Vacancy
| The state of being vacant, free, unoccupied: a term applied to an office or position devoid of an incumbent, as a vacant benefice, bishopric, parish, professorship, etc. |
Vaga
| A titular see of Numidia, frequently mentioned by historians and ancient geographers |
Valence
| Discusses Diocese and University of same name |
Valencia
| In Spain, comprises the civil Provinces of Valencia, Alicante, and Castellon |
Valens Acidalius
| Philologist, Latin poet, and convert to the Catholic Church, b. 1567 at Wittstock in the Mark of Brandenburg; d. 25 May, 1595, at Neisse |
Valentin Grone
| A Catholic theologian, b. December 7, 1817; d. March 18, 1882 |
Valentin Stansel
| Astronomer, b. at Olmutz, Moravia, 1621; d. at Bahia, Brazil, Dec. 18, 1705 |
Valentin Thalhofer
| German theologian, b. January 21, 1825; d. September 17, 1891 |
Valentine, Saint
| At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under date of February 14. |
Valentinian
| The name of three Emperors of the West |
Valentinus and Valentinians
| Valentinus, the best known and most influential of the Gnostic heretics, was born according to Epiphanius (Har., XXXI) on the coast of Egypt. |
Valerian
| Roman emperor (253-60). Member of a distinguished family, he had held several offices before the army proclaimed him emperor in 253 at Rhtia |
Valerian Kalinka
| Polish historian (1826-1886) |
Valerians Magnus
| B. at Milan, 1586; d. at Salzburg, July 29, 1661 |
Valerius Maximianus Galerius
| A native of Illyria, was made Caesar March 1, 293, by Diocletian, whose daughter Valeria he married and who in turn adopted her husband |
Validation of Marriage
| May be effected by a simple renewal of consent when its nullity arises only from a defective consent in one or both parties |
Valladolid
| Discusses Archdiocese and University of same name |
Valley of Josaphat
| Geographical territory mentioned in Scripture |
Valliscaulian Order
| Founded towards the end of the twelfth century by Viard, a lay brother of the Carthusian priory of Loubigny, in the Diocese of Langres |
Vallumbrosan Order
| Situated 20 miles from Florence on the north-west slope of Monte Secchieta in the Pratomagno chain |
Valona
| Titular see, suffragan of Dyrrachium, in Epirus Nova |
Vandals
| A Germanic people belonging to the family of East Germans |
Vasco da Gama
| The discoverer of the sea route to the East Indies; b. at Sines, Province of Alemtejo, Portugal, about 1469; d. at Cochin, India, Dec. 24, 1524 |
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
| Discoverer of the Pacific Ocean from the west coast of Central America (1475-1517) |
Vatican Council
| The twentieth ecumenical council, opened on Dec. 8, 1869, and adjourned on Oct. 20, 1870 |
Vatican Observatory
| The Vatican Observatory now bears the official title, 'Specola Astronomica Vaticana'. |
Vatican, The
| History, Description, Art, Science, Administration, Juridical, Business, and Legal Position of the Vatican. |
Vaux-de-Cernay
| A celebrated Cistercian abbey situated in the Diocese of Versailles, Seine-et-Oise |
Vedas
| The sacred books of ancient India |
Veit Amerbach
| Humanist, convert from Lutheranism to the Catholic Church (1503-1557) |
Veit Arnpeck
| Bavarian historian (1440-1505) |
Veit Erbermann
| Theologian and controversialist, b. May 25, 1597, d. April 8, 1675 |
Veit Stoss
| Sculptor, b. at Nuremberg in 1438; d there in 1533 |
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus
| A Christian poet of the sixth century, b. between 530 and 540 in Upper Italy, between Ceneda and Treviso |
Veneration of Images
| History and theory of the veneration of images |
Venezuela
| A republic formed out of the provinces which, under Spanish rule, constituted the captaincy general of the same name |
Veni Creator Spiritus
| 'the most famous of hymns' (Frere), is assigned in the Roman Breviary to Vespers (I and II) and Terce of Pentecost and throughout the octave |
Veni Sancte Spiritus et Emitte Coelitus
| The sequence for Pentecost |
Veni Sancte Spiritus Reple
| A prose invocation of the Holy Ghost |
Venice
| The capital of a province in Northern Italy |
Venturino of Bergamo
| Preacher, b. at Bergamo, April 9, 1304; d. at Smyrna, March 28, 1346 |
Verax Deus Rector Potens
| The daily hymn for Sext in the Roman Breviary |
Verbum Supernum Prodiens
| The first line of two hymns celebrating respectively the Nativity of Christ and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist |
Verecundus
| Bishop of Junca, in the African Province of Byzacena, in the middle of the sixth century, when the question of the Three Chapters was raised; d. at Chalcedon, in the beginning of 552 |
Vergilius of Salzburg, Saint
| Irish missionary and astronomer, of the eighth century |
Vermont
| The state |
Veronica Giuliani, Saint
| B. at Mercatello in the Duchy of Urbino, Italy, 1660; d. at Citta di Castello, July 9, 1727 |
Veronica, Saint
| In several regions of Christendom there is honored under this name a pious matron of Jerusalem who, during the Passion of Christ, as one of the holy women who accompanied Him to Calvary, offered Him a towel on which he left the imprint of His face. |
Versions of the Bible
| Various versions and their origins |
Veruela
| A celebrated Cistercian monastery and church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin |
Vespasian
| Roman Emperor, b. at Reate (now Rieti), the ancient capital of the Sabines, Nov. 18, A.D. 9; d. there, June 23, 79 |
Vespasian Kochowski
| Historian (1633-1699) |
Vespasiano da Bisticci
| Florentine humanist and librarian, b. in 1421; d. in 1498 |
Vespers
| I. Vespers in the sixth century; II. The origin of Vespers: Period anterior to the sixth century; III. The Office of Vespers in the Middle Ages: Variations; IV. The latest changes; V. Symbolism: the Hymns; VI. Importance. |
Vessels for Holy Oils
| Treatment of vessels used to contain blessed oils |
Vestibule
| A hall projecting in front of the facade of a church, found from the fifth century both in the East and the West |
Vestments
| By liturgical vestments are meant the vestments that, according to the rules of the Church or from ecclesiastical usage, are to be worn by the clergy in performing the ceremonies of the services of the Church, consequently, above all, at the celebration o |
Vexilla Regis Prodeunt
| This 'world-famous hymn, one of the grandest in the treasury of the Latin Church' (Neale), and 'surely one of the most stirring strains in our hymnology' (Duffield), was written by Venantius Fortunatus |
Viaticum
| The Catechism of the Council of Trent (De Euch. sacr., n. 3) says: 'Sacred writers call it the Viaticum as well because it is the spiritual food by which we are supported in our mortal pilgrimage, as also because it prepares for us a passage to eternal gl |
Viatora Coccaleo
| Capuchin friar (d. 1793) |
Vicar
| In canon law, the representative of a person clothed with ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction |
Vicar Apostolic
| These prelates generally have the same powers that bishops have by common law in their own dioceses, and the Congregation of Propaganda also concedes to them various extraordinary faculties. |
Vicar Capitular
| The administrator of a vacant diocese, elected by a cathedral chapter |
Vicar of Christ
| A title of the pope implying his supreme and universal primacy, both of honor and of jurisdiction, over the Church of Christ |
Vicar-General
| The highest official of a diocese after the ordinary |
Vicariate Apostolic Fiji
| Comprising the islands belonging to the Fiji Archipelago |
Vicariate Apostolic of Aden
| Comprises all Arabia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Amoy
| In China, created in 1883, and entrusted to the care of the Dominicans |
Vicariate Apostolic of Anhalt
| Comprising the territory of the German Duchy of Anhalt |
Vicariate Apostolic of Antofogaste
| In Chile |
Vicariate Apostolic of Arabia
| Made a separate prefecture Apostolic by Pius IX, 21 Jan., 1875 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Athabasca
