Catholic Encyclopedia L
You have found the way to L on Catholic Encyclopedia:
[ A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z ]
La Bruyère, Jean de - Born at Paris in 1645; died at Chantilly in 1696. He was the son of a comptroller general of municipal revenue.
La Chaise, François d'Aix de - Confessor of King Louis XIV, born at the mansion of Aix, in Forez, Department of Loire, 25 August, 1624; died at Paris, 20 January, 1709.
La Crosse - Diocese erected in 1868; included that part of the State of Wisconsin, U.S.A., lying north and west of the Wisconsin River.
La Fayette, Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, Comtesse de - Author of memoirs and novels, born in Paris, 1634; died there, 1693.
La Fontaine, Jean de - French poet, b. at Chateau-Thierry, 8 July, 1621; d. at Paris, 13 April, 1695.
La Fosse, Charles de - Painter, b. in Paris, 15 June, 1636; d. in Paris, 13 December, 1716, and buried in the church of Saint Eustache.
La Harpe, Jean-François - A French critic and poet, b. at Paris, 20 November, 1739; d. February, 1803.
La Haye, Jean de - Franciscan Biblical scholar, b. at Paris, 20 March, 1593; d. there 15 Oct., 1661.
La Hire, Philippe de - Mathematician, astronomer, physicist, naturalist, and painter, b. in Paris, 18 March, 1640; d. in Paris, 21 April, 1718.
La Luzerne, César-Guillaume - French cardinal b. at Paris, 1738; d. there, l821.
La Moricière, Louis-Christophe-Leon Juchault de - French general and commander-in-chief of the papal army, b. at Nantes, 5 February, 1806; d. at the château of Prouzel, near Amiens, 11 September, 1865.
La Paz - Diocese in Bolivia.
La Plata - The metropolitan see of Bolivia.
La Plata - The city of La Plata, capital of the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires, is situated on the right bank of the Rio de la Plata, about 35 miles south-east of the city of Buenos Aires.
La Richardie, Armand de - Born at Perigueux, 7 June, 1686; died at Quebec, 17 March, 1758. He entered the Society of Jesus at Bordeaux, 4 Oct., 1703, and in 1725 was sent to the Canada mission.
La Roche Daillon, Joseph de - Recollect, one of the most zealous missionaries of the Huron tribe, d. in France, 1656.
La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, The Duke of - Opposed during the last years of the reign of Louis XV to the government of Maupeou, and the friend of all the reformers who surrounded Louis XVI, he owed to the influence of these economists the favour of the king.
La Rochejacquelein, Henri-Auguste-Georges du Vergier, Comte de - French politician, b. at the château of Citran (Fironde), on 28 September, 1805; d. on 7 January, 1867.
La Rochelle - The Diocese of La Rochelle (Rupellensis), suffragan of Bordeaux, comprises the entire Department of Charente-Inférieure.
La Rue, Charles de - French Jesuit orator. (1643-1725)
La Salette - Located in the commune and parish of La Salette-Fallavaux, Canton of Corps, Department of Isere, and Diocese of Grenoble.
La Salette, Missionaries of - Founded in 1852, at the shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, where some priests banded together to care for the numerous pilgrims frequenting the mountain.
La Salle, René-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur de - Explorer, born at Rouen, 1643; died in Texas, 1687.
La Trappe - Abbey of the Order of Reformed Cistercians.
La Valette, Jean Parisot de - Forty-eighth Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem; b. in 1494; d. in Malta, 21 Aug., 1568.
Labadists - A pietist sect of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries founded by Jean de Labadie, who was born at Bourg, near Bordeaux, 13 February, 1610, and died at Altonia, 13 February, 1674.
Laban - Son of Bathuel, the Syrian.
Labarum (Chi-Rho) - The name by which the military standard adopted by Constantine the Great after his celebrated vision (Lactantius, "De mortibus persecutorum", 44), was known in antiquity.
Labat, Jean-Baptiste - Dominican missionary, born at Paris, 1664; died there, 1738.
Labbe, Philippe - Born at Borges, 10 July, 1607; died at Paris, at the College of Clermont, 17 (16) March, 1667; a distinguished Jesuit writer on historical, geographical, and philological questions.
Labour and Labour Legislation - Labour is work done by mind or body either partly or wholly for the purpose of producing utilities.
Labour Unions, Moral Aspects of - Since a labour union is a society, its moral aspects are determined by its constitution, its end, its results, and the means employed in pursuit of the end.
Labyrinth - A complicated arrangement of paths and passages; or a place, usually subterraneous, full of windings, corridors, rooms, etc., so intricately arranged as to render the getting out of it a very difficult matter.
Lac, Stanislaus du - Jesuit educationist and social work, b. at Paris, 21 November, 1835; d. there, 30 August, 1909.
Lace - The two earliest known specimens of lace-worked linen albs are that of St. Francis, preserved at St. Clare's convent, Assisi, and the alb of Pope Boniface VIII, now in the treasury of the Sistine Chapel.
Lacedonia, Diocese of - Located in the province of Avellino, Southern Italy.
Lacordaire, Jean-Baptiste-Henri-Dominique - Dominican orator. (1802-1861)
Lactantius, Lucius Cæcilius Firmianus - Fourth-century Christian apologist.
Laderchi, James - An Italian Oratorian and ecclesiastical historian, born about 1678, at Faenza near Ravenna; died 25 April, 1738, at Rome.
Ladislaus, Saint - King of Hungary, d. 1095.
Laennec, René-Théophile-Hyacinthe - Born at Quimper, in Brittany, France, 17 February, 1781; died at Kerlouanec, 13 August, 1826, a French physician, discoverer of auscultation, and father of modern knowledge of pulmonary diseases.
Laetare Sunday - The fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent, so called from the first words of the Introit at Mass.
Laetus, Pomponius - Humanist, b. in Calabria in 1425; d. at Rome in 1497.
LaFarge, John - Painter, decorator, and writer. (1835-1910)
Lafitau, Joseph-Françs - Jesuit missionary and writer, born at Bordeaux, France, 1 January, 1681; died there, 1746.
Laflèche, Louis-François Richer - French-Canadian bishop, b. 4 Sept., 1818, at Ste-Anne de la Perade, Province of Quebec; d. 14 July, 1898.
Laforêt, Nicholas-Joseph - Belgian philosopher and theologian, born at Graide, 23 January, 1823; died at Louvain, 26 January, 1872.
Lafuente y Zamalloa, Modesto - Spanish critic and historian, d. 1866.
Lagania - A titular see in Galatia Prima.
Lagrené, Pierre - A missionary in New France, b. at Paris, 12 Nov. (al. 28 Oct.), 1659; d. at Quebec in 1736.
Lahore - Diocese in northern India, part of the ecclesiastical Province of Agra.
Laibach - Austrian bishopric and suffragan of Görz, embraces the territory of the Austrian crown-land of Carniola (Krain).
Laicization - The term laity signifies the aggregation of those Christians who do not form part of the clergy. Consequently the word lay does not strictly connote any idea of hostility towards the clergy or the Church much less towards religion. Laicization, therefore, considered etymologically, simply means the reducing of persons or things having an ecclesiastical character to a lay condition.
Lainez, James - Second general of the Society of Jesus, theologian, b. in 1512, at Almazan, Castille, in 1512; d. at Rome, 19 January, 1565.
Laity - The body of the faithful, outside of the ranks of the clergy.
Lake Indians - A small tribe of Salishan stock, originally ranging along Columbia River in northeast Washington from about Kettle Falls to the British line.
Lalemant, Charles - Born at Paris, 17 November, 1587; died there, 18 November, 1674. He was the first superior of the Jesuit missions in Canada, and his letter to his brother dated 1 August, 1626, inaugurated the series of "Relations" about the missionary work in that country.
Lalemant, Jerome - Jesuit missionary, b. at Paris, 27 April, 1593, d. at Quebec, 16 November, 1665.
Lallemant, Jacques-Philippe - French Jesuit, b. at St-Valéry-sur-Somme about 1660; d. at Paris 1748.
Lallemant, Louis - French Jesuit, b. at Châlons-sur-Marne, 1588; d. at Bourges, 5 April, 1635.
Lalor, Teresa - Co-foundress, with Bishop Neale of Baltimore, of the Visitation Order in the United States, b. in Ireland; d. 9 Sept., 1846.
Lamarck, Chevalier de - Distinguished botanist, zoologist, and natural philosopher, b. at Bazentin in Picardy (department of Somme), France, 1 August, 1744; d. at Paris, 18 December, 1829.
Lamartine, Alphonse de - Poet, b. at Macon Saône-et-Loire, France, 21 Oct., 1790; d. at Paris, l March, 1869.
Lamb (in Early Christian Symbolism) - One of the few Christian symbols dating from the first century is that of the Good Shepherd carrying on His shoulders a lamb or a sheep, with two other sheep at his side.
Lamb, Paschal - A lamb which the Israelites were commanded to eat with peculiar rites as a part of the Passover celebration.
Lambeck, Peter - Historian and librarian, b. at Hamburg, 13 April 1628; d. at Vienna, 4 April, 1680.
Lambert Le Bègue - Priest and reformer, lived at Liège, Belgium, about the middle of the twelfth century.
Lambert, Louis A. - Priest and journalist. (1835-1910)
Lambert of Hersfeld - A medieval historian; b. in Franconia or Thuringia, c. 1024; d. after 1077.
Lambert of St-Bertin - Benedictine chronicler and abbot, b. about 1060; d. 22 June, 1125, at St-Bertin, France.
Lambert, Saint - Bishop of Maestricht, martyred between 698 and 701 for defending the sanctity of marriage. Also called St. Landebertus.
Lamberville, Jacques and Jean de - Seventeenth-century Jesuit missionaries.
Lambillotte, Louis - Belgian Jesuit and composer. (1796-1855)
Lambin, Denis - French philologist. (1520-1572)
Lambruschini, Luigi - Cardinal, b. at Sestri Levante, near Genoa, 6 March, 1776, d. at Rome, 12 May, 1854.
Lamego - Diocese situated in the district of Vizeu, province of Beira, Portugal.
Lamennais, Félicité Robert de - Born at Saint-Malo, 29 June, 1782; died at Paris, 27 February, 1854.
Lamennais, Jean-Marie-Robert de - French priest, brother of Félicité Robert de Lamennais, b. at St-Malo in 1780; d. at Ploërmel, Brittany, in 1860.
Lamoignon, Family of - Illustrious in the history of the old magistracy, originally from Nivernais.
Lamont, Johann von - Astronomer and physicist, b. 13 Dec., 1805, at Braemar in Scotland, near Balmoral Castle; d.. 6 Aug., 1879, at Bogenhausen near Munich, Bavaria.
Lamormaini, Wilhelm - Confessor of Emperor Ferdinand II, b. 29 December, 1570, at Dochamps, Luxemburg; d. at Vienna, 22 February, 1648.
Lamp and Lampadarii - There is very little evidence that any strictly liturgical use was made of lamps in the early centuries of Christianity. The fact that many of the services took place at night, and that after the lapse of a generation or two the meetings of the Christians for purposes of worship were held, at Rome and elsewhere, in the subterranean chambers of the Catacombs, make it clear that lamps must have been used to provide the necessary means of illumination.
Lampa - A titular see in Crete, suffragan of Gortyna, was probably a colony of Tarrha.
Lamprecht - German poet of the twelfth century, of whom practically nothing personal is known but his name and the fact that he was a cleric.
Lamps, Early Christian - Of the various classes of remains from Christian antiquity there is probably none so numerously represented as that of small clay lamps adorned with Christian symbols.
Lampsacus - A titular see of Hellespont, suffragan of Cyzicus.
Lamuel - Name of a king mentioned in Prov., xxxi, 1 and 4, but otherwise unknown.
Lamus - A titular see of Isauria, suffragan of Seleucia.
Lamy, Bernard - Oratorian, b. at Le Mans, France, in June, 1640; d. at Rouen, 29 Jan., 1715.
Lamy, François - An ascetical and apologetic writer of the Congregation of St-Maur, b. in 1636 at Montireau in the Department of Eure-et-Loir; d. 11 April, 1711, at the Abbey of St-Denis near Paris.
Lamy, Thomas Joseph - Biblical scholar end orientalist, b. at Ohey, in Belgium, 27 Jan., 1827, d. at Louvain, 30 July, 1907.
Lana, Francesco - Born 10 Dec., 1631, at Brescia in Italy; died in the same place, 22 Feb., 1687. Mathematician and naturalist, he was also the scientific founder of aeronautics.
Lance, The Holy - In the Gospel of St. John (xix, 34), that, after our Saviour's death, "one of the soldiers with a spear [lancea] opened his side and immediately there came out blood and water".
Lancelotti, Giovanni Paolo - Canonist, b. at Perugia in 1522; d. there, 23 September, 1590.
Lanciano and Ortona - Lanciano is a small city in the province of Chieti, in the Abruzzi, Central Italy, between the Pescara and the Trigni, with a majestic view of Mount Maiella.
Lando, Pope - Reigned 913-914.
Landriot, Jean-François-Anne - French bishop, b. at Couches-les-Mines near Autun, 1816, d. at Reims, 1874.
Land-Tenure in the Christian Era - The way in which land has been held or owned during the nineteen hundred years which have seen in Europe the rise and establishment of the Church is a matter for historical inquiry. Strictly speaking, the way in which such ownership or tenure was not only legally arranged, but ethically regarded, is a matter for historical inquiry also.
Lanfranc - Archbishop of Canterbury, b. at Pavia c.1005; d. at Canterbury, 24 May, 1089.
Lanfranco, Giovanni - Decorative painter, b. at Parma, 1581, d. in Rome, 1647.
Lang, Matthew - Cardinal, Bishop of Gurk and Archbishop of Salzburg, b. at Augsburg in 1468; d. at Salzburg, 30 March, 1540.
Langen, Rudolph von - Humanist and divine, b. at the village of Everswinkel, near Munster, Westphalia, 1438 or 1439; d. at Munster, 25 Dec., 1519.
Langénieux, Benoit-Marie - Cardinal, Archbishop of Reims, b. at Villefranche-sur-Saône, Department of Rhône, 1824; d. at Reims, 1 Jan., 1905.
Langham, Simon - Cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England, b. at Langham in Rutland; d. at Avignon, France, 22 July, 1376.
Langheim - A celebrated Cistercian abbey situated in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), not far from Mein, in the Diocese of Bamberg.
Langres - Diocese comprising the Department of the Haute-Marne.
Lanigan, John - Irish Church historian. (1758-1825)
Lanspergius - Carthusian monk and ascetical writer, b. at Landsberg in Bavaria 1489, d. at Cologne, 11 Aug., 1539.
Lantern - In Italian or modern architecture, a small structure on the top of a dome, for the purpose of admitting light, for promoting ventilation, and for ornament.
Lanzi, Luigi - An Italian archeologist, b. at Mont Olmo, near Macerata, in 1732; d. at Florence in 1810.
Laodicea - A titular see, of Asia Minor, metropolis of Phrygia Pacatiana, said to have been originally called Diospolis and Rhoas; Antiochus II colonized it between 261 and 246 B.C., and gave it the name of his wife, Laodice.
Laos - Separated from the Vicariate Apostolic of Siam by a decree of 4 May, 1899.
Laplace, Pierre-Simon - Mathematician and astronomer. (1749-1827)
Lapland and Lapps - This singular race is divided into three different groups: mountain, forest, and fisher Lapps.
Lapparent, Albert Auguste de - French geologist, b. at Bourges, 30 Dec., 1839; d. at Paris, 12 May, 1908.
Laprade, Victor de - French poet and critic, b. at Montbrison in 1812; d. at Lyons in 1883.
Lapsi - The regular designation in the third century for Christians who relapsed into heathenism, especially for those who during the persecutions displayed weakness in the face of torture, and denied the Faith by sacrificing to the heathen gods or by any other acts.
Lapuente, Venerable Luis de - Born at Valladolid, 11 November, 1554; died there, 16 February 1624. Having entered the Society of Jesus, he studied under the celebrated Suarez, and professed philosophy at Salamanca.
Laranda - A titular see of Isauria, afterwards of Lycaonia.
Lares - Formerly a titular archiepiscopal see in pro-consular Africa.
Larino - Diocese in the province of Capmobasso, Southern Italy.
Larissa - The seat of a titular archbishopric of Thessaly.
Larrey, Dominique-Jean - Baron, French military surgeon, b. at Baudéan, Hautes-Pyrénées, July, 1766; d. at Lyons, 25 July, 1842.
Larue, Charles de - He took the habit of St. Benedict in the Abbey of St. Faro at Meaux, and made his religious profession on 21 Nov., 1703.
Lasaulx, Ernst von - Scholar and philosopher, born at Coblenz, 16 March, 1805; died at Munich, 9 May, 1861.
Lascaris, Constantine - Greek scholar from Constantinople; born 1434; died at Messina in 1501.
Lascaris, Janus - A noted Greek scholar, born about 1445; died at Rome in 1535.
Laski, John - Archbishop of Gnesen and Primate of Poland, b. at Lask, 1456; d. at Gnesen, 19 May, 1531.
Lassberg, Baron Joseph Maria Christoph von - A distinguished German antiquary, born at Donaueschingen, 10 April, 1770; died 15 March, 1855.
Lassus, Orlandus de - Biography emphasizing his religious compositions.
Lataste, Marie - Born at Mimbaste near Dax, France, 21 February, 1822; died at Rennes, 10 May, 1847; was the youngest child of simple pious peasants.
Latera, Flaminius Annibali de - Historian, born at Latera, near Viterbo, 23 November, 1733; died at Viterbo, 27 February, 1813.
Lateran, Christian Museum of - Established by Pius IX in 1854, in the Palazzo del Laterano erected by Sixtus V on the part of the site of the ancient Lateran palace destroyed by fire in 1308. In 1843 the "profane" Museum of the Lateran was founded by Gregory XVI, in whose pontificate also was mooted the idea of establishing a museum of Christian antiquities in the same edifice.
Lateran Council, Fifth - Convoked, by the Bull of 18 July, 1511, to assemble 19 April, 1512, in the church of St. John Lateran.
Lateran Council, First - It put a stop to the arbitrary conferring of ecclesiastical benefices by laymen, reestablished freedom of episcopal and abbatial elections, separated spiritual from temporal affairs, and ratified the principle that spiritual authority can emanate only from the Church; lastly it tacitly abolished the exorbitant claim of the emperors to interfere in papal elections.
Lateran Council, Fourth - From the commencement of his reign Innocent III had purposed to assemble an ecumenical council, but only towards the end of his pontificate could he realize this project, by the Bull of 19 April, 1213. The assembly was to take place in November, 1215.
Lateran Council, Second - To efface the last vestiges of the schism, to condemn various errors and reform abuses among clergy and people Innocent, in the month of April, 1139, convoked, at the Lateran, the tenth ecumenical council.
Lateran Council, Third - In September, 1178, the pope in agreement with an article of the Peace of Venice, convoked an ecumenical council at the Lateran for Lent of the following year and, with that object, sent legates to different countries.
Lateran Councils - A series of five important councils held at Rome from the twelfth to the sixteen century.
Lateran, Saint John - This is the oldest, and ranks first among the four great "patriarchal" basilicas of Rome.
Lathrop, George Parsons - Poet, novelist. (1851-1898)
Latin Church - The Latin Church is simply that vast portion of the Catholic body which obeys the Latin patriarch, which submits to the pope, not only in papal, but also in patriarchal matters.
Latin, Ecclesiastical - The Latin in the official textbooks of the Church (the Bible and the Liturgy), as well as in the works of those Christian writers of the West who have undertaken to expound or defend Christian beliefs.
Latin Literature in Christianity (Before the Sixth Century) - The Latin language was not at first the literary and official organ of the Christian Church in the West. The Gospel was announced by preachers whose language was Greek, and these continued to use Greek, if not in their discourses, at least in their most important acts.
Latin Literature in Christianity (Sixth to Twentieth Century) - During the Middle Ages the so-called church Latin was to a great extent the language of poetry, and it was only on the advent of the Renaissance that classical Latin revived and flourished in the writings of the neo-Latinists as it does even today though to a more modest extent.
Latin Literature in the Church, Classical - This article deals only with the relations of the classical literature, chiefly Latin, to the Catholic Church.
Latini, Brunetto - Florentine philosopher and statesman, born at Florence, c. 1210; the son of Buonaccorso Latini, died 1294.
Latreille, Pierre-André - A prominent French zoologist; born at Brives, 29 November, 1762; died in Paris, 6 February, 1833.
Latria - In classical Greek originally meant "the state of a hired servant" (Aesch., "Prom.", 966), and so service generally. It is used especially for Divine service (Plato, "Apol.", 23 B). In Christian literature it came to have a technical sense for the supreme honour due to His servants, the angels and saints.
Lauda Sion - The opening words (used as a title of the sequence composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, about the year 1264, for the Mass of Corpus Christi.
Lauds - Article on the canonical hour once known as Matins, then as Lauds, now as Morning Prayer. One of the two principal hours.
Laura - The Greek word laura is employed by writers from the end of the fifth century to distinguish the monasteries of Palestine of the semi-eremitical type. The word signifies a narrow way or passage, and in later times the quarter of a town.
Laurence Humphreys, Blessed - Short account of the life of this young layman who was martyred in 1591 for words allegedly uttered when he was seriously ill.
Laurentie, Pierre-Sébastien - French publicist. (1793-1876)
Lausanne and Geneva - Diocese in Switzerland, immediately subject to the Holy See.
Lauzon, Jean de - Fourth governor of Canada, b. at Paris, 1583; d. there, 16 Feb., 1666.
Lauzon, Pierre de - A noted missionary of New France in the eighteenth century, born at Poitiers, 26 September, 1687; died at Quebec, 5 September, 1742.
Lavabo - The first word of that portion of Psalm 25 said by the celebrant at Mass while he washes his hands after the Offertory, from which word the whole ceremony is named.
Laval, François de Montmorency - First bishop of Canada, b. at Montigny-sur-Avre, 30 April, 1623, of Hughes de Laval and Michelle de Péricard; d. at Quebec on 6 May, 1708.
Laval University of Quebec - Founded in 1852 by the Seminary of Quebec; the royal charter granted to it by Queen Victoria was signed at Westminster, 8 December, 1852.
Lavant - An Austrian bishopric in the southern part of Styria, suffragan of Salzburg.
Laverdière, Charles-Honoré - French-Canadian historian, born Chateau-Richer, Province of Quebec, 1826; died at Quebec, 1873.
Lavérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de - Discoverer of the Canadian West, born at Three Rivers, Quebec, 17 November, 1685; died at Montreal, 6 December, 1749.
Laverlochère, Jean-Nicolas - Missionary, born at St. Georges d'Espérance, Grenoble, France, 6 December, 1812; died at Temiscaming, Canada, 4 October, 1884.
Lavigerie, Charles-Martial-Allemand - French cardinal, b. at Huire near Bayonne, 13 Oct., 1825; d. at Algiers, 27 Nov., 1892.
Lavoisier, Antoine-Laurent - Chemist, philosopher, economist. (1743-1794)
Law - By law in the widest sense is understood that exact guide, rule, or authoritative standard by which a being is moved to action or held back from it.
Law, Canon - Canon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members.
Law, Civil (Influence of the Church on) - Christianity is essentially an ethical religion; and, although its moral principles were meant directly for the elevation of the individual, still they could not fail to exercise a powerful influence on such a public institution as law, the crystallized rule of human conduct.
Law, Common - The term is of English origin and is used to describe the juridical principles and general rules regulating the possession, use and inheritance of property and the conduct of individuals, the origin of which is not definitely known, which have been observed since a remote period of antiquity, and which are based upon immemorial usages and the decisions of the law courts as distinct from the lex scripta; the latter consisting of imperial or kingly edicts or express acts of legislation.
Law, Divine (Moral Aspect of) - That which is enacted by God and made known to man through revelation.
Law, International - Defined to be "the rules which determine the conduct of the general body of civilized states in their dealings with each other" (American and English Encycl. of Law).
Law, Natural - In English this term is frequently employed as equivalent to the laws of nature, meaning the order which governs the activities of the material universe. Among the Roman jurists natural law designated those instincts and emotions common to man and the lower animals, such as the instinct of self-preservation and love of offspring.
Law, Roman - This subject is briefly treated under the two heads of; I. Principles; II. History.
Lawrence Justinian, Saint - Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice. He died in 1456.
Lawrence O'Toole, Saint - Confessor, abbot, and the first Irish-born bishop of Dublin, d. 1180.
Lawrence, Saint - Successor of St. Augustine of Canterbury as archbishop of that see, and died in 619.
Lawrence, Saint - Deacon, martyr, d. 258.
Lay Abbot - A name used to designate a layman on whom a king or someone in authority bestowed an abbey as a reward for services rendered.
Lay Brothers - Religious occupied solely with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary.
Lay Communion - Speaking generally, the expression "lay communion" does not necessarily imply the idea of the Eucharist, but only the condition of a layman in communion with the Church.
Lay Confession - This article does not deal with confession by laymen but with that made to laymen, for the purpose of obtaining the remission of sins by God.
Lay Tithes - Ecclesiastical tithes, which in the course of time became alienated from the Church to lay proprietors.
Laymann, Paul - A famous Jesuit moralist, b. in 1574 at Arzl, near Innsbruck; d. of the plague on 13 November, 1635, at Constance.
Lazarus - The name of two persons in the N.T.; a character in one of Christ's parables, and the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethania.
Lazarus of Bethany, Saint - Reputed first Bishop of Marseilles, died in the second half of the first century.
Lazarus of Jerusalem, Order of Saint - The military order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem originated in a leper hospital founded in the twelfth century by the crusaders of the Latin Kingdom.
Le Blant, Edmond-Frederic - French archeologist and historian, born 12 August, 1818; died 5 July, 1897 at Paris.
Le Camus, Emile-Paul-Constant-Ange - Preacher, theologian, scripturist, Bishop of La Rochelle and Saintes, b. at Paraza, France, 24 August, 1839; d. at Malvisade, near Castelnaudary, France, 28 September, 1906.
Le Camus, Etienne - French cardinal, b. at Paris, 1632; d. at Grenoble, 1707.
Le Caron, Joseph - One of the four pioneer missionaries of Canada and first missionary to the Hurons (q.v.), b. near Paris in 1586; d. in France, 29 March, 1632.
Le Coz, Claude - French bishop, b. at Plouévez-Parzay (Finistère), 1740; d. at Villevieux (Jura), 1813.
Le Fèvre, Jacques - A French theologian and controversialist, b. at Lisieux towards the middle of the seventeenth century; d. 1 July, 1716, at Paris.
Le Gobien, Charles - French Jesuit and founder of the famous collection of "Lettres édifiantes et curieuses", one of the most important sources of information for the history of Catholic missions, b. at StMalo, Brittany, 25 November, 1671; d. at Paris, 5 March, 1708.
Le Hir, Arthur-Marie - Biblical scholar and Orientalist; b. at Morlaix (Finisterre), in the Diocese of Quimper, France, 5 Dec., 1811; d. at Paris, 13 Jan., 1868.
Le Loutre, Louis-Joseph - A missionary to the Micmac Indians and Vicar-General of Acadia under the Bishop of Quebec, b. in France about 1690: d. there about 1770.
Le Mans - Comprises the entire Department of Sarthe.
Le Mercier, François - One of the early missionaries of New France, b. at Paris, 4 October, 1604; d. in the island of Martinique, 12 June, 1690.
Le Moyne - The name of one of the most illustrious families of the New World, whose deeds adorn the pages of Canadian history.
Le Moyne, Simon - A Jesuit missionary, b. at Beauvais, 1604; d. in 1665 at Cap de la Madeleine, near Three Rivers.
Le Nourry, Denis-Nicolas - Ecclesiastical writer, b. at Dieppe in Normandy, 18 Feb., 1647; d. at the Abbey of St-Germain in Paris, 24 March, 1724.
Le Puy - Diocese in France.
Le Quien, Michel - French historian and theologian, b. at Boulogne-sur-Mer, department of Pas-de-Calais, 8 Oct., 1661; d. at Paris, 12 March, 1733.
Le Sage, Alain-René - Writer, b. at Sarzeau (Morbihan), 1668; d. at Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1747.
Le Tellier, Charles-Maurice - Archbishop of Reims, b. at Turin, 1642; d. at Reims, 1710.
Le Tellier, Michel - Born 16 October, 1643, of a peasant family, not at Vire as has so often been said, but at Vast near Cherbourg; died at La Flèche, 2 September, 1719.
Le Verrier, Urbain-Jean-Joseph - An astronomer and director of the observatory at Paris, born at Saint Lô, the ancient Briodurum later called Saint-Laudifanum, in north-western France, 11 May, 1811; died at Paris, 25 September, 1877.
Lead, Diocese of - Established on 6 August, 1902.
League, German - Early in 1608 Duke Maximilian started negotiations with the spiritual electors and some of the Catholic states of the empire, with a view to the formation of a union of the Catholic states.
League of the Cross - A Catholic total abstinence confraternity founded in London in 1873 by Cardinal Manning to unite Catholics, both clergy and laity, in the warfare against intemperance, and thus improve religious, social, and domestic conditions, especially among the working classes.
League, The - From a religious point of view it aimed at supporting Catholicism in France politically at restoring the "ancient franchises and liberties" against the royal power.
Leander of Seville, Saint - Bishop, d. 601.
Leavenworth - Suffragan to St. Louis, established, 22 May, 1877.
Lebanon - So called from the snow which covers the highest peaks during almost the entire year, or from the limestone which glistens white in the distance.
Lebedus - Titular see of Asia Minor, suffragan of Ephesus.
Lebrun, Charles - French historical painter, born in Paris, 1619; died at the Gobelin tapestry works, 1690.
Lebwin, Saint - Also called Lebuinus or Liafwin. English-born missionary to the Frisians, died at Deventer around 770. Biography.
Lecce - Diocese; suffragan of Otranto.
Leclerc du Tremblay, François - A Capuchin, better known as Pere Joseph, b. in Paris, 4 Nov., 1577; d. at Rueil, 18 Dec., 1638.
Leclercq, Chrestien - A Franciscan Récollet and one of the most zealous missionaries to the Micmac of Canada, also a distinguished historiographer of Nouvelle France.
Lecoy de La Marche - French historian; b. at Nemours, 1839; d. at Paris, 1897.
Lectern - Support for a book, reading-desk, or bookstand, a solid and permanent structure upon which the Sacred Books, which were generally large and heavy, were placed when used by the ministers of the altar in liturgical functions.
Lectionary - A term of somewhat vague significance, used with a good deal of latitude by liturgical writers.
Lector - A lector (reader) in the West is a clerk having the second of the four minor orders. In all Eastern Churches also, readers are ordained to a minor order preparatory to the diaconate.
Ledochowski, Miecislas Halka - Polish cardinal. (1822-1902)
Leeds - Diocese embracing the West Riding of Yorkshire, and that part of the city of York to the south of the River Ouse.
Lefebvre, Camille - Apostle of the Acadians, b. at St. Philippe, P. Q., 1831; d. at St. Joseph, N. B., 1895.
Lefèvre de la Boderie, Guy - French Orientalist and poet; b. near Falaise in Normandy, 9 August, 1541; d. in 1598 in the house in which he was born.
Lefèvre d'Etaples, Jacques - A French philosopher, biblical and patristic scholar; b. at Etaples in Picardy, about 1455; d. at Nérac, 1536.
Lefèvre, Family of - A family engaged in tapestry weaving in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Legacies - In its most restricted sense, by a pious legacy or bequest (legatum pium) is understood, the assigning, by a last will, of a particular thing forming part of an estate, to a church or an ecclesiastical institution.
Legate - In its broad signification, means that person who is sent by another for some representative office. In the ecclesiastical sense it means one whom the pope sends to sovereigns or governments or only to the members of the episcopate and faithful of a country, as his representative, to treat of church matters or even on a mission of honour.
Legends, Literary or Profane - In the period of national origins history and legend are inextricably mingled. In the course of oral transmission historic narrative necessarily becomes more or less legendary.
Legends of the Saints - The legenda are stories about the saints, and often include a mix of historical fact and unhistorical embellishments.
Leghorn - City in Italy. Suffragan of Pisa.
Legio - Titular see of Palestina Secunda.
Legipont, Oliver - Benedictine bibliographer. (1698-1758)
Legists - Teachers of civil or Roman law, who, besides expounding sources, explaining terms, elucidating texts, summarizing the contents of chapters, etc., illustrated by cases, real or imaginary, the numerous questions and distinctions arising out of the "Corpus Juris" enactments of the ancient Roman code.
Legitimation - The canonical term for the act by which the irregularity contracted by being born out of lawful wedlock is removed.
Legrand, Louis - French theologian and noted doctor of the Sorbonne, b. in Burgundy at Lusigny-sur-Ouche, 12 June, 1711, d. at Issy (Paris), 21 July, 1780.
Lehnin, Abbey of - Founded in 1180 by Otto II, Margrave of Brandenburg, for Cistercian monks.
Leibniz, System of - A thorough overview of the life and views of Leibniz.
Leipzig - Chief town in the Kingdom of Saxony, situated at the junction of the Pleisse, Parthe, and Weisse Elster.
Leipzig, University of - Next to Heidelberg, the oldest university in the German Empire.