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File relating to an abortive attempt to establish an Irish Capuchin missionary presence in the Cape Colony, South Africa. In 1903, Bishop Hugh McSherry (1852-1940), Vicar Apostolic of the Cape of Good Hope (Eastern District), invited the Irish Capuchins to establish missionary foundations in his Vicariate. The large missionary area offered to the friars comprised the civil divisions of Albert, Aliwal North, Herschel and Barclay East collectively known as the Gariep (later Aliwal) territory. The file includes:
• Ecclesiastical return of the numbers of missions and Catholics in the Eastern Vicariate. 30 June 1903.
• Correspondence between Bishop Hugh McSherry and Fr. Peter Bowe OSFC, Provincial Minister.
• Draft report of Fr. Peter Bowe OSFC on his visit to Port Elizabeth to view the proposed territory in March 1904.
• Draft letters to the Capuchin Minister General re the proposed mission.
• Draft memoranda of agreement for the proposed mission stations and properties to be held by the Irish Capuchins in the Vicariate.
• Colour trace map of the Eastern Vicariate showing the locations of the proposed Capuchin mission stations.
Other correspondents include: W.H. Butler, J. Commins, Fr. Lewis B. Gately, Fr. J.J. O’Reilly, St. Mary’s, Cape Town, and Fr. Bernard Christen of Andermatt OSFC, Minister General of the Capuchin Franciscans. On 13 July 1903, Bishop McSherry wrote: ‘I fear it would be practically impossible for me in a letter to convey to you any fair idea of the state of things in this country. Everything here is quite different to what it is at home – climate, season, habits and customs of the people, conditions of travelling, the ways of the natives – everything’. Later, the Bishop explained that the ‘mission district is 175 miles in its greatest length and 75 miles in its greatest width. It contains the important towns of Ailwal and Burghersdorp and the following smaller ones, Jamestown and Barclay East. … There are no Catholic schools in the district. The climate is about the best in South Africa or in the world’. (4 Jan. 1904).

Copy report on the Victoria Falls Prefecture, Northern Rhodesia, by Monsignor Killian Flynn OFM Cap., Prefect Apostolic, for Fr. Donatus von Welle OFM Cap., Minister General. With a copy cover letter outlining the general progress of the mission under the following headings:
I. General Statistics
Population: 380,000; Catholics: 524; Catechumens: 1,929.
II. Personnel
III. Stations
IV. Schools
The report encloses statistical forms re the personnel of both the Victoria Falls Mission and the Cape Town Vicariate in South Africa. The appendix includes a section titled: ‘Report on the Capuchin Quasi-Parishes in the Cape Town Vicariate’. The Victoria Falls mission stations are listed in the statistical form as: Livingstone; Sichili; Sancta Maria; Mankoya.

Copy correspondence of Fr. Melchor a Benisa OFM Cap., Fr. Clement Neubauer OFM Cap., and Fr. Paschal Rywalski OFM Cap., General Ministers, to Fr. James O’Mahony OFM Cap., Fr. Conrad O’Donovan OFM Cap., and Fr. Berard Creed OFM Cap., Provincial Ministers, re the status of the Irish Capuchin missions in Africa. Reference is made to the request made by Bishop John Colburn Garner, Vicar Apostolic of Pretoria, seeking more priests to work in South Africa (see CA AMI/1/6/7). Fr. James O’Mahony OFM Cap. wrote: ‘We felt that this arrangement with Bishop Garner will lead to an expansion of our work in South Africa’ (21 Dec. 1948). The possibility of separating the mission in Cape Town from that in Rhodesia is also discussed (31 Oct. 1950). Fr. Clement Neubauer OFM Cap. later referred to the establishment of Cape Town as a ‘separate mission’ and to the appointment of a Regular Superior (25 Nov. 1968). See also CA AMI/2/5/7.

Photographic prints of Capuchin friars celebrating the silver jubilee of Fr. Seán Cahill OFM Cap. in Parow, Cape Town, South Africa. The group includes Fr. Marcartan Hyland OFM Cap. (1939-2000), Fr. Albeus McQuillan OFM Cap., Fr. Raymond Dillane OFM Cap., and Fr. Flannan Buckley OFM Cap.

Information fliers giving the names of the Irish Capuchin friars in the Livingstone Diocese, Zambia, and in the Cape Province, South Africa.

Photographic prints of Capuchin friars at a meeting in Cape Town. The print wallet suggests that the images were taken in January 1989 and were addressed to Fr. Pacificus Jennings OFM Cap. Includes some images of receptions which were attended by Fr. Donal O’Mahony OFM Cap. The file also includes negative sheets for the prints.

Reports on parishes administered by the Irish Capuchins in Cape Province, South Africa. The reports were submitted by the Irish Provincial Minster to the Capuchin General Curia. They contain information in respect of Langa, Athlone, the Welcome Estate, Belgravia, Bridgetown, and Parow. Information is given under the following headings:
• Year of foundation
• Personnel
• Apostolates attached to parish
• Non-Parochial Apostolates (missions, retreats, diocesan functions)
• Population (numbers of Catholics, numbers of prospective converts and numbers of marriages)
• Care of other institutions
• Other religious working in parishes

Copy confirmation by Fr. Brendan O’Mahony OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, of the elections of Fr. Didacus McGrath OFM Cap. as regular superior, and Fr. Bartholomew Prendiville OFM Cap. and Fr. Athanasius (Noel) Winston OFM Cap. as councillors of the Irish Capuchin mission in Cape Town, South Africa.

Photographic album of Fr. Jarlath Gough OFM Cap. (1902-1983). The album contains un-captioned black and white prints relating to Fr. Jarlath’s time as a missionary in South Africa. The album includes some views of local worship including communion groups and photographs of religious sisters (probably in South Africa). With prints of Athlone Catholic Hall in Cape Town, South Africa, Fr. Agathangelus Herlihy OFM Cap. (1911-1968), and the grave stone of Fr. Eustace Burke OFM Cap. (d. 2 Oct. 1949).

The album contains partially captioned prints relating to Fr. Jarlath Gough’s time as a missionary in South Africa. The album includes some views of local worship including communion groups and retreats, and photographs of religious sisters. Some personal, family and travel prints are also extant in the album. The captioned photographs include:
• Athlone Catholic Hall, Cape Town, South Africa.
• A group of Irish Capuchin friars in South Africa, including Fr. Jarlath, Fr. Agathangelus Herlihy OFM Cap. and Fr. Alban Cullen OFM Cap.
• Fr. Jarlath climbing Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Bishop Francis Hennemann SAC, Vicar Apostolic of Cape Town, lying in state. He died on 17 Jan. 1951.
• St Mary’s Cathedral Church, Cape Town, South Africa, 1951.
• Procession to mark the centenary of the building of St. Mary’s Church, Cape Town, South Africa.
• The visit of the 'Irish Plane' merchant ship to Cape Town Harbour in 1953.
• Cape Town Centenary Catholic Congress. Members of the Third Order of St. Francis, Athlone parish, assembling for procession in 1951.
• The visit of the Spanish training vessel, 'Juan Sebastian de Elcano', to Cape Town in Feb. 1954.
• Fr. Dan Monaghan in Cape Town, 1954.
• Holy Cross community, Athlone, 1953.
• Catholic Church, George, Western Cape. ‘The oldest Church in use in South Africa’.
• Our Lady Star of the Sea Shrine, Herald’s Bay Catholic Church, South Africa.
• Holy Cross Convent, George, Western Cape, South Africa.
• Third Order pilgrimages in 1950 and 1951.
• ‘Zulu Warriors’.
• Half-length portrait of Fr. Salvator Quinn OFM Cap.
• Marian year pilgrimage to St. Mary’s Cathedral Church, Cape Town, from Athlone parish, the Welcome Estate and Langa, 1954.
• Holy Cross Sisters and postulants, 1954.
• The Capuchin stand at the vocations’ exhibition, Cape Town, Oct. 1954.
• Forty hours adoration in the parish church in Athlone, Cape Town, 1954.
• ‘Bees and flowers’ child performers, Athlone, 1954.
• The holiday excursion of Parow orphans to Kalk Bay in Jan. 1955. With Fr. Crispin Brennan OFM Cap.
• The Most Rev. Owen McCann, Archbishop of Cape Town, at Langa, 1954.
• Fr. Hugh Murphy OFM Cap. (1919-1990) and Fr. Luke Browne OFM Cap. (1920-2008) at Cape Point in 1953.
• The visit of the USS 'Midway' to Cape Town in Jan. 1955. The prints show Fr. Fay, chaplain, saying mass for the 700 Catholics serving on board.
• Round Tower at Philippi, Cape Province, South Africa.
• Sisters of Charity of St. Paul the Apostle in 1954.
• Interior of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Athlone, Cape Town.