CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

appropriated by the Spanish Crown and
used to support Dominican and Franciscan
missionary work in Upper and Lower
California. In 1842 the Mexican
government took over administration of
the fund, incorporated most of the revenue
into the national treasury, and agreed to
pay the Church interest of six per cent a
year on the capital so incorporated. From
1848 to 1967 the fund was the subject of
lengthy negotiations between the U.S. and
Mexican governments because of the
latter’s failure to make payments as agreed.
A lump sum settlement was made in 1967
with payment by Mexico to the U.S.
government of more than $700,000, to be
turned over to the Archdiocese of San
Francisco.
Polytheism: Belief in and worship of many
gods or divinities, especially prevalent in
pre Christian religions.
Poor Box: Alms box; found in churches
from the earliest days of Christianity.
Pope: A title from the Italian word papa
(from Greek pappas, father) used for the
Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ and
successor of St. Peter, who exercises
universal governance over the Church.
Portiuncula: (1) Meaning little portion (of
land), the Portiuncula was the chapel of
Our Lady of the Angels near Assisi, Italy,
which the Benedictines gave to St. Francis
early in the 13th century. He repaired the
chapel and made it the first church of the
Franciscan Order. It is now enshrined in
the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in
Assisi. (2) The plenary Portiuncula
Indulgence, or Pardon of Assisi, was
authorized by Honorius III. Originally, it
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could be gained for the souls in purgatory
only in the chapel of Our Lady of the
Angels; by later concessions, it could be
gained also in other Franciscan and parish
churches. The indulgence (applicable to
the souls in purgatory) can be gained from
noon of Aug. 1 to midnight of Aug. 2,
once each day. The conditions are, in
addition to freedom from attachment to
sin: reception of the sacraments of penance
and the Eucharist on or near the day and a
half; a visit to a parish church within the
day and a half, during which the Our
Father, the Creed and another prayer are
offered for the intentions of the pope.
Positivism: The philosophy that teaches
that the only reality is that which is
perceived by the senses; the only truth is
that which is empirically verified. It
asserts that ideas about God, morality, or
anything else that cannot be scientifically
tested are to be rejected as unknowable.
Possession, Diabolical: The extraordinary
state of a person who is tormented from
within by evil spirits who exercise strong
influence over his powers of mind and
body. (See also Exorcism.)
Postulant: One of several names used to
designate a candidate for membership in a
religious institute during the period before
novitiate.
Poverty: (1) The quality or state of being
poor, in actual destitution and need, or
being poor in spirit. In the latter sense,
poverty means the state of mind and
disposition of persons who regard material
things in proper perspective as gifts of God
for the support of life and its reasonable
enrichment, and for the service of others in