| Suffragan of Saint Boniface; erected April 8, 1862, by Pius IX |
Vicariate Apostolic of Bagamoyo
| German East African vicariate |
Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville
| Church division in Texas |
Vicariate Apostolic of Canelos and Macas
| Vicariate in Ecuador |
Vicariate Apostolic of Casanare
| Vicariate in Colombia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Central Oceania
| The whole of Oceania had at first been entrusted by the Propaganda to the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1825) |
Vicariate Apostolic of Changanacherry
| In Travancore, British India |
Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown
| In Australia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Corea
| Coextensive with the Empire of Corea |
Vicariate Apostolic of Curacao
| Includes the islands of the Dutch West Indies: Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba; Saba, St. Eustatius, and the Dutch part of St. Martin (Leeward Islands) |
Vicariate Apostolic of Dahomey
| In West Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Eastern Shan-tung
| Located in China, includes the three civil Prefectures of Yen-Chu-Fu, Lai-Chu-Fu, and Teng-Chu-Fu |
Vicariate Apostolic of Eastern Sze-ch' Wan
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in China |
Vicariate Apostolic of Ernakulam
| In India |
Vicariate Apostolic of Gaboon
| Formerly called the Vicariate Apostolic of the Two Guineas |
Vicariate Apostolic of Galla
| Embraces the territory of the Galla or Oromo tribes in Abyssinia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Gibraltar
| A rugged promontory in the province of Andalusia, Spain |
Vicariate Apostolic of Goajira
| The most northern portion of South America |
Vicariate Apostolic of Gulf of St. Lawrence
| Erected September 12, 1905, and formed from the prefecture Apostolic of the same name organized May 29, 1882 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Hong-Kong
| Vicariate based in Hong Kong |
Vicariate Apostolic of intendencia Oriental y Llanos de San Martin
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Colombia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Keewatin
| Includes the northern half of the Province of Saskatchewan |
Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam
| On the Malabar Coast; India |
Vicariate Apostolic of Mackenzie
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Canada |
Vicariate Apostolic of Marquesas Islands
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Marquesas Islands |
Vicariate Apostolic of Mendez and Gualaquiza
| Established by Leo XIII on February 3, 1893, in the southern part of the province of Oriente, Ecuador |
Vicariate Apostolic of New Caldonia
| New Caledonia, one of the largest islands of Oceania, lies about 900 miles east of Queensland, Australia |
Vicariate Apostolic of New Hebrides
| In Oceania |
Vicariate Apostolic of New Pomerania
| The largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago |
Vicariate Apostolic of North-western Sze-ch'wan
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in China |
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany
| Its jurisdiction covers the Grand Duchies of Mecklenbur-Schwerin and Meeklenburg-Strelitz |
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Shan-si
| Faith was carried for the first time into the Province of Shan-si, Northern China, by the Jesuit and Franciscan Fathers during the sixteenth century |
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Shan-tung
| Located in China, erected by Gregory XVI in 1839 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Shen-si
| Located in China, erected as a separate vicariate Apostolic in 1841 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Victoria Nyanza
| The Mission of Victoria Nyanza, founded in 1878 by the White Fathers of Cardinal Lavigerie, was erected into a vicariate Apostolic May 31, 1883 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Nyassa
