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Cote
Titre
Date(s)
- 1958 (Création/Production)
Niveau de description
Étendue matérielle et support
13 pp; typescript
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Nom du producteur
Notice biographique
Early Life and Academic Formation
Emilian Meade was born John Joseph Meade on 8 May 1919, in Knocknagree, County Cork, to John and Helena Meade. He received his secondary education at the Capuchin Franciscan College in Rochestown, County Cork. In 1938, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order, making his simple profession in 1939 and his solemn profession in 1942. His higher education comprised philosophical studies at University College Cork, followed by theological studies in Ard Mhuire Friary in County Donegal. He was ordained to the priesthood there in 1946.
Educational Apostolates in California
In 1947, Father Meade was transferred to the West Coast of the United States to join the faculty of the newly opened St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge, California. He dedicated many years to the institution as both an instructor and administrator, serving two distinct tenures as school principal:
• First Term as Principal: 1952-1956
• Second Term as Principal: 1963-1965
Additionally, he served a brief tenure as a member of the teaching faculty at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.
Provincial Governance and the Founding of San Lorenzo Seminary
Father Meade entered executive leadership upon his election as Custos Provincial of the Western American Custody, serving from 1956 to 1962. Upon taking office, he heavily emphasized spiritual renewal, urging the friars to ‘pray for vocations’, and continued the foundational administrative work initiated by his predecessor, Father Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap.
His six-year provincial administration was defined by a major expansion milestone:
• Land Acquisition: Accepted an offer of land donated by the Hourihan family in the Santa Ynez Valley.
• Seminary Construction: Oversee the establishment and construction of San Lorenzo Seminary, which formally opened on 4 September 1962.
• Institutional Relocation: Successfully transitioned the novitiate from Wilmington, Delaware, to the West Coast, achieving a long-standing provincial objective to train novices locally in the West. Father Cyril Kelleher OFM Cap. was appointed the seminary’s first Guardian, and Father Sebastian Ward OFM Cap. was named Novice-Master.
Following his provincial term, Father Meade returned to San Lorenzo Seminary from 1965 to 1969, serving as Guardian and overseeing structural developments and landscaping improvements to the friary grounds.
Parochial Ministry, Healthcare Chaplaincy, and Final Years
Following his administrative tenures, Father Meade shifted into local pastoral work and healthcare chaplaincy:
• Burlingame, California: Served a brief assignment as Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Angels Parish.
• Fresno, California: Transferred in 1975 to serve as Guardian of the Fresno Friars and Chaplain to the Fresno Community Hospital.
While stationed in Fresno, Father Meade developed a chronic heart condition that significantly altered his active routine. In 1991, he returned to Our Lady of Angels Rectory in Burlingame, spending the final ten years of his life in retirement. Father Emilian Meade died on 4 August 2001. He was buried in the cemetery attached to San Lorenzo Seminary, Santa Inés, California.
Histoire archivistique
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Portée et contenu
Canoncial visitation report compiled by Fr. Emilian Meade OFM Cap. for the Irish Capuchin custody in the United States. The report includes commentary on the spiritual, physical and financial condition of various churches and friaries in Oregon, California, and Delaware. The report addresses health and religious observance, noting that the general health and spirit of the fraternity are good, with no serious illnesses or deaths occurring over the past three years. Father Meade also notes that three clerical aspirants were received at Wilmington, though two subsequently left of their own free will, with the remaining student noted as a late vocation. Additionally, three clerics are studying theology at Garrison, New York, including Fr. Michael and Fr. Marion, who were ordained on 20 December and are scheduled to complete their fourth year of theology in June 1959. Father Emilian notes that he has requested permission for these newly ordained priests to complete their Pastoral Year at a seminary in Los Angeles, which he believes would benefit the custody.