Showing 277 results

Baptismal name: Michael Neary
Religious name: Fr. Fidelis Neary OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 28 Oct. 1855
Place of birth: Freshford, County Kilkenny (Diocese of Ossory)
Name of father: John Neary
Name of mother: Brigid Neary (née Dowling)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 28 Oct. 1875
Date of first profession: 1 Nov. 1876
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1880
Date of ordination (as priest): 21 Sept. 1881
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor (Councillor): 1893-5, 1898-1901; Custos General: 1895-8; Guardian, Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny, 1893-5; Guardian, Holy Trinity Friary, Cork, 1895-8; Guardian, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, 1901-4; Master of Novices, 1898-1901
Date of death: 22 June 1932
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Hugh Murtagh was born in Abbeylara in County Longford on 6 November 1896. James Murtagh, an elder brother, joined the Capuchin Franciscans in 1910 and took Stephen as his religious name. Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap. was transferred to the Irish Capuchin mission custody in the Western United States in 1920 and spent his entire life in ministry in America. Hugh Murtagh followed in his older brother’s footsteps and joined the Order in September 1915. Taking Virgilius as his religious name, he was ordained to the priesthood in June 1924. Following his ordination, he spent some time in Rochestown Friary in County Cork where he had charge of the local Temperance Hall. He devoted most of his religious life to the education of novice friars, first as vice-master, and from 1934 as master of lay novices in Kilkenny. He was appointed President of Father Mathew Temperance Hall adjoining the Church Street Friary in Dublin in 1940 and held this position for three years. He also served as secretary of the Foreign Missions Office and was later appointed guardian (local superior) of the communities in Dublin, Kilkenny and in Ard Mhuire in County Donegal. He was appointed manager of the Capuchin Publications Office (which had charge of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ periodical) in 1955. He was also several times elected to the office of Provincial Definitor (1952-70). He died in the Church Street Friary on 3 September 1972 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Hugh Murtagh
Religious name: Fr. Virgilius Murtagh OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 6 Nov. 1896
Place of birth: Ballyboy, Abbeylara, County Longford (Diocese of Ardagh)
Name of father: James Murtagh (Farmer)
Name of mother: Mary Murtagh (née Crawford)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 8 Sept. 1915
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1916
Date of final profession: 12 Oct. 1919
Date of ordination (as priest): 14 June 1924
Educational attainments: BA (1920)
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor (Councillor): 1952-5, 1955-8, 1961-4, 1964-7, 1967-70; Custos General: 1949-52.
Date of death: 3 Sept. 1972
Place of death: Church Street Friary, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

James Murtagh was born in Abbeylara in County Longford on 16 March 1894. He received his early education at the local national school in Abbeylara and later at the Seraphic College in Rochestown in County Cork. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in October 1910 and took Stephen as his religious name. He took a BA degree in philosophy from University College Cork. He was ordained to the priesthood in Holy Trinity Church in Cork on 3 May 1918. Shortly after his ordination, he was assigned to the United States mission and was appointed associate pastor at Our Lady of Angels Parish in Hermiston in Oregon. In 1937 he succeeded Fr. Joseph Fenlon OFM Cap. as Custos Provincial, a position he held until 1956 when Fr. Emilian Meade OFM Cap. succeeded him. During his nineteen-year term Fr. Stephen served as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish located in the heart of Silver Lake, near Downtown Los Angeles. He was instrumental in establishing Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School which opened on 6 September 1938. He also oversaw the opening of the friary at McKenzie Bridge in Oregon in 1937. This foundation never developed due in part to its isolated location. In 1954 he withdrew the Capuchin friars from there, handing over the staffing of the house to the Dominican Order. In 1947 Fr. Stephen supervised the seminary experiment at Old Mission Santa Inés near Solvang in California. Despite the expectations, it was not a success, and it was closed just a year later in 1948. However, he did have one lasting success – St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge, California. In 1946 he bought the old Flintridge Golf Club and established a school. It was the beginning of the firm establishment of the Capuchin mission and the eventual growth of what would become the Western American Province of the Order on the Pacific coast. Following the completion of his term as Custos Provincial he served as pastor of St. Francis Parish in Bend, Oregon (1957-66). His last years were spent at St. Francis High School, where he died on 4 March 1980. He is buried in the cemetery adjoining San Lorenzo Seminary at Mission Santa Inés, California.

Baptismal name: James Murtagh
Religious name: Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 Mar. 1894
Place of birth: Ballyboy, Abbeylara, County Longford (Diocese of Ardagh)
Name of father: James Murtagh (Farmer)
Name of mother: Mary Murtagh (née Crawford)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 16 Oct. 1910
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1911
Date of final profession: 8 July 1916
Date of ordination (as priest): 3 May 1918
Educational attainments: BA (1915)
Missionary activities: Travelled to the Western United States mission custody in May 1920.
Leadership positions: Custos General: 1937; Custos Provincial: 1937-43, 1946, 1949, 1952, 1955.
Date of death: 4 Mar. 1980
Place of death: St. Francis High School, La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States
Place of burial: Cemetery, Mission Santa Inés, California, United States

Baptismal name: Edmond Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Theophilus Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Apr. 1928
Place of birth: Newmarket, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Edmond Murphy (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Murphy (née Riely)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 Oct. 1946
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1947
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1950
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 May 1954 (Holy Trinity, Cork)
Educational attainments: BA, 2nd class hons. (1950)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 31 Aug. 1954. He returned to Ireland on 6 Oct. 2006.
Leadership positions: Regular Superior, Zambian Mission, 1973-6, 1976-9, 1985-8. He served as Administrator of the Diocese of Livingstone from 1984-5. He also served as a Parish Priest and Diocesan Consultor in Livingstone.
Date of death: 6 Oct. 2006
Place of death: Holy Trinity Capuchin Friary, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

James Murphy was born in Newry in County Down on 12 October 1912. He entered the Irish Capuchin novitiate in October 1930 and took Theodore as his religious name. He spent the three years of his simple profession in St. Bonaventure’s taking his BA degree in University College Cork. He made his solemn profession in October 1934. There followed four years of theological studies at Ard Mhuire Friary in County Donegal. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1938. Following his ordination in St. Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Fr. Theodore volunteered for missionary work abroad. At the invitation of Archbishop Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap. he went to work with the English Capuchins in the Archdiocese of Delhi and Simla in India. He returned to Ireland after thirteen years of difficult missionary work (1938-51). Following a brief stint as Vice Master of Novices in Rochestown in County Cork during 1952, he was assigned to the Church Street community in Dublin for three years. He spent eighteen years teaching religion at the School of Marketing in Parnell Square in Dublin while residing in Raheny Hostel (1955-74). He was also superior of the Rahney community for three of those years (1958-61) as well as being an active promoter of the Seraphic Mass Association (SMA). In 1974, he was transferred back to Church Street and took up a chaplaincy role in St. Brendan’s Psychiatric Hospital. He continued in this role until 1979. He died in the Church Street Friary on 18 February 1993 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: James Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Theodore Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 12 Oct. 1912
Place of birth: Newry, County Down (Diocese of Dromore)
Name of father: Thomas Murphy (Soldier)
Name of mother: Catherine Murphy (née McMahon)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1930
Date of first profession:4 Oct. 1941
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1934
Date of ordination (as priest): 19 June 1938
Educational attainments: BA (1934)
Missionary activities: Travelled to the Archdiocese of Delhi and Simla on 3 Oct. 1938. He returned to Ireland in January 1952.
Date of death: 18 Feb. 1993
Place of death: Church Street Friary, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Maurice Murphy was born in Kinnagh, County Wexford, on 22 October 1849. He was received into the Capuchin Order in Le Mans, France, on 14 July 1874. He took Nicholas as his religious name upon joining the Order. He continued his studies on the continent and was ordained a priest in Lorient, France, on 13 June 1879. Following his ordination, he returned to Ireland and was attached to Holy Trinity Friary in Cork, where he was appointed guardian (local superior). After a period of three years, he was transferred to the Church Street Friary in Dublin and took up the position of Vicar. In 1890 he was appointed President of Father Mathew Hall, a position he would hold for six years. He was instrumental in the building of both the Third Order Chapel attached to the Church of St. Mary of the Angels and the addition of a new wing to the Church Street Friary. He served as spiritual director of the Third Order of St. Francis sodality in Dublin for many years. He was a vigorous campaigner for the tenement residents of Church Street and petitioned Dublin Corporation on their behalf seeking improvements in housing and social conditions. In the public sphere, Fr. Nicholas served as chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Dublin and was a well-known attendee at numerous civic and religious functions in the city. He died in the Church Street Friary in Dublin on 1 November 1923 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Maurice Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Nicholas Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 22 Oct. 1849
Place of birth: Kinnagh, County Wexford (Diocese of Ferns)
Name of father: Patrick Murphy
Name of mother: Anne Murphy (née Stafford)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 14 July 1874
Date of first profession: 12 Nov. 1875
Date of final profession: 26 Nov. 1878
Date of ordination (as priest): 13 June 1879
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor: 1893-1901; Custos General, 1904
Date of death: 1 Nov. 1923
Place of death: Church Street Friary, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Baptismal name: Patrick Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Hugh Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 3 Dec. 1919
Place of birth: Newmarket, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Edmond Murphy (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Murphy (née Riely)
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 (1943)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 24 Dec. 1947.
Date of death: 9 Mar. 1990
Place of death: Livingstone, Zambia
Place of burial: Livingstone, Zambia

Daniel Murphy was born on 17 June 1881 in Cork. He was baptised in St. Finbarr’s Church on 19 June 1881. His parents were James and Sarah Murphy (née Flynn) of Ethelville, Western Road, Cork. He was a student of Presentation College and later Rochestown College in Cork. He applied for entrance to the Capuchin novitiate in August 1898 taking the religious name of Columbus. He was ordained a priest in 1906. He subsequently studied at the Catholic University of Louvain and obtained a Bachelor of Divinity in 1909. His life as a friar was mostly devoted to missionary and retreat work. At the outbreak of the 1916 Rising Fr. Columbus was a member of the Church Street community in Dublin. He would go on to play an important role in bringing about a cessation of hostilities. The day after the surrender of the Four Courts garrison on 29 April there was still confusion in North King Street and in other locations as to whether this was a truce or a complete surrender. To clarify, Fr. Columbus went to the Four Courts to retrieve Patrick Pearse’s note which had led to the surrender of Commandant Edward Daly. He later negotiated with the British military to arrange a personal meeting with Pearse in Arbour Hill and brought a copy of his surrender order to Commandant Patrick Holohan at North Brunswick Street. Between 30 April and 4 May Fr. Columbus was called upon to minister to prisoners in Kilmainham Jail prior to their executions. He later compiled a memoir recording his experiences of ministering to various rebel leaders awaiting their court martials and sentencing (IE CA IR-1-2-6). Fr. Columbus later acted as President of Father Mathew Hall, Church Street, Dublin, from 1925-8. He died on 20 February 1962.

A native of Cork, Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap. had a long association with the Capuchin College in Rochestown in the county and served as rector of the school for twenty-one years. While rector, he gave refuge to Captain Robert Monteith (1879-1956) who had accompanied Roger Casement to Ireland in a failed attempt to deliver German arms to be used by republican insurgents in the 1916 Rising. Monteith remained at Rochestown until arrangements could be made for his escape to the United States. Fr. Bonaventure was acquainted with many prominent republicans including Terence MacSwiney and Michael Collins and he reportedly sheltered Liam Mellows during the War of Independence. In 1934 he was appointed guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny, a position he held until 1940. He continued to reside in Kilkenny until his death.

Baptismal name: Martin Murphy
Name (in religion): Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 7 Feb. 1880
Place of birth: Glanmire, County Cork
Name of father: Michael Murphy
Name of mother: Mary Murphy (née Hegarty)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 1 Oct. 1899
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1900
Date of final profession: 25 Sept. 1904
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Date of death: 26 Apr. 1968
Place of death: St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny
Place of burial: Foulkstown Cemetery, Kilkenny

Patrick Mulligan, the son of John Mulligan and Brigid Mulligan (née Brennan), was born in County Monaghan on 12 March 1875. His family had a long association with the Capuchin Franciscan Order as five of his maternal uncles were among the first to join the Capuchins after the return of the friars to England in 1850. Following the completion of his preliminary studies at the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork, Patrick Mulligan was received into the Capuchin Order on 30 March 1892. Upon joining the Order, he took Sylvester as his religious name. He was ordained a priest in Dublin on 21 September 1901. He was one of the first friars of the Irish Capuchin Province to pursue a course a higher course in theology in a continental university. Soon after his ordination, he enrolled in the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium where he was awarded a degree of Doctor of Divinity (‘Doctor Divinitatis’). On his return to Ireland, he was appointed a lector in sacred theology in Rochestown. In 1913 he was appointed director of the Total Abstinence sodality on Church Street in Dublin and President of Father Mathew Hall. He also assumed the editorship of ‘The Father Mathew Record’ periodical. In 1919 he resumed his role as professor of theology in Rochestown. Fr. Sylvester held several senior administrative positions in the Irish Capuchin Province. He was first elected Definitor at the chapter held in 1907 and was re-elected to this position at subsequent chapters. In 1925 he was elected Provincial Minister. The following year he attended the General Chapter of the Capuchin Order in Rome and was elected Definitor General, the first member of the Irish Province to hold such office. He was re-elected at the next General Chapter held in 1932. On 13 April 1937 he was appointed Archbishop of Delhi and Simla in India, receiving his episcopal consecration (23 May 1937) from Cardinal Pietro Fumasoni Biondi, assisted by Patriarch Luca Ermenegildo Pasetto OFM Cap., and Bishop Giovanni Giuseppe Santini OFM Cap. At the time, there was only one Catholic priest in Delhi and the newly appointed Archbishop was forced to reside in a house attached to a school located on the grounds of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Joseph. Despite the disruption caused by the Second World War, Archbishop Mulligan worked assiduously in a challenging missionary environment. After being taken seriously ill during a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome in June 1950, he returned to Ireland and underwent an operation in Dublin. Continuing ill-health forced his resignation as Archbishop on 12 August 1950. He died in Dublin on 23 October 1950. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Patrick Mulligan
Religious name: Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 12 Mar. 1875
Place of birth: Tasson, Clontibret, County Monaghan (Diocese of Clogher)
Name of father: John Mulligan
Name of mother: Brigid Mulligan (née Brennan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 30 Mar. 1892
Date of first profession: 2 Apr. 1893
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 21 Sept. 1901
Educational attainments: Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL), Louvain; Doctor of Divinity (DD), Louvain
Missionary activities/Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor: 1907-10, 1916-9, 1922-5; Provincial Minister, 1925; Definitor General, 1926-9, 1932-7; Consecrated Archbishop of Delhi and Simla (India) on 23 May 1937. Resigned on 12 Aug. 1950.
Date of death: 23 Oct. 1950
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin