department or province of the Russian Empire; bounded on the north by Norway, on the west by Sweden and the Gulf of Bothnia, on the south by the Gulf of Finland
Finotti, Joseph M. - Italian-American Jesuit in Colorado (1817-1879)
Finnian of Movilla, Saint - Irish monk, author of a monastic rule and a penitential. Also the founder of a famous school in County Down. St. Finnian died in 589
Fintan, Saints - Brief biographical sketches of two saints of this name: St. Fintan of Clonenagh, and St. Fintan (Munnu) of Taghmon
Fioretti di San Francesco d'Assisi - Little Flowers of Francis of Assisi, the name given to a classic collection of popular legends about the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his early companions as they appeared to the Italian people at the beginning of the fourteenth century
Fire, Liturgical Use of - One of the most expressive and most ancient of liturgical symbols
Firmament - The notion that the sky was a vast solid dome seems to have been common among the ancient peoples
Firmicus Maternus - Christian author of the fourth century
Firmilian - Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, died c. 269
First-Born - The word, though casually taken in Holy Writ in a metaphorical sense, is most generally used by the sacred writers to designate the first male child in a family
First-Fruits - First-fruit offerings are designated in the Law by a threefold name: Bikkurim, Reshith, and Terumoth
Fiscal Procurator - The duties of the fiscal procurator consist in preventing crime and safeguarding ecclesiastical law
Fischer, Antonius - Cardinal-Archbishop of Cologne (1840-1912)
Fish, Symbolism of the - The symbol itself may have been suggested by the miraculous multification of the loaves and fishes or the repast of the seven Disciples, after the Resurrection, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, but its popularity among Christians was due principally, to the famous acrostic consisting of the initial letters of five Greek words forming the word for fish (Ichthys), which words briefly but clearly described the character of Christ and His claim to the worship of believers: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour
Fisher, Philip - Missionary, b. in Madrid, 1595-6; d. in Maryland, U. S., 1652
Fisherman, The Ring of the - Ring worn by the popes, with a representation of St. Peter in a boat on it
Fitter, Daniel - Born in Worcestershire, England, 1628; died at St. Thomas' Priory, near Stafford, 6 Feb., 1700
Fitton, James - Missionary, b. at Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., 10 April, 1805; d. there, 15 Sept., 1881
Fitzalan, Henry - Twelfth Earl of Arundel, b. about 1511; d. in London, 24 Feb., 1580
FitzGibbon, Catherine - Catherine FitzGibbon, born in London, England, 12 May, 1823; died in New York, 14 August, 1896
Fitzherbert, Maria Anne - Wife of King George IV; b. 26 July, 1756 (place uncertain); d. at Brighton, England, 29 March, 1837
Fitzherbert, Anthony, Sir - Judge, b. in 1470; d. 27 May, 1538
Fitzherbert, Thomas - Born 1552, at Swynnerton, Staffs, England; died 17 Aug., 1640, at Rome
Fitzpatrick, William John - Historian, b. in Dublin, Ireland, 31 Aug., 1830; d. there 24 Dec., 1895
Fitzralph, Richard - Archbishop of Armagh, b. at Dundalk, Ireland, about 1295; d. at Avignon, 16 Dec., 1360
Fitzsimon, Henry - Irish Jesuit (1566-1643)
Fitz-Simons, Thomas - American merchant, b. in Ireland, 1741; d. at Philadelphia, U.S.A., 26 Aug., 1811
Fixlmillner, Placidus - Astromomer (1721-1791)
Fizeau, Armand-Hippolyte-Louis - Physicist (1819-1896)
Flabellum - A fan made of leather, silk, parchment, or feathers intended to keep away insects from the Sacred Species and from the priest
Flaccilla, Ælia - Empress, wife of Theodosius the Great, died c. A.D. 385 or 386
Flagellants - A fanatical and heretical sect that flourished in the thirteenth and succeeding centuries
Flagellation - Includes history and its use in scripture
Flaget, Benedict Joseph - First Bishop of Bardstown (subsequently of Louisville), Kentucky, U.S.A (1763-1850)
Flanagan, Thomas Canon - Canon of Birmingham Diocese. Born in England in 1814, though Irish by descent; died at Kidderminster, 21 July, 1865
Flanders - Designated in the eighth century a small territory around Bruges; it became later the name of the country bounded by the North Sea, the Scheldt, and the Canche
Flandrin, Jean-Hippolyte - French painter (1809-1864)
Flathead Indians - A name used in both Americas, without special ethnologic significance, to designate tribes practising the custom of compressing the skull in infancy by artificial means
Flathers, Ven. Mathew - English priest martyred at York in 1607
Flavia Domitilla - A Christian Roman matron of the imperial family who lived towards the close of the first century
Flavian, Saint - Bishop of Constantinople, excommunicated Eutyches, was the recipient of the famous 'Tome of Leo,' deposed by the Latrocinium, died from severe beatings in exile in 449
Flavias - A titular see of Cilicia Secunda
Flavigny, Abbey of - Benedictine abbey in the Diocese of Dijon, the department of Cote-d'Or, and arroundissement of Semur
Flaviopolis - A titular see in the province of Honorias
Fléchier, Esprit - Bishop; b. at Pernes, France, 1632; died at Montpellier, 1710
Flemael, Bertholet - Painter, b. at Liege, Flanders, in 1614; d. there in 1675
Fleming, Patrick - Franciscan friar b. at Lagan, County Louth, Ireland, 17April, 1599; d. 7 November, 1631
Fleming, Richard - Bishop of Lincoln and founder of Lincoln College, Oxford; b. about 1360; d. at Sleaford, 25 Jan., 1431
Fleming, Thomas - Archbishop of Dublin, son of the Baron of Slane (1593-1665)
Fletcher, John - A missionary and theologian; d. about 1848
Flete, William - An Augustinian hermit friar, a contemporary and great friend of St. Catherine of Siena; the exact place and date of his birth are unknown and those of his death are disputed
Fleuriot, Zénaide-Marie-Anne - French novelist, b. at Saint-Brieuc, 12 September, 1829; d. at Paris, 18 December, 1890
Fleury, Abbey of - One of the oldest and most celebrated Benedictine abbeys of Western Europe. Its modern name is Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire, applicable both to the monastery and the township with which the abbey has always been associated
Fleury, André-Hercule de - Chaplain to Maria Theresa and Louis XIV (1653-1742)
Flodoard - French historian and chronicler, b. at Epernay in 894; d. in 966
Flood of Noah - A catastrophe fully described in the Book of Genesis
Floreffe, Abbey of - Situated on the Sambre, about seven miles southwest of Namur, Belgium, owes its foundation to Godfrey, Count of Namur, and his wife Ermensendis
Florence - Located in the province of Tuscany (Central Italy)
Florence, Council of - The Seventeenth Ecumenical Council was the continuation of the Council of Ferrara
Florence of Worcester - English chronicler, died in 1118
Florentina, Saint - Sometimes called Florentia. Spanish nun, d. about 612
Flórez, Enrique - Spanish theologian, archeologist, and historian; born at Valladolid, 14 February, 1701; died at Madrid, 20 August, 1773
Florian, Jean-Pierre Claris, Chevalier de - Writer, born at the chateau of Florian (Gard), 6 March, 1755; died at Sceaux, 13 September, 1794
Florians, The - An independent order, and not, as some consider, a branch of the Cistercians; it was founded in 1189 by the Abbot Joachim of Flora
Florida - The Peninsular or Everglade State, the most southern in the American Union and second largest east of the Mississippi
Florilegia - Systematic collections of excerpts (more or less copious) from the works of the Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers of the early period, compiled with a view to serve dogmatic or ethical purposes
Florus - A deacon of Lyons, ecclesiastical writer in the first half of the ninth century
Floyd, John - English missionary (1572-1649)
Fogaras - Archdiocese in Hungary, of the Greek-Rumanian Rite
Foggia - Diocese in the province of the same name in Apulia (Southern Italy)
Foillan, Saint - Blood brother of SS. Fursey and Ultan. Irish-born abbot of Cnoberesburg until it was captured by the Mercians, whereupon Foillan fled to Nivelles. He was murdered in 652
Folengo, Teofilo - Italian poet (1496-1544)
Foley, Henry - English Jesuit lay brother (1811-1891)
Foligno - Diocese in the province of Perugia, Italy, immediately subject to the Holy See
Foliot, Gilbert - Bishop of London, b. early in the twelfth century
Folkestone Abbey - Located in England
Fonseca, José Ribeiro da - Friar Minor; b. at Evora, 3 Dec., 1690; d. at Porto, 16 June, 1752
Fonseca, Pedro Da - A philosopher and theologian, born at Cortizada, Portugal, 1528; died at Lisbon, 4 Nov., 1599
Fonseca Soares, Antonio da - Friar Minor and ascetical writer (1631-1682)
Fontana, Carlo - An architect and writer; b. at Bruciato, near Como, 1634; d. at Rome, 1714
Fontana, Domenico - A Roman architect of the Late Renaissance, b. at Merli on the Lake of Lugano, 1543; d. at Naples, 1607
Fontana, Felice - Italian naturalist and physiologist, b. at Pomarolo in the Tyrol, 15 April, 1730; d. at Florence, 11 January, 1805
Fontbonne, Jeanne - Mother St. John, second foundress and superior-general of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyons (1759-1843)
Fonte-Avellana - A suppressed order of hermits, which takes its name from their first hermitage in the Apennines
Fontenelle, Abbey of - A Benedictine monastery in Normandy (Seine-Inferieure), near Caudebec-en-Caux
Fontevrault, Order and Abbey of - The monastery of Fontevrault was founded by Blessed Robert d'Arbrissel about the end of 1100
Fonts, Holy Water - Vessels intended for the use of holy water
Fools, Feast of - A celebration marked by much license and buffoonery, which in many parts of Europe, and particularly in France, during the later middle ages took place every year on or about the feast of the Circumcision (1 Jan.)
Foppa, Ambrogio - Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and die sinker, b. 1445, d. about 1527
Forbes, John - Capuchin, b. 1570; d. 1606
Forbin-Janson, Comte de Charles-Auguste-Marie-Joseph - A Bishop of Nancy and Toul, founder of the Association of the Holy Childhood (1785-1844)
Forcellini, Egidio - Latin lexicographer, b. at Fener, near Treviso, Italy, 26 Aug., 1688; d. at Padua, 4 April, 1768
Ford, Blessed Thomas - English priest, martyred at Tyburn in 1582
Fordham University - Developed out of Saint John's College, founded by Bishop Hughes upon the old Rose Hill Farm at Fordham, then in Westchester County, and formally opened on St. John the Baptist's Day, 24 June, 1841
Foreman, Andrew - A Scottish prelate; b. at Hatton, near Berwick-on-Tweed; d. 1522
Forer, Laurenz - Controversialist, b. at Lucerne, 1580; d. at Ratisbon, 7 January, 1659
Foresters, Catholic Orders of - A Catholic fraternal insurance society
Forgery, Forger - The deliberate untruthfulness of an assertion, or in the deceitful presentation of an object, and is based on an intention to deceive and to injure while using the externals of honesty
Forli - Diocese in the province of Romagna (Central Italy); suffragan of Ravenna
Form - The original meaning of the term form, both in Greek and Latin, was and is that in common use - eidos, being translated, that which is seen, shape, etc., with secondary meanings derived from this, as form, sort, particular, kind, nature
Formby, Henry - Writer, born 1816; died at Normanton Hall, Leicester, 12 March, 1884
Formosus, Pope - Reigned 891-896
Formularies - Medieval collections of models for the execution of documents (acta), public or private; a space being left for the insertion of names, dates, and circumstances peculiar to each case
Forrest, William - Sixteenth-century English priest and poet
Förster, Arnold - German entomologist (1810-1884)
Forster, Fobrenius - Bavarian Prince-Abbot (1709-1791)
Forster, Thomas Ignatius Maria - Astronomer and naturalist (1789-1860)
Fort Augustus Abbey - A Benedictine monastery in Inverness-shire, Scotland
Fortaleza, Diocese of - Co-extensive with the State of Ceara in the Republic of Brazil
Fortescue, Blessed Adrian - Knight of St. John, martyred in 1539
Fortitude - One of the gifts from the Holy Ghost is a supernatural virtue
Fortunato of Brescia - Morphologist and Minorite of the Reform of Lombardy; b. at Brescia, 1701; d. at Madrid, 1754
Fortunatus - Lengthy biographical article on the talented sixth-century poet and hymn-writer
Fort Wayne - The Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, U.S.A., established in 1834, comprised the whole State of Indiana till the Holy See, on 22 September, 1857, created the Diocese of Fort Wayne, assigning to it that part of Indiana north of the southern boundary of Warren, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Delaware, and Randolph Counties
Forty Hours' Devotion - Somewhat dated with regard to the liturgical details, but otherwise an accurate depiction. A eucharistic devotion
Forty Martyrs - Article about this group of soldiers who, for professing Christianity, were ordered by the prefect to lie naked on a frozen lake. One of these threw himself into a warm bath which had been set up for defectors, but one of the guards was so impressed with the others that he declared himself a Christian and died with them. Early fourth century
Forum, Ecclesiastical - Ecclesiastical jurisdiction is distinguished into that of the internal and external forum
Fossano - Diocese located in the province of Cuneo, in Piedmont, Northern Italy, a suffragan of Turin
Fossombrone - Diocese in the province of Pesaro, Italy, a suffragan of Urbino
Fossors - Grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three or four centuries of the Christian Era
Foster, John Gray - Soldier, convert (1823-1874)
Fothad, Saint - St. Fothad Na Canoine ('of the Canon'), late eighth-century monk in County Donegal, bard
Fouard, Constant - An ecclesiastical writer b. at Elbeuf, near Rouen, 6 Aug. 1837
Foucault, Jean-Bertrand-Léon - A physicist and mechanician, b. at Paris, 19 Sept., 1819; d. there 11 Feb., 1868
Foulque de Neuilly - A popular Crusade preacher, d. March, 1202
Foundation - An ecclesiastical foundation is the making over of temporal goods to an ecclesiastical corporation or individual, either by gift during life or by will after death, on the condition of some spiritual work being done either in perpetuity or for a long time
Foundling Asylums - Under this title are comprised all institutions which take charge of infants whose parents or guardians are unable or unwilling to care for them
Fountains Abbey - A monastery of the Cistercian Order situated on the banks of the Skell about two and a half miles from Ripon in Yorkshire, established by thirteen Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey, York
Fouquet, Jehan - French painter and miniaturist, b. at Tours, c. 1415; d. about 1480
Four Crowned Martyrs - The Four Crowned Martyrs are actually two groups, with a total of nine or ten martyrs. The first five were masons or sculptors in Pannonia, martyred in 305. The second was a group of four martyrs, names unknown. They have been venerated since the fourth century and share a feast day on 8 November
Four Masters, Annals of the - The most extensive of all the compilations of the ancient annals of Ireland
Fowler, John - Scholar and printer, b. at Bristol, England, 1537; d. at Namur, Flanders, 13 Feb., 1578-9
Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Protestant martyrology, from Wyclif to Cranmer, illustrated with woodcuts. The author was a controversialist sympathetic to John Knox
Fra Angelico - Biography of this Dominican, a famous painter, who died in 1455
Fractio Panis - The name given to a fresco in the so-called 'Capella Greca' in the catacomb of St. Priscilla
France - Geography, statistics, and history
Franceschini, Marc' Antonio - Italian painter; b. at Bologna, 1648; d. there c. 1729; best known for the decorative works he carried out in Parma, Bologna, and Genoa, and for the designs executed for Clement XI for certain mosaics in St. Peter's
Frances d'Amboise, Blessed - Biographical article on the Duchess of Brittany. While married, she was a great friend of the Poor Clares, Dominicans, and Carmelites. After she was widowed, she became a Carmelite herself, and died in 1485
Frances of Rome, Saint - Wife and mother, Benedictine oblate, mystic, d. 1440
Franchi, Ausonio - Philosopher; b. 24 February, 1821, at Pegli, province of Genoa; d. 12 September, 1895, at Genoa
Francia - Bolognese goldsmith, engraver, and artist, b. about 1450; d. in 1517
Francis I - King of France; b. at Cognac, 12 September, 1494; d. at Rambouillet, 31 March, 1547
Francis, Rule of Saint - As known, St. Francis founded three orders and gave each of them a special rule
Francis Borgia, Saint - Long essay on the dramatic life of the Duke of Gandia turned Jesuit
Francis Caracciolo, Saint - Co-founder of the Congregation of the Minor Clerks Regular, d. 1608
Francis de Geronimo, Saint - Italian Jesuit, a popular preacher with a flair for the dramatic, d. 1716
Francis de Sales, Saint - Biographical article on the Bishop of Geneva, and Doctor of the Church, who died in 1622
Francis of Assisi, Saint - Long article on St. Francis, founder, mystic, perhaps the most beloved Catholic saint of all
Francis Ingleby, Venerable - Brief biography of the Yorkshire priest and martyr, who died in 1586
Francis of Fabriano, Blessed - Italian Franciscan priest and missionary, d. 1322
Francis of Paula, Saint - Founder of the Order of Minims, d. 1507
Francis of Vittoria - Spanish theologian; b. about 1480, at Vittoria, province of Avila, in Old Castile; d. 12 August, 1546
Francis Regis Clet, Blessed - French Lazarist missionary to China, martyred in 1820
Francis Solanus, Saint - Spanish Franciscan missionary to South America, d. 1610. Short biographical article
Francis Xavier, Saint - Biographical article on one of the first Jesuits, and missionary to Asia, who died in 1552
Franciscan Crown - Also known as the Seraphic Rosary. Brief history, general description of how one prays this chaplet
Franciscan Order - An article on the history of the Franciscan order and its role within the Catholic Church
Franck, Kasper - A theologian and controversialist; b. at Ortrand, Saxony, 2 Nov., 1543; d. at Ingolstadt, 12 March, 1584
Franco, Giovanni Battista - Italian historical painter and etcher, b. at Udine in 1510; d. at Venice in 1580
Frank, Michael Sigismund - Catholic artist and rediscoverer of the lost art of glass-painting; b. 1 June, 1770, at Nuremberg; d. at Munich, 16 January, 1847
Frankenberg - Archbishop of Mechlin (Malines), Primate of Belgium, and cardinal (1726-1804)
Frankfort, Council of - Convened in the summer of 794, by the grace of God, authority of the pope, and command of Charlemagne (can. 1), and attended by the bishops of the Frankish kingdom, Italy, and the province of Aquitania, and even by ecclesiastics from England
Frankfort-on-the-Main - Formerly the scene of the election and coronation of the German emperors
Franks, The - A confederation formed in Western Germany of a certain number of ancient barbarian tribes who occupied the right shore of the Rhine from Mainz to the sea. Their name is first mentioned by Roman historians in connection with a battle fought against this people about the year 241
Franzelin, Johann Baptist - Cardinal and theologian (1816-1886)
Frascati - One of the six suburbicarian (i.e. neighbouring) dioceses from an immemorial date closely related to the Roman Church
Frassen, Claude - A celebrated Scotist theologian and philosopher of the Order of Friars Minor; b. near Peronne, France, in 1620; d. at Paris, 26 February, 1711
Fraternal Correction - The admonishing of one's neighbor by a private individual with the purpose of reforming him or, if possible, preventing his sinful indulgence
Fraticelli - A name given to various heretical sects which appeared in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, principally in Italy
Fraud - In the common acceptation of the word, an act or course of deception deliberately practised with the view of gaining a wrong and unfair advantage
Fraunhofer, Joseph von - Optician (1787-1826)
Frayssinous, Denis de - Bishop of Hermopolis in partibus infidelium, is celebrated chiefly for his conferences at Notre-Dame de Paris (1765-1841)
Fréchette, Louis-Honoré - Canadian journalist and poet (1839-1908)
Fredegarius - The supposed author of an anonymous historical compilation (Chronicon Fredegarii) of the seventh century, in which is related the history of the Franks from the earliest times until 658
Fredegis of Tours - A ninth-century monk, teacher, and writer
Frederick I (Barbarossa) - German King and Roman Emperor (1123-1190)
Frederick II - German King and Roman Emperor, son of Henry VI and Constance of Sicily; born 26 Dec., 1194; died at Fiorentina, in Apulia, 13 Dec., 1250
Fredoli, Berenger - Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati (1250-1323)
Free Church of Scotland - Short introduction and history of the United Free Church. Briefly covers the secession, notes the events leading up to the disruption and deals with the events during the unification
Free Will - The question of free will, moral liberty, or the liberum arbitrium of the Schoolmen, ranks amongst the three or four most important philosophical problems of all time
Freeman, Ven. William - English priest, martyred at Warwick in 1595
Freemasonry - An overview of Freemasonry and description of its condemnation by the Catholic Church
Free-Thinkers - Those who, abandoning the religious truths and moral dictates of the Christian Revelation, and accepting no dogmatic teaching on the ground of authority, base their beliefs on the unfettered findings of reason alone
Fregoso, Federigo - Cardinal; b. at Genoa, about 1480; d. 22 July, 1541
Freiburg - City, archdiocese, and university in the Archduchy of Baden, Germany
Fréjus - Suffragan of Aix; comprises the whole department of Var (France)
Fremin, James - Jesuit missionary to the American Indians; b. at Reims, 12 March, 1628; d. at Quebec, 2 July, 1691
French, Nicholas - Bishop of Ferns, Ireland (1604-1678)
French Academy, The - Founded by Cardinal de Richelieu in 1635
French Catholics in the United States - History and statistics of French Canadian immigration to the United States
French Concordat of 1801, The - This name is given to the convention of the 26th Messidor, year IX (July 16, 1802), whereby Pope Pius VII and Bonaparte, First Consul, re-established the Catholic Church in France
French Literature - Origin, foundations, and types
French Revolution - A view of its effect on the Church
Freppel, Charles-Emile - Bishop of Angers, France; and deputy from Finistere (1827-1891)
Frequent Communion - Discusses the history and practice
Fresnel, Augustin-Jean - Physicist; b. at Broglie near Bernay, Normandy, 10 May, 1788; d. at Ville d'Avray, near Paris, 14 July, 1827
Friar - A member of one of the mendicant orders
Friars Minor, Order of - History, traditions, and saints of the order
Fribourg, University of - A Catholic institution located in Switzerland
Fridelli, Xavier Ehrenbert - Jesuit missionary and cartographer (1673-1743)
Frideswide, Saint - Patron saint of Oxford, d. 735. Biographical entry
Fridolin, Saint - Irish missionary, founded the Monastery of Saeckingen sometime before the ninth century
Friedrich von Hausen - Medieval German poet
Friends, Society of - Quakers, an Anglo-American religious sect
Friends of God - An association of pious persons, both ecclesiastical and lay, having for its object the cultivation of holiness
Frigolet, Abbey of - The monastery of St. Michael was founded, about 960, at Frigolet, by Conrad the Pacific, King of Arles
Fringes (in Scripture) - A special kind of trimming, consisting of loose threads of wool, silk, etc., or strips of other suitable material, along the edge of a piece of cloth
Fritz, Samuel - A Jesuit missionary of the eighteenth century noted for his exploration of the Amazon River and its basin
Froissart, Jean - Biography of the French historian and poet
Fromentin, Eugène - French writer and artist (1820-1876)
Frontal, Altar - An appendage which covers the entire front of the altar, from the lower part of the table to the predella, and from the gospel corner to that of the epistle side
Frontenac, Louis de Baude - A governor of New France, b. at Paris, 1662; d. at Quebec, 28 Nov., 1698
Frowin, Blessed - Abbot of Engelberg, renowned for learning as well as sanctity, d. 1178
Fructuosus of Braga, Saint - Hermit, abbot, archbishop, d. around 665
Fructuosus of Tarragona, Saint - Bishop, was martyred along with his deacons Augurius and Eulogius in 259
Fuchs, Johann Nepomuk von - Chemist and mineralogist (1774-1856)
Führich, Joseph - Artist (1800-1876)
Fulbert of Chartres - Bishop (952-1028)
Fulcran, Saint - Bishop of Lodeve, d. 1006
Fulda - This diocese of the German Empire takes its name from the ancient Benedictine abbey of Fulda
Fulgentius, Saint - Bishop of Ecija, died sometime between 619 and 633
Fulgentius, Saint - Full name, Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius. Monk, abbot, Bishop of Ruspe, anti-Arian theologian, d. 533
Fulgentius Ferrandus - A canonist and theologian of the African Church in the first half of the sixth century
Fullerton, Lady Georgiana Charlotte - Novelist; born 23 September, 1812, in Staffordshire, died 19 January, 1885
Fullo, Peter - Intruding Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch (d. 488)
Fumo, Bartolommeo - Theologian (d. 1545)
Funchal - Diocese in the Madeira Islands
Fundamental Articles - This term was employed by Protestant theologians to distinguish the essential parts of the Christian faith from those non-essential doctrines, which, as they believed, individual churches might accept or reject without forfeiting their claim to rank as parts of the Church universal
Funeral Dues - The canonical perquisites of a parish priest receivable on the occasion of the funeral of any of his parishioners
Funeral Pall - A black cloth usually spread over the coffin while the obsequies are performed for a deceased person
Fünfkirchen - Diocese in Hungary, in the ecclesiastical province of Gran
Funk, Franz Xaver von - Church historian (1840-1907)
Furness Abbey - Originally a Benedictine monastery of the Savigny Reform it afterwards became Cistercian
Furni - A titular see in Proconsular Africa, where two towns of this name are known to have existed
Furniss, John - A well-known children's missioner (1809-1865)
Fursey, Saint - Blood brother of St. Foillan. Fursey was an Irish monk and visionary, the abbot of Lagny. He died in about 650
Fürstenberg, Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von - A statesman and educator (1729-1810)
Fussola - A titular see in Numidia
Fust, John - A partner of Gutenberg in promoting the art of printing, d. at Paris about 1466
Fytch, William Benedict - An English Capuchin, whose family name was Filch (1563-1610)