Showing 277 results

Patrick Healy was born on 26 February 1875 in Graiguenamanagh, a small town on the border between Counties Carlow and Kilkenny. He entered the Capuchin novitiate at Rochestown in County Cork on 7 July 1894 and took the religious name of Angelus. He took his solemn vows in December 1897 and was ordained a priest in February 1902. Fr. Angelus cultivated a life-long interest in the history of the Irish Capuchins. In 1904, he worked alongside Fr. Stanislaus Kavanagh OFM Cap. (1876-1965) in transcribing autograph copies of two seventeenth century histories of the Irish friars by Nicholas Archbold ‘The historie of the Irish Capucins’ (1643) and Robert O’Connell ‘Historia Missionis Hiberniae Fratrum Minorum Capucinorum’ (c.1654). The original texts had been brought from France to the National Library of Ireland in Dublin for copying. Fr. Angelus was considered an authority on the history of the Irish Capuchin Province, and in 1919 he was chosen as a witness in the beatification cause of two seventeenth-century Capuchin martyrs, Fr. Fiacre Tobin OSFC (c.1620-1656) and Fr. John Baptist Dowdall OSFC (c.1626-1710). He also held several important administrative positions in the Irish Province. Three times he was elected as definitor (or counsellor), from 1910-3 and from 1922-5. He also held the position of Vicar-Provincial and was elected Custos General in 1913 which enabled him to attend the General Chapter of the Order in Rome. He was appointed Guardian of the Church Street Friary and was, at various times, Master of Novices, editor of ‘The Father Mathew Record’ periodical, and director-general of the Total Abstinence Association. Fr. Angelus never considered himself an academic historian but throughout his life he worked assiduously to assemble a vast corpus of documentary records on the history of the friars in Ireland. His ‘Pages from the Story of the Irish Capuchins’, published in 1915 to mark the tercentenary of the arrival of the first friar in Ireland, offered a concise introduction to the subject. ‘The execution of a more scholarly work’, he claimed, demanded ‘more patient research than he could ever command’. Known as an able missionary and preacher, he was also acclaimed as the ‘Guardian of the Reek’ in honour of his long association with the annual Croagh Patrick pilgrimage in County Mayo. His association with Croagh Patrick (also called ‘St. Patrick’s Reek’) lasted from 1906 to 1949, during which he climbed the mountain forty-two times missing only two years, in 1919 due to a railway strike, and in 1922 due to the Civil War. He died at the Presbytery in Westport Parish at the foot of Croagh Patrick on 20 August 1953. He was buried in the Capuchin plot in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

John Kavanagh was born in Mountmellick in Queen’s County (later County Laois) on 12 June 1876. Having spent some years in the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork, he was received into the Capuchin Order in March 1893. He was ordained a priest in Dublin on 23 February 1902. Soon after his ordination he was stationed in Kilkenny as a Professor of Philosophy, but most of his life as a priest was spent in Dublin and in Cork. An accomplished scholar, Kavanagh spent many years in libraries and archives in England, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium, transcribing thousands of documents in a very clear hand, recording everything relating to the Irish Capuchins which could be discovered overseas. His work in transcribing the seventeenth-century Latin text, the ‘Commentarius Rinuccinianus’, published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission in six volumes between 1932 and 1949, is well known. His extremely important corpus of manuscripts, surrogate copies and transcribed materials for early Capuchin history are now extant in the Irish Capuchin Archives. He served as Provincial Archivist for the Capuchin Order in Ireland from 1919 to 1958. In 1918 he was appointed to investigate the cause of two seventeenth century Irish Capuchin martyrs, Fr. Fiacre Tobin OSFC (d. 1656) and Fr. John Baptist Dowdall OSFC (d. 1710). Kavanagh also had a life-long interest in Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856) and amassed a huge quantity of research and documentary material relating to his life and nineteenth-century temperance campaign. In recognition of his contribution to Irish historical scholarship, the National University of Ireland awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Literature (D. Litt.) in 1947. Outside of academia, Kavanagh was a well-known preacher, missionary, and retreat-giver. In 1924 he was asked to travel to the United States where he spent several months assisting Irish Capuchin friars in missionary and preaching work. He was also a long-time incumbent of the position of Secretary of the Irish Capuchin Province (1922-31; 1937-55) and was elected Provincial Deifintor (Councillor) in 1931. His later years were blighted by dementia and he died on 16 May 1965 in the Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: John Kavanagh
Religious name: Fr. Stanislaus Kavanagh OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 12 June 1876
Place of birth: Mountmellick, Queen’s County (County Laois), Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin
Name of father: Edward Kavanagh
Name of mother: Joanna Kavanagh (née Costello)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 20 Mar. 1893
Date of first profession: 2 July 1894
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Educational attainments: Doctor of Literature (D. Litt.), 1947
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor, 1931-4; Provincial Secretary, 1922-31, 1937-55; Provincial Archivist, 1919-1958
Date of death: 16 May 1965
Place of death: Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Thomas Fitzgibbon was born in 1874 to a large Irish-speaking family in Ballynona near Castlemartyr in County Cork. He was educated at the Capuchin College in Rochestown, County Cork, and joined the Order in March 1893 taking Edwin as his religious name. He was solemnly professed as a Capuchin friar in December 1897 and continued his studies in the University of Louvain where he obtained a PhD. He was ordained in St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, by Archbishop William Walsh in February 1902. In 1906 Fr. Edwin was appointed Rector of the Capuchin College in Rochestown and he became an enthusiastic supporter of the school’s Gaelic sports’ teams. In December 1908, Queen’s College, Cork, became one of the constituent colleges of the new National University of Ireland (NUI). Fitzgibbon was one of the first appointees to the new college becoming Professor of Philosophy in 1909. In 1912 he was elected president of the university’s hurling club. Almost immediately, he donated his annual salary (reckoned to be about £80) for the purchase of a trophy to be contested by the hurling teams of various colleges within the NUI. The Fitzgibbon Cup was the last national Gaelic trophy to be named after a living person, and the donor remained a regular fixture at the presentation ceremonies for the next twenty-five years. Fr. Edwin was elected Provincial Minister of the Irish Capuchins on four occasions, holding this office from 1919-22, 1926-9, 1931-4 and 1934-7. He undertook several visitations to the newly established Irish Capuchin mission custody in the Western United States while Provincial Minister. Ill-health forced his resignation from the Chair of Philosophy in UCC in 1937. He died at the Bon Secours Home in Cork on 24 June 1938 and was buried in the cemetery adjoining the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork.

Baptismal name: Thomas Fitzgibbon
Religious name: Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 26 Jan. 1874
Place of birth: Castlemartyr, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: John Fitzgibbon
Name of mother: Elizabeth Fitzgibbon (née Desmond)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 23 Mar. 1893
Date of first profession: 24 April 1894
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Leadership positions: Provincial Minister: 1919-22; 1926-9; 1931-4; 1934-7; Provincial Definitor: 1907-10; 1910-3; 1916-9.
Date of death: 24 June 1938
Place of death: Bon Secours Home, Cork
Place of burial, Cemetery, Capuchin Friary, Rochestown, County Cork

James Killian was born in County Longford on 11 January 1872. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order and took Camillus as his religious name in 1893. He was ordained by Archbishop William Walsh in St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, in February 1902. For several years he was on the teaching staff of Rochestown College in Cork (March 1902-September 1906). He later acted as a missioner in Church Street, Dublin (until 1907), and guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny (from 1907-1910). He travelled to the United States in late 1911 and was appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Roseburg in Oregon in January 1912. During Fr. Killian’s pastorate a new stucco church was begun which was dedicated by the Most Reverend Alexander Christie (1848-1925), Archbishop of Oregon City, in 1916. Camillus was later transferred to Abbottstown in Pennsylvania where he assisted the friars in giving retreats and novenas. In 1917 he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish in Hermiston, Oregon. He returned to Ireland in 1920 and ministered from the Capuchin Friary on Church Street in the capital. He was appointed spiritual director to the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis confraternity and later served as Provincial Definitor (Councillor) from 1931 to 1933. He died in a nursing home on Jervis Street in Dublin on 14 December 1941. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Baptismal name: James Killian
Religious name: Fr. Camillus Killian OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Jan. 1872
Place of birth: Moher, Pollagh, County Longford (Diocese of Elphin)
Name of father: Laurence Killian
Name of mother: Sarah Killian (née Connolly)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Franciscan Order: 23 Mar. 1893
Date of first profession 24 April 1894
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Educational Attainments: B.A. (Royal University of Ireland, Cork), 1901
Overseas Missions: Left Ireland for the Western American Capuchin Mission at Roseburg, Oregon, on 10 Dec. 1911. He arrived in Oregon in early 1912. He returned to Ireland in 1920.
Other appointments: Fr. Killian was Guardian (Superior) in the Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny from 1907-10. He served as Provincial Defintor (Councillor) from 1931-3.
Date of death: 14 Dec. 1941
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Baptismal name: John Harvey
Religious name: Fr. Bernardine Harvey OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 8 Oct. 1874
Place of birth: Cloontuskert, Lanesboro, County Roscommon (Diocese of Elphin)
Name of father: James Harvey (Farmer)
Name of mother: Brigid Harvey (née Cooney)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 July 1894
Date of first profession: 21 July 1895
Date of final profession: 8 May 1902
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Date of death: 1 Sept. 1953
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Thomas Bibby was born on 24 October 1877 in Bagenalstown, County Carlow. He was baptised on 28 October 1877. His family were proprietors of a woollen mill at Greensbridge and operated two drapery establishments in Kilkenny City, one in Parliament Street and another on High Street. He entered the Capuchin novitiate at Rochestown on 7 July 1894 and took the religious name of Albert. He was solemnly professed on 8 May 1900 and was ordained a priest at St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, on 23 February 1902. A gifted scholar, Fr. Albert was among the first batch of Capuchin students to receive a BA degree from the Royal University. He later became a professor of philosophy and theology and taught these subjects to Capuchin students for some years after his ordination. One of his first students was Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap. Fr. Albert was active in the Gaelic revival movement and became a fluent speaker of Irish. He was also engaged in temperance advocacy and gave missions sometimes solely in Irish in Gaeltacht areas. He was also involved in the Columcille branch of Conradh na Gaelige in its early years. Briefly a part of the community of friars in Kilkenny, he moved to Church Street, Dublin, in the early 1900s. In the aftermath of the Easter Rising, Fr. Albert ministered to a number of rebel prisoners in Kilmainham Jail and in other locations. He was present at the execution of Seán Heuston on 8 May 1916 and wrote an account of his final hours. He was later a regular correspondent with prominent republicans and their relations. On 16 December 1920 both Fr. Albert and Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap. were arrested by British forces during a raid on the friary on Church Street. Fr. Albert was detained for some hours in Dublin Castle but was afterwards released whilst Fr. Dominic was sentence to five years’ penal servitude. When the Four Courts was attacked on 27 June 1922 in the opening engagement of the Civil War, Fr. Albert was present in the building alongside Fr. Dominic. Both priests remained with the Anti-Treaty irregulars until the Four Courts was evacuated. They then proceeded to administer to Cathal Brugha and other IRA men occupying the Hamman Hotel on O’Connell Street. In June 1924, Fr. Albert was sent to the United States and was eventually appointed Pastor of the Capuchin Mission at Santa Inez in California. He immediately set about restoring both the parish and the structures of the old Franciscan Mission. Modern plumbing and electricity systems were installed at Santa Inez and Fr. Albert was joined by Friars Reginald O’Hanlon and Colmcille Cregan. However, Albert’s health deteriorated and he was soon admitted to St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara County. He died on 14 February 1925, a mere three months after his arrival in Santa Inez. He was buried just outside the mission’s chapel. His remains (along with those of his former pupil Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap.) were later repatriated to Ireland and he was buried in the cemetery of Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork, on 14 June 1958.

Baptismal name: John (Patrick) Ryan
Religious name: Br. Pacificus Ryan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 27 Aug. 1876
Place of birth: Loughane, County Cork
Name of father: John Ryan
Name of mother: Catherine Ryan (née Cronin)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 July 1894
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1895
Date of final profession: 31 Jan. 1903
Ministries: A newspaper report on the golden jubilee of Br. Pacificus Ryan OFM Cap. in 1944 read: ‘Born in Cork, Brother Pacificus is a member of a well-known Cork family, and has several relatives in the city and county. During his long life in the Capuchin Order, he served in Kilkenny, and for a long number of years in Dublin, returning to Rochestown over twenty years ago. He served there in the capacity of sacristan and is a very popular and highly respected figure. He is looked upon as an authority on the Rubrics and Church ceremonies’.
Date of death: 1 July 1950
Place of death: South Infirmary, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Baptismal name: Cornelius Treacy
Religious name: Br. Francis Treacy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 May 1877
Place of birth: Ashbury, Roscrea, County Tipperary (Diocese of Killaloe)
Name of father: Thomas Treacy (Royal Irish Constabulary Policeman)
Name of mother: Catherine (Kate) Treacy (née O’Regan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 29 June 1896
Date of first profession: 29 June 1897
Date of final profession: 17 Sept. 1900
Date of death: 8 July 1947
Place of death: Church Street Friary, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Baptismal name: Thomas Brennan
Religious name: Br. Crispin Brennan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 19 Dec. 1871
Place of birth: Carlow (Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin)
Name of father: John Brennan (Labourer)
Name of mother: Margaret Brennan (née Dowling)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 29 June 1896
Date of first profession: 29 June 1897
Date of final profession: 17 Sept. 1900
Date of death: 3 July 1949
Place of death: Bon Secours Home, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Edward O’Callaghan was born in Cork on 16 November 1879. He joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order in September 1896 and took Finbarr as his religious name. He was ordained to the priesthood on 28 September 1902. He was among the first Irish friars to be sent to the University of Louvain but his time (1902-4) in Belgium was cut short by ill-health. He spent the early years of his ministry as a priest in Holy Trinity Friary in Cork and was appointed Vicar for that community. In 1924 he was transferred to the United States mission and served as Pastor in Willits in Mendocino County, California. He returned to Ireland in 1936 and was again appointed to Holy Trinity Friary in Cork. He was noted for his work with the Third Order of St. Francis lay confraternity and the Purgatorial Society attached to Holy Trinity Church. He died in Cork on 9 March 1963. He was buried in the cemetery adjoining the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork.

Baptismal name: Edward O’Callaghan
Religious name: Fr. Finbarr O’Callaghan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 Nov. 1879
Place of birth: Cork
Name of father: William O’Callaghan
Name of mother: Catherine O’Brien (née O’Brien)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 8 Sept. 1896
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1897
Date of final profession: 2 Aug. 1902
Date of ordination (as priest): 28 Sept. 1902
Educational attainments: BA (RUI), 1901
Missionary activities: Travelled to Western United States mission in Apr. 1924. He returned to Ireland in 1936.
Date of birth: 9 Mar. 1963
Place of death: St. Joseph’s Hospital, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork