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James O’Sullivan was born in Cork on 2 April 1887. He was the only son of James and Mary O’Sullivan of Deane Street and later of Lower George’s Street in the city. His early education was with the Christian Brothers and at the Seraphic College in Rochestown in County Cork. He entered the Capuchin novitiate in August 1902 and took Cyril as his religious name. Following a course in philosophy and theology, he was ordained on 29 May 1910. Shortly after his ordination he undertook a postgraduate course in the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Philosophical Institute of Leo XIII. Returning to his native city, he completed a Master of Arts and was appointed a lecturer in philosophy (Mental and Moral Science) in University College Cork. He was instrumental in the opening of St. Bonaventure’s Capuchin Hostel in Cork and was appointed its first guardian (local superior) in 1919. An enthusiastic supporter of Gaelic games and a fluent Irish speaker, he was involved in the promotion of hurling in various schools and colleges in Cork. He died (following a brief illness) in Cork on 9 December 1921. He was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown in County Cork.

Baptismal name: James O’Sullivan
Religious name: Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 2 Apr. 1887
Place of birth: 14 Deane Street, Cork
Name of father: James O’Sullivan
Name of mother: Mary O’Sullivan (née O’Brien)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 31 July 1908
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 May 1910
Educational attainments: BA (RUI), 1909; MA (RUI), 1915; Doctorate in Philosophy (Louvain)
Date of death: 9 Dec. 1921
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork

Timothy O’Shea was born near the village of Clondrohid in County Cork on 30 June 1902. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Kilkenny in September 1920 and took Phelim as his religious name. After taking his usual course of studies in philosophy and theology he was ordained to the priesthood in Holy Trinity Church in Cork on 29 June 1928. He spent the first three years of his priestly life as a member of staff in Rochestown College in County Cork. In September 1931 he left Ireland to become one of the founders of the newly established mission in what was then Barotseland, a protectorate of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (now the Western Province of Zambia). He was elected as one of the consultors (discreet) to the Regular Superior of the Mission in June 1935 and would hold this position until he was elected Regular Superior in 1946. From 1946 to 1950 he acted as guardian (local superior) and principal of teacher training at the Lukulu mission station in western Zambia. On 24 May 1950 the Holy See appointed him Vicar Apostolic of the Livingstone Vicariate and he was ordained Titular Bishop of Hierocaesarea in St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, on 8 September 1950. On 25 April 1959 the Diocese of Livingstone was canonically established, and he became the Ordinary of the new diocese. He was awarded the Medal of Honour for services to the Zambian nation by President Kenneth Kaunda in 1970. To further the interests of the Zambiansation of the Catholic Church in the country, he resigned as Bishop of the Livingstone Diocese on 17 December 1974. Following a long period of illness, he died on 26 May 1979 and was buried in the cemetery attached to Sancta Maria Church in Lukulu, Zambia

Baptismal name: Timothy Peter Paul O’Shea
Religious name: Fr. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 30 June 1902
Place of birth: Curra, Clondrohid, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Timothy
Name of mother: Abina O’Shea (née McSwiney)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 17 Sept. 1920
Date of first profession: 18 Sept. 1921
Date of final profession: 29 Dec. 1925
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 June 1928
Educational attainments: BA, University College Cork (1924); Higher Diploma in Education, University College Cork (1928)
Missionary activities: Travelled to South Africa on 11 Sept. 1931, later to Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).
Date of death: 26 May 1979
Place of death: Lukulu, Zambia
Place of burial: Cemetery, Sancta Maria, Lukulu, Zambia

Observations: He was noted for his numerous translations of religious texts primarily into the Lozi language spoken in Barotseland. His publications included: ‘Katekisema ni Litapelo za Bakreste’ translated from Sisuto and printed in Rome in 1937 by the Sodality of St Peter Claver; ‘Litapelo ni Lipina’ compiled with aid of Sisuto texts, printed in 1960 by the Sodality of St Peter Claver; ‘Katekisema’ by Bishop Timothy Phelim O’Shea, printed by Teresianum in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1967; ‘Linyalo’ (1963); ‘Evangeli ya Mulen’a luna Jesu Kriste’ (St. Mark) translated in 1948; ‘Likuta le li Katoliki ili Eklesia ya Niti’ (1963); ‘Nzila ya Sifapano’ (Stations of the Cross); in Siluvale language, ‘Vilombelo na Myaso’ (Prayers and Hymns) 1963; ‘Vihande vya Mazu a Kalunga’ (Bible Stories) 1969.

Michael O’Shea was born in Cork on 14 November 1926, the son of Mortimer O’Shea and his wife Catherine O’Shea. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans on 3 October 1946 at Rochestown Friary in County Cork where he received the habit and was given Venantius as his religious name . He professed his solemn vows on 4 October 1950. He was ordained to the priesthood on 23 May 1954 at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary in County Donegal. He studied at University College Cork and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy with a minor in English literature. Following his ordination he was sent to California in September 1954. He taught religion at St. Francis High School in La Cañada-Flintridge in California. He was Associate Pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Ukiah, California, Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, California, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Los Angeles, California, Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame, California, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Fort Bragg, California, and in St. Joseph’s Church in Hermiston, Oregon. In 1970 he taught Franciscan History at San Lorenzo Capuchin Novitiate in Santa Inés. In 1977 he was appointed as first Provincial Secretary of the Capuchins in Western American. In 1987 he obtained a Masters’ Degree in Applied Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. In 1988 he was a chaplain at the Federal Penitentiary in Lompoc in California. In 1995 he was a chaplain at Nazareth House in Fresno, California. In 2000 he was appointed Provincial Historian and resided at St. Conrad Friary in Berkeley, California. In 2005 he was Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame, where he ministered to the sick at Peninsula Hospital and heard confessions in the local parish. He retired in 2014 and was cared for at Mercy Care Center in Oakland, California. His last few months were spent at Herman Health Care Center in San Jose, California. He died on 16 January 2020 and was buried in the cemetery attached to San Lorenzo Seminary, Santa Inés, California.

Baptismal name: Michael James O’Shea
Religious name: Fr. Michael O’Shea OFM Cap. (previously Fr. Venantius O’Shea OFM Cap., he reverted to his baptismal name after the Second Vatican Council)
Date of birth: 14 Nov. 1926
Place of birth: Cork
Name of father: Mortimer O’Shea
Name of mother: Catherine O’Shea (née Meighan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1946
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1947
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1950
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 May 1954
Educational attainments: BA (1950)
Missionary activities: Travelled to the United States Mission on 27 Sept. 1954
Date of death: 16 Jan. 2020
Place of death: Herman Care Center, San Jose, California
Place of burial: Cemetery, San Lorenzo Seminary, Santa Inés, California

Baptismal name: John Aloysius O’Shea
Religious name: Fr. Michael O’Shea OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 26 June 1892
Place of birth: Ballincollig, County Cork
Name of father: James O’Shea (commercial traveller)
Name of mother: Elizabeth O’Shea (née O’Neill) (national school teacher)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 4 Oct. 1909
Date of first profession: 16 Oct. 1910
Date of final profession: 21 Dec. 1913
Date of ordination (as priest): 3 May 1918
Educational attainments: BA (1914); MA (1915)
Date of death: 9 Nov. 1958
Place of death: Bon Secours Hospital, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork
Observations: In 1927 the Feis Maitiú Corcaigh was established by Fr. Michael O’Shea OFM Cap. as a platform for the performing arts in Cork. He also served as President of Father Mathew Hall on Church Street in Dublin from 1934-7.

Mortimer O’Shea was born in Glengarriff in County Cork on New Year’s Day in 1897. His early studies were in the local national school. In 1908 he enrolled in the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork. He entered the Capuchin novitiate in August 1914 and took Cassian as his religious name. He was awarded a degree in Irish studies from University College Cork in 1919. Following the completion of his theological studies, he was ordained in Holy Trinity Church in Cork on 29 June 1923. Soon after his ordination, he went to Rome for further studies. He received a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1926. On his return to Ireland, he spent seventeen years teaching Canon Law to theological students at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary in County Donegal. He served as guardian (local superior) of Ard Mhuire from 1937 to 1943. A gifted Irish scholar, he published several works in the language. Following the completion of his term as guardian at Ard Mhuire, he was transferred to the Kilkenny Friary and served as Vicar and Master of Lay Novices. In 1947 he volunteered for the American Mission. His initial assignment was in St. Patrick’s Friary in Wilmington in Delaware where he served as guardian for six years. He moved to the West Coast in 1958 and spent one year as assistant pastor in St. Mary’s Parish in Ukiah, California. From there he moved to Our Lady of Angels Friary in Burlingame. Other assignments included associate pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Los Angeles and chaplain at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, Oregon. He died in Los Angeles on 16 February 1981 and was buried in the cemetery attached to San Lorenzo Seminary at the Santa Inez Mission in California.

Baptismal name: Mortimer O’Shea
Religious name: Fr. Cassian O’Shea OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 1 Jan. 1897
Place of birth: Glengarriff, County Cork
Name of father: Patrick O’Shea
Name of mother: Elizabeth O’Shea (née O’Sullivan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 27 Aug. 1914
Date of first profession: 8 Sept. 1915
Date of final profession: 29 June 1923
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 June 1923 (Holy Trinity Church, Cork)
Educational attainments: BA, 1919; Doctorate in Canon Law (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome), 1926
Missionary activities: Travelled to the United States on 29 July 1947
Date of death: 16 February 1981
Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Place of burial: Cemetery, San Lorenzo Seminary, Santa Inez Mission, California

Baptismal name: Alfred O’Shea
Religious name: Br. Andrew O’Shea OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 17 Sept. 1907
Place of birth: Cork
Name of father: George O’Shea (merchant)
Name of mother: Ellen (‘Nellie’) O’Shea (née Rice)
Date of parents’ marriage: 5 Nov. 1903
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Nov. 1938
Date of first profession: 25 Nov. 1939
Date of final profession: 25 Nov. 1942
Missionary activities: Travelled to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) on 29 Sept. 1953; Master of lay novices; missionary archivist
Date of death: 24 Dec. 1986
Place of death: Katima Mulilo, Zambia

Early Life and Religious Formation
Leopold O’Riordan was born Robert O’Riordan on 7 November 1912, in Cork. He completed his secondary education at the Capuchin Franciscan College in Rochestown, County Cork. On 3 October 1930, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order, receiving the religious name Leopold upon his admission into the novitiate at Rochestown. He pursued his philosophical curriculum at University College Cork, followed by theological studies at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary in County Donegal. He was ordained to the priesthood on 19 June 1938, at St. Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny, County Donegal.

Missionary Transfer and Early West Coast Ministry
Following his ordination, Father O’Riordan was transferred to the United States to support the Western American missions. His early ministerial path across the Pacific Coast included:

• Los Angeles, California: Stationed from 1938 until 1949, engaging in parochial ministry alongside the local community of friars.
• Roseburg, Oregon: Transferred to the Pacific Northwest in 1949, serving as an Associate Pastor at St. Joseph Parish.
• Hermiston, Oregon: Reassigned locally in 1950 to serve as an Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Angels Parish.

Pastorate and Parochial Expansion in Hermiston
On 12 January 1952, Father O’Riordan was elevated to Pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Hermiston, initiating a significant fifteen-year tenure defined by extensive infrastructural growth. Driven by a commitment to religious instruction, he oversaw a major capital campaign that successfully funded and developed the parish complex, constructing:

• The permanent Parish Church
• The Parish Hall
• The Parochial Rectory
• Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classrooms

On 23 April 1963, he celebrated his silver jubilee in the priesthood. The milestone was marked by a Solemn High Mass presided over by Bishop Francis P. Leipzig of the Diocese of Baker, featuring a sermon delivered by the Reverend William Stone. The subsequent civic banquet held in the new parish hall was attended by diocesan clergy, religious sisters, 300 parishioners, and prominent civic figures, including members of the Hermiston Ministerial Association, the local mayor, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Later Pastorates and Chaplaincy
In October 1965, concluding fifteen years of service in Hermiston, Father O’Riordan returned to California upon his appointment as Pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame. He was subsequently reassigned to Oregon as Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bend, where he replicated his earlier building success by erecting a new parish hall. His final assignment was as Chaplain to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Roseburg, Oregon, where he provided pastoral care to hospitalized military personnel. Following a protracted illness, Father O’Riordan passed away in Roseburg on 28 February 1991.