| In Central Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Orange River and the Prefecture Apostolic of Great Namaqualand
| In South Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Sahara
| Vast desert of northern Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Senegambia
| Located in in French West Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Shire
| Located in Nyassaland Protectorate, Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Siam
| Situated in the south-eastern corner of Asia |
Vicariate Apostolic of Sierra Leone
| Comprises the English colony of that name and the surrounding territory from French Guinea on the north and east to Liberia on the south |
Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shan-Si
| Located in China, erected in 1890 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shan-tung
| Located in China, was erected in 1886 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Shen-si
| Entrusted in 1885 to the Seminary of Sts. Peter and Paul, established at Rome by Pius IX, 1874 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Sze-ch'wan
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in China |
Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Victoria Nyanza
| Erected from the mission of Nyanza, June 13, 1894, lies north of the Vicariate of Unyanyembe |
Vicariate Apostolic of Stanley Falls
| Located in the Belgian Congo |
Vicariate Apostolic of Sudan
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Tahiti
| Ecclesiastical jursdiction in the South Pacific |
Vicariate Apostolic of Tarapaca
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Chile |
Vicariate Apostolic of Temiskaming
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Canada |
Vicariate Apostolic of the Gilbert Islands
| Comprises the group of that name |
Vicariate Apostolic of the Marshall Islands
| Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Marshall Islands |
Vicariate Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
| Comprises all the islands of the Hawaiian group |
Vicariate Apostolic of the Transvaal
| In South Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Trichur
| In India, one of the three vicariates of the Syro-Malabar Rite |
Vicariate Apostolic of Ubanghi
| Formerly part of the Vicariate of French Congo, erected on Oct. 14, 1890 |
Vicariate Apostolic of Unyanyembe
| In German East Africa |
Vicariate Apostolic of Upper Nile
| Separated from the mission of Nyanza, July 6, 1894, comprises the eastern portion of Uganda |
Vicariate Apostolic of Zamora
| In South Ecuador |
Vicariate of Kimberley in Orange
| Ecclesial territory in South Africa |
Vicariates Apostolic
| Recenty erected vicariates Apostolic as of 1913 |
Vice
| A habit inclining one to sin |
Vicelinus, Saint
| Bishop of Oldenburg, apostle of Holstein, b. at Hameln about 1086; d. Dec. 12, 1154 |
Vicente Espinel
| Poet and novelist; b. at Ronda (Malaga), Spain, 1544; d. at Madrid, 1634 |
Vicente Ferre
| Theologian, b. at Valencia, Spain; d. at Salamanca in 1682 |
Vicomte de Eugene-Melchior Vogue
| Critic, novelist, and historian, b. at Nice, Feb. 25, 1848; d. in Paris, Feb. 24, 1910 |
Victimae Paschali Laudes Immolent Christiani
| The first stanza of the Easter sequence. Medieval missals placed it on various days within the octave, but the Roman Missal assigns it daily from Easter to the following Saturday inclusively |
Victor
| Bishop of Tunnunum in Northern Africa and zealous supporter of the Three Chapters; d. about 569, probably in confinement at a monastery in Constantinople |
Victor Augustin Isidore Dechamps
| Cardinal, Archbishop of Mechlin, and Primate of Belgium; b. at Melle near Ghent Dec. 6, 1810; d. Sept. 29, 1883, at Mechlin |
Victor de Buck
| Bollandist, b. at Oudenarde, Flanders, April 21, 1817; d. June 28, 1876 |
Victor de Laprade
| French poet and critic, b. at Montbrison in 1812; d. at Lyons in 1883 |
Victor IV
| Two antipopes of this name |
Victor of Capua
| A sixth-century bishop about whose life nothing is known except what is found in his epitaph (C. I. L., 4503), which has been preserved, though the tomb itself has disappeared |
Victor Vitensis
| An African bishop of the Province of Byzacena (called Vitensis from his See of Vita), b. probably about 430 |
Victor-Alexandre Puiseux
| French mathematician and astronomer, b. April 16, 1820, at Argenteuil (Seine-et-Oise); d. September 9, 1883, at Frontenay (Jura) |
Victorinus, Saint
| Ecclesiastical writer, flourished about 270, suffered martyrdom probably in 303, under Diocletian |
Vienna
| The capital of Austria-Hungary, the residence of the emperor, and the seat of a Latin archbishopric, is situated at the north-east end of the Alps, mainly on the right bank of the Danube |
Vigilius
| Bishop of Tapsus |
Vigilius, Saint
| Bishop of Trent, martyr, patron of Trent and of Tyrol, B. C. 353i d. June 26, 405 |
Vincent Baron
| Dominican theologian and preacher (1604-1674) |
Vincent Barzynski
| B. at Sulislawice, Sandomir, Russian Poland, 1838; d. at Chicago, May 2, 1899 |
Vincent Canes
| Friar Minor and controversialist, b. on the borders of Nottingham and Leicestershire, date uncertain; d. in London, June, 1672 |
Vincent Caraffa
| Seventh General of the Society of Jesus, b. at Naples, May 5, 1585; d. at Rome, June 8, 1649 |
Vincent Contenson
| Dominican theologian and preacher (1641-1674) |
Vincent de Paul, Saint
| B. at Pouy, Gascony, France, in 1580, though some authorities have said 1576; d. at Paris, Sept. 27, 1660 |
Vincent de Valverde
| B. at Oropesa, Spain, towards the close of the fifteenth century; d. at the Island of Puna, near Guayaquil, Oct. 31, 1541 |
Vincent Ferrer, Saint
| Of the Order of Preachers, famous missionary, b. at Valencia, Jan. 23, 1350; d. at Vannes, Brittany, April 5, 1419 |
Vincent Houdry
| Preacher and writer on ascetics; b. January 22, 1631, at Tours; d. March 21, 1729, at Paris |
Vincent Kadlubek, Blessed
| Bishop of Cracow, chronicler, b. at Karnow, Duchy of Sandomir, Poland, 1160; d. at Jedrzejow, March 8, 1223 |
Vincent Louis Gotti
| Cardinal and theologian, b. at Bologna, Sept. 5, 1664; d. in Rome, Sept. 18, 1742 |
Vincent Mary Pallotti, Venerable
| Founder of the Pious Society of Missions (q.v.), b. at Rome, April 21, 1798; d. there, Jan. 22, 1850 |
Vincent of Beauvais
| Priest and encyclopedist. Little is known of his personal history. The years of his birth and death are uncertain, the dates frequently assigned being 1190 and 1264 respectively |
Vincent of Lerins, Saint
| Ecclesiastical writer in Southern Gaul in the fifth century |
Vincent, Saint (Deacon of Saragossa)
| Deacon of Saragossa, and martyr under Diocletian, 304 |
Vincent, Saint (Maldegarius)
| Founder and abbot of the monasteries of Hautmont and Soignies, b. of a noble family at Strepy les Binche, Hainault, early in the seventh century; d. at Soignies, July 14, 677 |
Vincenz Hasak
| Historian, b. at Neustadt, near Friedland, Bohemia, July 18, 1812; d. September 1, 1889, as dean of Weisskirchlitz, near Teplitz |
Vincenzo da Filicaja
| Lyric poet; b. at Florence, Dec. 30, 1642; d. there Sept. 24, 1707 |
Vincenzo Danti
| Two brothers, Ignazio and Vincenzo, in 16th century Italy |
Vincenzo de Vit
| Latinist, b. at Mestrina, near Padua, July 10, 1810; d. at Domo d'Ossola, Aug. 17, 1892 |
Vincenzo Filliucci
| Jesuit moralist; b. at Sienna, Italy, 1566; d. at Rome, April 5, 1622 |
Vincenzo Gioberti
| Italian statesman and philosopher, b. 1801; d. 1852 |
Vincenzo Gravina
| Italian jurist and litterateur; b. 1664; d. 1718 |
Vindicianus, Saint
| Bishop of Cambrai-Arras, b., if tradition is to be believed, perhaps at Beaulaincourt, near Bapeaume, about 620; d. March 2, probably between 693 and 712 |
Vineam Domini
| An Apostolic Constitution issued by Clement XI against the Jansenists on July 16, 1705 |
Vinzenz Eduard Milde
| Prince-Archbishop of Vienna, b. at Brunn, in Moravia, in 1777; d. at Vienna in 1853 |
Violence
| An impulse from without tending to force one without any concurrence on his part to act against his choice |
