Penitents

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

An appellation given to certain fraternities of penitents, distinguished by the different shape and colour of their habits. These are secular societies, who have their rules, statutes, and churches, and make public processions under their particular crosses or banners. Of these, it is said, there are more than a hundred, the most considerable of which are as follow: the White Penitents, of which there are several different sorts at Rome, the most ancient of which was instituted in 1264: the brethren of this fraternity every year give portions to a certain number of young girls, in order to their being married: their habit is a kind of white sackcloth, and on the shoulder is a circle, in the middle of which is a red and white cross. Black Penitents, the most considerable of which are the Brethren of Mercy, instituted in 1488 by some Florentines, in order to assist criminals during their imprisonment, and at the time of their death. On the day of execution they walk in procession before them, singing the seven penitential psalms, and the litanies; and after they are dead, they take them down from the gibbet, and bury them: their habit is black sackcloth.

There are others whose business is to bury such persons as are found dead in the streets; these wear a death's head on one side of their habit. There are also blue, gray, red, green, and violet penitents, all which are remarkable for little else besides the different colours of their habits. Penitents, or Converts of the name of Jesus, a congregation of religious at Seville, in Spain, consisting of women who have led a licentious life, founded in 1550. This monastery is divided into three quarters: one for professed religious; another for novices; a third for those who are under correction. When these last give signs of a real repentance, they are removed into the quarter of the novices, where, if they do not behave themselves well, they are remanded to their correction. They observe the rule of St. Augustin. Penitents of Orvieto, are an order of nuns instituted by Antony Simoncelli, a gentleman of Orvieto, in Italy. The monastery he built was at first designed for the reception of poor girls abandoned by their parents, and in danger of losing their virtue. In 1662, it was erected into a monastery, for the reception of such as having abandoned themselves to impurity, were willing to take up, and consecrate themselves to God by solemn vows. Their rule is that of the Carmelites.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(I) is a name for those members of the Church who, having offended the laws of God or the ecclesiastical canons, seek reconciliation. Penance (q.v.), in the primitive Church, as Coleman, from Augusti, remarks, was wholly a voluntary act on the part of those who were subject to it. The. Church not only would not enforce it, but refused even to urge or invite any to submit to the penitential discipline. It was to be sought as a favor, not inflicted as a penalty. The offending party had, however, no authority or permission to prescribe his own duties as a penitent. When once he had resolved to seek the forgiveness and reconciliation of the Church, it was exclusively the prerogative of that body to prescribe the conditions on which this was to be effected. No one could even be received as a candidate for penance without permission first obtained of the bishop or presiding elder. The period of penitential probation differed in different times and places, but in general was graduated according to the enormity of the sin, some going so far in their rigor, (See Novatian), as, contrary to the clearly expressed sense of the Church, to carry it even beyond the grave. In the earlier ages much depended upon the spirit of each particular Church or country; but about the 4th century the public penitential discipline assumed a settled form, which, especially as established in the Greek Church, is so curious that it deserves to be briefly described. Sinners of the classes already referred to had their names enrolled, and were (in some churches, after having made a preliminary confession to a priest appointed for the purpose) admitted, with a blessing and other ceremonial, by the bishop to the rank of penitents. This enrollment appears to have commonly taken place on the first day of Lent.

The penitents so enrolled were divided into four distinct classes, called by the Greeks προσκλαίοντες, ἀκροώμενοι, ὑποπίπτοντες , and συνιστάμενοι; and by the Latins flentes, audientes, substrati, and consistentes — that is, the mourners or weepers, hearers, kneelers, and co- standers. The duties required of penitents consisted essentially in the following particulars:

1. Penitents of the first three classes were required to kneel in worship, while the faithful were permitted to stand.

2. All were required to make known their penitential sorrow by an open and public confession of their sin. This confession was to be made, not before the bishop or the priesthood, but in the presence of the whole Church, with sighs and tears and lamentations. These expressions of grief they were to renew and continue so long as they remained in the first or lowest class of penitents, entreating at the same time in their behalf the prayers and intercessions of the faithful. Some idea of the nature of these demonstrations of penitence may be formed from a record of them contained in the works of Cyprian. Almost all the canons lay much stress upon the sighs and tears accompanying these effusions.

3. Throughout the whole term of penance all expressions of joy were to be restrained, and all ornaments of dress to be laid aside. The penitents were required, literally, to wear sackcloth, and to cover their heads with ashes. Nor were these acts of humiliation restricted to Ash-Wednesday merely, when especially they were required.

4. The men were obliged to cut short their hair, and to shave their beards, in token of sorrow. The women were to appear with disheveled hair, and wearing a peculiar kind of veil.

5. During the whole term of penance, bathing, feasting, and sensual gratifications, allowable at other times, were prohibited.