Baptismal name: John O’Riordan
Religious name: Fr. Colga O’Riordan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 6 Jan. 1920
Place of birth: Cork
Name of father: Matthew O’Riordan
Name of mother: Hannah O’Riordan (née Kidney)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1939
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1940
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1943
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 June 1947
Educational attainments: BA, 2nd class hons. (1943)
Missionary activities: Transferred to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 24 Dec. 1947. Transferred to the newly established Australian Capuchin Mission on 8 Aug. 1956. Returned to Ireland in 1967.
Date of death: 6 Oct. 2003
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork
Observations: Fr. Colga O’Riordan OFM Cap. was Novice Master in Australia in the 1950s and in the 1960s. He was also twice elected to the position of assistant to the Custos General of the Australian Capuchin friars. He had been invited to Australia for the formal establishment of the Australian Assumption Capuchin Province in 1956. He was later appointed the first parish priest in Priorswood in Dublin (1974-81). He was appointed guardian (local superior) of Raheny Capuchin Friary in Dublin in April 1981.
Note: An image of Fr. Colga O’Riordan OFM Cap. with novices at the newly built seminary in Plumpton, New South Wales, Australia, in January 1966 is extant at https://blacktownmemories.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/7582

Early Life and Religious Formation
James O’Reilly was born on 11 September 1862 in County Cavan to Philip O’Reilly and Catherine O’Reilly (née Plunkett). He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order as a lay brother, receiving the religious name Seraphin upon his investiture on 2 February 1889. He pronounced his first vows on 4 February 1890, and made his solemn, perpetual profession on 22 February 1893.

Domestic Ministry in Ireland
Following his professions, Brother Seraphin was assigned to the domestic houses of the Irish Capuchin Province. The primary scene of his religious labour was Rochestown Friary in County Cork. He served there for three years.

Missionary Service in the United States
In October 1914, Brother Seraphin travelled from Ireland to support the expanding American mission field, dedicating his final decade to the Western American houses:

• Hermiston, Oregon: Arrived in late 1914 to assist the local friars. During his assignment, he provided critical manual labour and support to help build the new Hermiston parish church.
• Ukiah, California: Transferred to Northern California to join the community at St. Mary's Parish, where he ministered for several years.

Within the Ukiah friary, Brother Seraphin managed the domestic operations of the house. Contemporary records from 1924 described him as an excellent chef and housekeeper who maintained a robust, distinguished, and fatherly presence, standing six feet four inches tall and wearing a well-trimmed beard.

Illness and Decease
In the early months of 1925, Brother Seraphin’s declining health caused profound alarm to his religious superiors. After receiving the last Sacraments of the Church, he passed away peacefully on 28 June 1925, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in San Francisco, California. He was buried in Ukiah, California.

Religious name: Br. Seraphin O’Reilly OFM Cap.
Baptismal name: James O’Reilly
Date of birth: 11 Sept. 1862
Place of birth: County Cavan (Diocese of Kilmore)
Name of father: Philip O’Reilly
Name of mother: Catherine O’Reilly (née Plunkett)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 Feb. 1889
Date of first profession: 4 Feb. 1890
Date of final (solemn) profession: 22 Feb. 1893
Missionary activity: Travelled to the United States in Oct. 1914
Date of death: 28 June 1925
Place of death: St. Joseph’s Hospital, San Francisco, California
Place of burial: Ukiah, California

Daniel O’Reilly was born in Castlepollard, a small village in north County Westmeath on 22 November 1831. He was born into a reasonably affluent farming family, and he was sent to St. Patrick’s College in Carlow for his education where he excelled in classical studies. Having decided to join the Capuchin Franciscans, he was sent to Belgium for his novitiate studies in about 1850. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1855 and soon afterwards returned to Ireland. Most of his life in ministry was spent in Church Street in Dublin where he devoted his energies to financing the construction of St. Mary of the Angels (built between 1868 and 1881) on the site of an earlier Capuchin chapel. He served as guardian (local superior) of the Church Street community from 1864 to 1866. In 1873 he was appointed Custos (superior) of the Capuchin foundations in Dublin and in Kilkenny which remained subject to the supervision of the Provincial Minister of the Capuchins in Paris. Fr. O’Reilly preached at the opening of the Irish Capuchin novitiate in Kilkenny in October 1875. The original pulpit in St. Mary of the Angels (unveiled on 25 December 1883) was presented to him as a token of esteem by several wealthy benefactors. His work in rebuilding the Irish Capuchins was recognised when was he was afforded the title of Provincial Minister several years before the Irish Province was canonically restored in 1885. He died (of dropsy or edema) on 3 September 1894 in the Church Street Friary and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Daniel O’Reilly
Religious name: Fr. Daniel Patrick O’Reilly OSFC
Date of birth: 22 Nov. 1831
Place of birth: Castlepollard, County Westmeath
Date of ordination (as priest): 1855
Date of death: 3 Sept. 1894
Place of death: Church Street, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin