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Letters from Fr. Callistus Lopinot OFM Cap. (1876-1966), a Capuchin friar from Geispolsheim, Germany, Capuchin General Curia, Vice-Secretary of the Missions, to Fr. Kevin Moynihan OFM Cap. and Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Ministers, re the appointment of a Regular Superior for the Irish mission in Northern Rhodesia.

Letters of Fr. Fintan Roche OFM Cap. (1898-1953) relating to his experiences as a missionary in Barotseland. The correspondents include Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap.; Fr. Kieran O’Callaghan OFM Cap.; Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister. Reference is made to the work of Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap. who is in ‘some God-forsaken native village about 9 days from here building a school [and to] Fr. Phelim [O’Shea OFM Cap.] and Fr. Seraphin [Nesdale OFM Cap.] in Loanja’. (11 Dec. 1933). Later, Fr. Fintan refers to the establishment of further mission stations around Mongu and ‘other remote centres … where we won’t conflict with already established Protestant missions’. He also affirmed that ‘Barotseland is not “virgin soil”, it is chuck full of Protestant Missions, some of them 30 days by river from Livingstone’ (20 June 1934).

Letters from Fr. Jarlath Gough OFM Cap. (1902-1983) to Fr. Kieran O’Callaghan OFM Cap. and Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, describing his arrival in South Africa and his impressions of the ‘truly astonishing’ work being done by the Irish Capuchins in Northern Rhodesia.

Letters from Fr. Ronald Grace OFM Cap. (1931-1984) to Fr. Berard Creed OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, re the election of a superior and councillors for the Cape Town mission, South Africa.

Letters of Fr. Seraphin Nesdale OFM Cap. (1897-1980). The correspondents include Fr. Kieran O’Callaghan OFM Cap.; Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister. Reference is made to the activities of Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap., Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap., Fr. Oliver O’Hanlon OFM Cap. and Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. The subjects include efforts to establish missionary stations in Northern Rhodesia and to the difficulties and frustrations with on-going work in the parishes of Parow and Athlone in Cape Town, South Africa. Fr. Seraphin also refers to the need for mass stipends and funds and to the physical hardships in adjusting to the African climate, customs and languages. He recounts Fr. Killian Flynn’s efforts to ‘discover which is the language most commonly used in our territory around Livingstone’ (25 Dec. 1931).

Letters from Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap., General Definitor, to Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, re the canonical establishment of the Irish Capuchin mission in Northern Rhodesia. He also asks for a list of potential candidates for the position of Regular Superior.

Letters from the Most Rev. Adrian Mung'andu and the Most Rev. Raymond Mpezele, successive Bishops of Livingstone, to Fr. Bruno McKnight OFM Cap. and Fr. Anthony Boran OFM Cap. re the Franciscan House of Studies in Livingstone, concerns re the Capuchin commitment to ongoing pastoral work in the diocese, and the appointment of Fr. Philip Connor OFM Cap. as Episcopal Vicar in the diocese.

Letters of Fr. Agathangelus Herlihy OFM Cap. (1911-1968) referring to his early experiences as a missionary in Northern Rhodesia and later to developments in South Africa (particularly in the Capuchin Vicariate established in Cape Town in 1949). Correspondents include Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister; Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap., Provincial Minister; Fr. Stanislaus Kavanagh OFM Cap., Provincial Secretary.

Letters of Fr. Alban Cullen OFM Cap. (1902-1957). The main correspondent is Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister. Other correspondents include Fr. Kieran O’Callaghan OFM Cap. and Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap. Provincial Minister. The subjects include: the progress of the Irish Capuchin mission in South Africa, particularly the ‘coloured localities of Athlone, Parrow and Claremont’; arrangements for the opening of the mission in Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia; the language difficulties. Fr. Alban wrote ‘The big drawback of the Church in South Africa has been the dearth of English-speaking priests. Cape Town has them. Port Elizabeth has some. Johannesburg has a few. But almost everywhere else, French, German, Dutch have possession’. (21 Mar. 1931); requests for mass stipends (18 Sept. 1931); information concerning the forty square miles of the Capuchin mission in South Africa including ‘Athlone, Crawford, Jamestown, Belgravia Estate, the Welcome Estate and Langa’. (6 Nov. 1931); the construction of churches, mission schools and orphanages; the establishment of a canonical foundation by the Irish Capuchins in Athlone, Cape Town. (14 Jan. 1932); the deprivations faced by the ‘native population’ in Cape Town. (26 Feb. 1932); the education of the coloured population of Cape Province, South Africa. (18 Mar. 1932); Fr. Alban’s attempts to hire John McCormack, the renowned Irish tenor, to perform in aid of the poor of Athlone Parish, Cape Town. (5 Aug. 1932); on the necessity of holding property in the Athlone Vicariate. Fr. Alban affirms that ‘the Athlone Catholics are poor, miserable coloured native people on the verge of starvation’. (25 Nov. 1932); the building of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels in Athlone, Cape Town. (9 June 1933); Fr. Alban’s work as a missionary since his ordination in 1925. He wrote ‘I have devoted my time exclusively to the missionary life – almost four years with the Californian Indians, and almost five with the coloured and native people of Athlone’. (27 July 1934); the visitation of Fr. James O’Mahony OFM Cap. to South Africa. (6 Sept. 1935); his desire to return to Ireland. He reminds Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, that he is ‘the last of the first three [priests] who came here in 1929’. (6 June 1951). The file also includes a letter from Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap. to Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, transmitting news from Fr. Alban re the number of communicants in Athlone parish. (19 Nov. 1931).

Letters of Fr. Alfred O’Mahony OFM Cap. (1912-1988). The file includes letters from teachers and from the local populace to Fr. Alfred relating to his role as principal at mission schools in Sancta Maria Mission (Lukulu), in Malengwa, and later at Maramba. The file also includes letters pertaining to his role as Regular Superior in Livingstone, to Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap., Provincial Minister. The subjects include: the possibility of Irish Capuchins working in the Port Elizabeth Vicariate in South Africa; Fr. Agathangelus Herlihy’s desire to return to Ireland. (25 July 1951); enclosing a list of personnel and statistics for both the South African and Northern Rhodesian missions. (16 Oct. 1951); the construction of churches at the Sancta Maria mission, and at Mankoya, and a friary at Kalabo in Northern Rhodesia. (5 Jan. 1952); developments in Athlone parish, Cape Province. (25 June 1953); the ‘education side’ of the mission in Livingstone. (20 Mar. 1954). The file incudes enclosed letters to Fr. Alfred from the Most Rev. Owen McCann (1907-1994), Archbishop of Cape Town. With a letter from Fr. Noel Brennan OFM Cap. enclosing a list of Zambian churches with resident Capuchin friars, and the names of the titular feasts associated with each church. Reference is also made to the activities of the following Irish Capuchin missionaries: Fr. Jerome MacQuillan OFM Cap., Fr. Anslem Griffin OFM Cap.; Fr. Alban Cullen OFM Cap.; Fr. Salvator Quinn OFM Cap.