Society of the Holy Name
Encyclopedia
The Society of the Holy Name, formally known as the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is a Roman Catholic
confraternity
of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order
. It is open to all Catholic adult males and is dedicated to making reparations
, in particular, against blasphemy
, perjury
and immorality.
in 1274 emphasized the need for the faithful to have a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
. The Dominican
s, who were actively spreading the Christian message at this time in a crusade against the Albegensians took on the challenge and preached the power of the Holy Name of Jesus. They spread the devotion extremely effectively. In every Dominican church, altars, confraternities and societies were erected everywhere in honour of the Holy Name.
The devotion grew rapidly with the preaching of the Dominican order and several saints (including St. Bernardine of Siena a Franciscan
, and St. John Capistran). The devotion and confraternities were given a further boost by several grants of indulgence
by PopeBoniface IX and Julius II.
The first Holy Name Society, in the modern sense was founded in the early 15th century by Didacus of Victoria, one of the greatest preacher's of the devotion to the Divine Name. He founded the Society of the Holy Name of God, and created a rule for its governance whose purpose "was to suppress the horrible profanation of the Divine Name by blasphemers, perjurers, and by men in their ordinary conversation." Long after Didacus' death in 1450 Pope Pius IV approved the society on April 13, 1564 and enriched it with many indulgences. In later years, the Society of the Holy Name of God, merged with the "Confraternity of the Most Holy Name Jesus" maintaining the rule laid down by Didacus. The society was thereafter also known under the title of the "Confraternity Against Oaths." Several Popes following Pius IV in the 16th and 17th centuries also made the Confraternity an object of special preference, including, most notably Innocent IX who further enriched the confraternity with indulgences, strongly encouraged its promotion and issued orders regulating its organisation.
The next major step in the formation of the modern society came on June 21, 1571, when St. Pius V
issued his Motu Proprio
"Decet Romanum", which restricted the canonical
erection of the confraternitiy entirely to the jurisdiction of the Dominican Order
and formally recognised The Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God.
A final merger came on 26 May 1727, when Pope Benedict XIII
confirmed the various privileges on both the "Confraternity of the Holy Name of God" and the "Society of the Name of Jesus" in his document Pretiosus. The two confraternities were essentially merged under the name "The Confraternity of the most Holy Names of God and Jesus," and exclusive rights to their governance were given to the Dominicans. In order to establish a local Society of the Holy Name, approval must be granted by the Dominican order, in the form of Letters Patent
.
, or formation, stage before becoming professed members and undergoing the Induction Ceremony.
, as well as a series of solemn promises. These promises are to observe the societies rules and constitutions; to love and respect the Holy Name; to abstain from blasphemy; to reverence Divine law and to respect civil law and civil authority; To love the Pope and to be a full member of the Catholic Church; To believe the Church's teachings, and to teach others of them; and to receive the sacraments regularly, pray often and perform works of physical and mental mortification on a regular basis.
Following the solemn promises members receive the handbook and a blessed token of the Society (usually a lapel pin).
(USA), and has been doing so for the past 23 years.
, where membership seems to have remained quite substantial in comparison to other countries. Australia
has several branches; however numbers have dwindled in comparison to the numbers of the 1950s, when membership numbered in excess of 100,000. The Society has had a brief revival beginning in 1998, when the society was canonically erected in Melbourne with ecclesiastical approval, although no subsequent branches have been erected. The society is also found in Canada and Trinidad.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
confraternity
Confraternity
A confraternity is normally a Roman Catholic or Orthodox organization of lay people created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy...
of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. It is open to all Catholic adult males and is dedicated to making reparations
Acts of reparation
In the Roman Catholic tradition, an Act of Reparation is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary...
, in particular, against blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
, perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
and immorality.
History
The Council of LyonsSecond Council of Lyon
The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, France, in 1274. Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West...
in 1274 emphasized the need for the faithful to have a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations, on varying dates.The feast has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, at least at local levels, since the end of the fifteenth century...
. The Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
s, who were actively spreading the Christian message at this time in a crusade against the Albegensians took on the challenge and preached the power of the Holy Name of Jesus. They spread the devotion extremely effectively. In every Dominican church, altars, confraternities and societies were erected everywhere in honour of the Holy Name.
The devotion grew rapidly with the preaching of the Dominican order and several saints (including St. Bernardine of Siena a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
, and St. John Capistran). The devotion and confraternities were given a further boost by several grants of indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
by PopeBoniface IX and Julius II.
The first Holy Name Society, in the modern sense was founded in the early 15th century by Didacus of Victoria, one of the greatest preacher's of the devotion to the Divine Name. He founded the Society of the Holy Name of God, and created a rule for its governance whose purpose "was to suppress the horrible profanation of the Divine Name by blasphemers, perjurers, and by men in their ordinary conversation." Long after Didacus' death in 1450 Pope Pius IV approved the society on April 13, 1564 and enriched it with many indulgences. In later years, the Society of the Holy Name of God, merged with the "Confraternity of the Most Holy Name Jesus" maintaining the rule laid down by Didacus. The society was thereafter also known under the title of the "Confraternity Against Oaths." Several Popes following Pius IV in the 16th and 17th centuries also made the Confraternity an object of special preference, including, most notably Innocent IX who further enriched the confraternity with indulgences, strongly encouraged its promotion and issued orders regulating its organisation.
The next major step in the formation of the modern society came on June 21, 1571, when St. Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
issued his Motu Proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....
"Decet Romanum", which restricted the canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
erection of the confraternitiy entirely to the jurisdiction of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
and formally recognised The Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God.
A final merger came on 26 May 1727, when Pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII
-Footnotes:...
confirmed the various privileges on both the "Confraternity of the Holy Name of God" and the "Society of the Name of Jesus" in his document Pretiosus. The two confraternities were essentially merged under the name "The Confraternity of the most Holy Names of God and Jesus," and exclusive rights to their governance were given to the Dominicans. In order to establish a local Society of the Holy Name, approval must be granted by the Dominican order, in the form of Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
.
Membership requirements
Membership is open to practicing Catholic males over the age of 18. Members of the Society must first pass through a NovitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
, or formation, stage before becoming professed members and undergoing the Induction Ceremony.
Novitiate
During this period of membership, new members undergo a period of formation. Candidates are expected to:- Learn the history, purpose, mission, Spiritual Benefits of membership, the Obligations of Membership and the Holy Name Pledge... They should be given a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Parish Society so they fully understand the purpose of the Confraternity and how it is governed. During their novitiate... novice-members should demonstrate their sincerity and commitment by attending all spiritual conferences, devotional activities and assemblies.
Profession
A candidate becomes a full member after he has undergone the Induction Ceremony, has made his promises receives the societies handbook and insignia, and has been inscribed in ink in the Society's Official Register.Induction
This ceremony, which is typically carried out on the Feast of the Holy Name (January 3), and consists of a profession of faith in a Church chartered to the Dominican OrderDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, as well as a series of solemn promises. These promises are to observe the societies rules and constitutions; to love and respect the Holy Name; to abstain from blasphemy; to reverence Divine law and to respect civil law and civil authority; To love the Pope and to be a full member of the Catholic Church; To believe the Church's teachings, and to teach others of them; and to receive the sacraments regularly, pray often and perform works of physical and mental mortification on a regular basis.
Following the solemn promises members receive the handbook and a blessed token of the Society (usually a lapel pin).
Symbols of the Society
The Society makes use of a symbol of a man's head, surmounting a rayed halo, with a small Latin cross before his mouth. The Motto of the Society is Hallowed be Thy Name, which sits on the bottom rim of the symbol, the top rim having the letters HNS, referring to the initials of the Society.Activities
The "Mission Statement" of the Society states that:
The apostolate of the society is to assist in parishParishA parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
ministries by performing the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, tend the sick, visit those in prison, and bury the dead; as well as the Spiritual Works of Mercy: to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the wayward, comfort the sorrowing, bear adversity patiently, forgive offenses, and pray for the living and the dead.
Diocesan and prison ministry
The Society performs these in a specific way at a local level by working on Archdioscesan projects. The National Association of the Holy Name Society, however, works with Prison Community in the State of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(USA), and has been doing so for the past 23 years.
The Canonisation of Blessed John of Vercelli
The other cause sought by the Society is the canonisation of Bl. John of Vercelli, for which prayers are said at all meetings of the society. He is considered to be the "Founding Father" of the Holy Name Society, as it was he who volunteered the Dominican Order for the duty of promoting devotion to the Holy Name at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 (due to the death of St. Thomas Aquinas on his way to the council). He was a learned man, heavily involved in the Council. He was amongst other things, nearly elected pope, and had been Master General of the Dominican Order.Worldwide distribution
The Holy Name Society is found in other countries also, although not as strongly as in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where membership seems to have remained quite substantial in comparison to other countries. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
has several branches; however numbers have dwindled in comparison to the numbers of the 1950s, when membership numbered in excess of 100,000. The Society has had a brief revival beginning in 1998, when the society was canonically erected in Melbourne with ecclesiastical approval, although no subsequent branches have been erected. The society is also found in Canada and Trinidad.