Commissariat of the Holy Land
Encyclopedia
Commissariat of the Holy Land is the term in the Order of Friars Minor the territory or district assigned to a commissary
, whose duty it is was to collect alms for the maintenance of the Catholic Holy Places in Palestine/Israel committed to the care of the Friars Minor.
The term also designates, in a more restricted sense, the Franciscan convent where the aforesaid commissary resides.
The commissary, always a member of the order, receives his appointment by letters patent from the minister general
, to whom he is bound to transmit every year a detailed account of the alms received.
These alms may not, under any circumstances, without express permission of the Holy See
, be applied to other purposes, however pious and meritorious, under grave ecclesiastical penalties. The alms taken up by the bishops at the annual collections for the Holy Land are conveyed to the custos
in Jerusalem through the commissary in whose district the dioceses of the bishops are situated.
There were in the early 20th century forty commissariats throughout the Christian world, the most ancient being that of Naples, founded in 1333, when Robert of Anjou redeemed the Holy Places from the Sultan of Egypt. In English-speaking countries there were seven — three in the United States, one in Canada, one in Great Britain, one in Ireland, and one in Australia. The Commissariat of the United States was founded in 1882, the commissary residing in the new convent of Mount St. Sepulchre, Washington, D. C. In 1902, commissariats were erected in California and at St. Louis.
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
, whose duty it is was to collect alms for the maintenance of the Catholic Holy Places in Palestine/Israel committed to the care of the Friars Minor.
The term also designates, in a more restricted sense, the Franciscan convent where the aforesaid commissary resides.
The commissary, always a member of the order, receives his appointment by letters patent from the minister general
Minister general
Minister General is the term used for the Superior General of the different branches of the Franciscan Order. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi....
, to whom he is bound to transmit every year a detailed account of the alms received.
These alms may not, under any circumstances, without express permission of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, be applied to other purposes, however pious and meritorious, under grave ecclesiastical penalties. The alms taken up by the bishops at the annual collections for the Holy Land are conveyed to the custos
Custos
Custos is the Latin word for guard. It occurs in titles such as* Custos rotulorum, keeper of the rolls* Custos * Custos...
in Jerusalem through the commissary in whose district the dioceses of the bishops are situated.
There were in the early 20th century forty commissariats throughout the Christian world, the most ancient being that of Naples, founded in 1333, when Robert of Anjou redeemed the Holy Places from the Sultan of Egypt. In English-speaking countries there were seven — three in the United States, one in Canada, one in Great Britain, one in Ireland, and one in Australia. The Commissariat of the United States was founded in 1882, the commissary residing in the new convent of Mount St. Sepulchre, Washington, D. C. In 1902, commissariats were erected in California and at St. Louis.