DILGSKRON, KARL. — Redemptorist, born in Vienna on 31 August 1843, and died there on 10 June 1912. He taught philosophy and theology at Mautern (Styria); from 1878 to 1883 he was a preacher in Vienna and Prague; from 1883 to 1909 he served as general consultor of his Congregation and later also of the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics in Rome, where he also became a respected preacher and confessor to the German colony.
An eminent scholar of the history of his Congregation, he wrote the biographies of St. Alphonsus Mary de’ Liguori (2 vols., Regensburg 1887), St. Gerard Majella (ibid. 1879, 7th ed. 1923), Fr. John Nepomucene Neumann (ibid. 1891), Fr. John Baptist Eichelsbacher (Dülmen 1890), Fr. Smetana (ibid. 1902), Fr. Tendler (Vienna 1905), and Fr. Frederick von Held (ibid. 1909); the history of the Redemptorist church of St. Mary am Gestade in Vienna (ibid. 1882); and numerous works on moral theology, canon law, and preaching.
**
---
DILI, DIOCESE OF. — On the island of Timor in the Indonesian archipelago. It is the capital city of the Portuguese colony of Timor, i.e., the eastern part of the island, which is the largest of those in the Lesser Sunda group. The island was discovered in 1522 by the companions of Magellan and occupied by the Portuguese. Part of the island was taken by the Dutch in the mid-17th century.
Catholicism reached the island with the Portuguese, and Catholics were ecclesiastically dependent on Macao. The suppression of religious orders in Portugal caused great harm to the mission. By virtue of the missionary agreement between the Holy See and the Portuguese Republic on 7 May 1940 (*AAS*, 22 [1940], p. 238, art. 6), Pope Pius XII, with his apostolic constitution *Solemnibus conventionibus* of 4 September of the same year, separated from the diocese of Macao the portion of the island of Timor belonging to Portugal and erected it as a diocese with its see in the city of D.; the church of the Immaculate Conception was elevated to cathedral status. The diocese is suffragan to Goa (*AAS*, 23 [1941], pp. 1-18).
The diocese covers an area of 19,000 sq. km with a population of 420,430, of whom 35,000 are Catholics; it has 49 churches, 11 parishes, 19 diocesan priests and 5 religious priests; two male religious houses with 12 professed members and three female houses with 23 sisters; 27 male educational institutes with 2,509 pupils and three female institutes with 351 pupils (1948).
Enrico Josi
---
DILIGENCE. — In its primary sense, diligence denotes assiduous care and refined attention in the performance of a task. Even in spiritual life and ascetical theology, it retains fundamentally the same meaning. Thus, a diligent person is one who reflects upon, weighs, and strives to fulfill his duties in the best possible manner. It is a Christian virtue first and foremost, as well as a natural endowment, which inspires admiration and respect. It stands in opposition to negligence, which signifies habitual carelessness in matters that ought to be attended to.
St. Thomas defines diligence as “a right choice of those means that lead to the end” (*Summa Theologiae*, II-II, q. 54, a. 2). It is therefore part of the virtue of prudence, which is the virtue that directs the intellect in every action to discern what is beneficial or harmful in attaining the end.
Diligence may be distinguished from prudence insofar as it acts more upon the will than upon the intellect. The will, enlightened by prudence in the choice of means, through the virtue of diligence, strives to put them into practice and to attain the end. Diligence frees the soul from sloth and thoughtlessness; it thus requires daily effort and exertion, especially in small matters that are usually neglected. Yet small things contribute to perfection, which is no small matter; hence, care in performing well is one of the means most recommended by spiritual masters for acquiring this virtue. Other means indicated by the Fathers and saints include, besides prayer to God (cf. the magnificent elevation on prudence in Wis 9), the habit of fulfilling one’s duties with a tranquil spirit, attending to each as if it were the only one imposed upon us, not putting off until tomorrow what can be done today, weighing the pros and cons of every matter without haste, treasuring both one’s own and others’ experience, and seeking counsel from wise and learned persons.
**