Virgilius, Saint
| Archbishop of Arles, d. c. 610 |
Virgin Birth of Christ
| The dogma which teaches that the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ was a virgin before, during, and after the conception and birth of her Divine Son |
Virgin of Cuyo
| At Mendoza, Argentine Republic |
Virginia
| The state |
Virginity
| Morally, virginity signifies the reverence for bodily integrity which is suggested by a virtuous motive. |
Virtue
| I. Definitions; II. Subjects; III. Divisions; IV. Causes; V. Properties. |
Virtue of Religion
| A virtue whose purpose is to render God the worship due to Him as the source of all being and the principle of all government of things |
Visigoths
| One of the two principal branches of the Goths |
Visions
| This article will deal not with natural but with supernatural visions, that is, visions due to the direct intervention of a power superior to man. |
Visit ad Limina
| The obligation incumbent on certain members of the hierarchy of visiting, at stated times, the 'thresholds of the Apostles', Sts. Peter and Paul, and of presenting themselves before the pope to give an account of the state of their dioceses |
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
| Mary left Nazareth at the end of March and went over the mountains to Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to wait upon her cousin Elizabeth |
Visitation Order
| The nuns of the Visitation of Mary, called also Filles de Sainte-Marie, Visitandines, and Salesian Sisters, were founded in 1610 at Annecy in the Duchy of Savoy |
Visitors Apostolic
| Officials whom canonists commonly class with papal legates |
Vitalis and Agricola, Saints
| Martyred at Bologna about 304 during Diocletian's persecution |
Vitalis of Savigny, Saint
| Founder of the monastery and Congregation of Savigny (1112), b. at Tierceville near Bayeux about 1060-5; d. at Savigny, Sept. 16, 1122 |
Vitalis, Saint
| Martyr |
Vittore Carpaccio
| Venetian painter whose real name was Scarpazza, b. at Venice about 1455; d. in the same city between 1523 and 1526 |
Vittoria Colonna
| Italian poet (1490-1547) |
Vittorino da Feltre
| 15th century Italian educator and exemplary Catholic layman |
Vittorio Alfieri
| Greatest tragic poet of Italy; b. at Asti (Piedmont), 17 January, 1749; d. at Florence, 8 October, 1803 |
Vitus Miletus
| Catholic theologian, b. at Gmund, Swabia, 1549; d. at Mainz, Sept. 11, 1615 |
Vitus Pichler
| Distinguished canonist and controversial writer, b. at Grossberghofen, May 24, 1670; d. at Munich, Feb. 15, 1736 |
Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, Saints
| According to the legend, martyrs under Diocletian |
Vivarini
| A family of Italian painters. Alvise, b. in 1446 or 1447; died in 1502 |
Vladimir the Great, Saint
| Grand Duke of Kieff and All Russia, grandson of St. Olga, and the first Russian ruler to embrace Christianity, b. 956; d. at Berestova, July 15, 1015 |
Volksverein for Catholic Germany
| A large and important organization of German Catholics for the purpose of opposing heresies and revolutionary tendencies in the social world, and for the defense of Christian order in society |
Voluntarism
| In the modern metaphysical sense is a theory which explains the universe as emanating ultimately from some form of will. In a broader psychological sense the term is applied to any theory which gives prominence to will (in opposition to intellect) |
Voluntary
| Wilful, proceeding from the will |
Voluspa
| Wise woman, to whom is assigned a role similar to that of the Sibyl in early Christian literature |
Votive Mass
| A Mass offered for a votum, a special intention |
Votive Offerings
| The general name given to those things vowed or dedicated to God, or a saint, and in consequence looked upon as set apart by this act of consecration |
Votive Offices
| A votive office is one not entered in the general calendar, but adopted with a view to satisfying a special devotion. |
Vows
| A promise made to God |