File relating to the commemoration of Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC at the 1902 Cork International Exhibition. Proposed by Edward Fitzgerald, Lord Mayor of Cork, this exhibition and fair showcased many facets of the industrial revival in Ireland. The exhibition included a pavilion devoted to the life and work of Fr. Mathew. The installation of a Father Mathew Pavilion at the exhibition was primarily the result of work done by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951). The Exhibition Pavilion was designed by James F. McMullen, architect. The file includes:
• Letters relating to the loan of exhibits, temperance souvenirs, personal effects, paintings and mementos displayed in the Father Mathew Pavilion at the exhibition. Correspondents include Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC, Fr. Paul Neary OSFC, Fr. Mathew’s collateral descendants, J.D. Power, James Nugent, Fr. J. Kane, Parish Priest of Culdaff, Derry, Joshua Baily and William O’Connell.
• Letter from Denis Downey, Dawson Street, Dublin, to Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC regarding a painting of Fr. Mathew in his possession. Downey adds ‘the late Father Columbus [Maher OSFC] of Church Street with Miss Redmond, the artist, called here and sketched the features for the O’Connell Street Statue, and Father Columbus told me he would purchase the picture as soon as he would be free from debt over the building of the Hall in Church Street’. 24 Jan. 1902.
• Letter from Thomas S. Bowdern, Supreme Council of the Knights of Father Mathew, St. Louis, Missouri, to Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC thanking him for his kindness in sending ‘souvenirs of the Great Apostle of Temperance’. Bowdern wrote ‘I assure you we appreciate very highly these souvenirs and will hand them down to our successors in the Knights of Father Mathew that in the flight of years they will become even more and more highly prized if such is possible’. Reference is also made to the Knights’ intention to build a statue of Fr. Mathew for the World Fair. ‘As it is the desire to make our statue after the one in Cork I have been asked to write to you to have you inquire whether there is a replica or moulds in existence of the Cork monument’. 24 Feb. 1903.
• Copybook containing notes on the provenance of many of the items displayed in the Pavilion including temperance certificates and medals, Fr. Mathew’s stole, portrait paintings, Fr. Mathew’s piano and a model of the Capuchin chapel on Blackamoor Lane, Cork.
• Caption panels for objects displayed in the exhibition. Includes descriptions and provenance details for commemorative plates, teapots and other artefacts associated with Fr. Mathew. One of the captions reads: ‘The marble chimney-place at present in Refectory was also left in Father Mathew’s house when he left it, and was presented to Community by Mrs Ryan’.
• Visitors’ Book to the Father Mathew Pavilion at the Cork International Exhibition in 1902. The visitors included Cardinal Michael Logue, Archbishop of Armagh. A note on the final page by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC reads ‘No. of visitors over 4,500’.
• Copy prints showing Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC outside the Father Mathew Pavilion at the exhibition in 1902. The other print shows the interior of the Pavilion with various artefacts associated with Fr. Mathew on display.
Horariums for the community at the Capuchin Friary, Kikenny. The documents are signed by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC, Provincial Minister, and Fr. Peter Bowe OSFC, Provincial Minister, 8 Oct. 1901 and 16 Aug. 1910.
A copy of ‘The Connacht Champion’, Vol. 5, New Series 10 (21 March 1908). The edition includes an article on a mission conducted by Fr. Benedict Phelan OFM Cap. and Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. in Galway.
An image of Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951) standing outside the entrance to the Father Mathew Pavilion at the Cork International Exhibition in 1902.
Memoranda and notes re the Harry Clarke stained glass windows in Holy Trinity Church, Cork. The file includes: a manuscript note by Fr. Martin Hyland OSFC, guardian, re the windows designed for James O’Donovan who donated £700 for their installation; a typescript ‘explanation of the stained glass windows in Holy Trinity by J. Clarke & Sons'; a manuscript note (possibly by Harry Clarke Studios) re a memorial window erected by Cork trade unionists in recognition of Fr. Thomas Dowling in 1918.
Letter signed by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC, guardian, consenting to the ‘erection of one bracket to the chimney of our [Friary] building between Charlotte Quay and South Mall’.
A volume containing newspaper clippings mostly relating to Irish Capuchin friars. The clippings are pasted into a copy of the ‘Record of Waterpark College, Waterford’ (c.1913). The clippings include obituaries for various friars, articles taken from ‘The Father Mathew Record’, ordination entries, and reports on sermons and retreats given by various friars. Also includes some typescript and manuscript notes.
The volume includes the following clippings:
Fr. Luke Sheehan OFM Cap. ‘The New Monks of the West’. c.1915. An article on the early history of the Irish Capuchin mission in the Western United States.
Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap., ‘Saint Francis and his message’. ‘Irish Catholic’ (2 Apr. 1927).
A report on the annual Corpus Christi procession to Rochestown Friary in County Cork. (c.1920).
Irish priests bound for the United States on board the SS ‘Bremen’ off Cobh in County Cork. (Oct. 1926).
Fr. Columbus Murphy OFM Cap., Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap., Fr. Aloysius Travers, and Fr. Canice Bourke OFM Cap. with Irish tertiary pilgrims in Assisi in Italy. ‘Weekly Examiner’ (16 Oct. 1926).
The funeral of Fr. Fiacre Brophy OFM Cap. at the cemetery in Rochestown Friary in County Cork. ‘Weekly Examiner’ (16 Oct. 1926).
The departure of Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. for the United States. (2 Feb. 1925).
Father Theobald Mathew Anniversary / Observance in Cork. (1926).
Obituary for Br. Felix Brennan OFM Cap. (1842-1925). ‘The Franciscan Annals’ (1925).
Memorial card for Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan OFM Cap. (d. 9 Dec. 1921).
Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap., Br. Bonaventure McCafferty OFM Cap. with Seán French, Lord Mayor of Cork, in Rochestown. (1924).
The death of Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap., former Provincial Minister. ‘Cork Examiner’ (26 Nov. 1926).
A poem titled ‘Father Albert OSFC’ by Rev. Columba Downey OCC. ‘The Monitor’ (New Jersey). (Feb. 1925).
Lecture by Fr. Bernard Jennings OFM Cap. on the life and labours of Fr. Theobald Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance. ‘Cork Examiner’ (18 Oct. 1897).
Ordination of priests at Holy Trinity Church, Cork. (29 June 1925).
The death of Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap. ‘Cork Examiner’ (16 Feb. 1925).
Franciscan centenary celebrations at St. Saviour’s Church, Dominick Street, Dublin. (1926).
The Late Rev. Fr. Fiacre Brophy. (Oct. 1926).
Ordination souvenir card for Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap. (30 May 1910).
A letter from Archbishop Edward J. Hanna of San Francisco formally welcoming the Capuchin Fathers to their newly assigned parish, Our Lady of the Angels, in Easton (Burlingame), California. He acknowledges their successful missionary track record in Mendocino County, and expresses optimism for the parish’s future amidst regional growth along the Peninsula. He concludes by sharing his deep gratitude for the appointment of the Very Rev. Thomas Dowling as the parish’s very first pastor.
A clipping from article reporting on the first sacrament of Confirmation administered at the newly established church of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame, California. The clipping is taken from ‘The Monitor’ (28 September 1929).
Letter from Fr. Luke Sheehan OFM Cap., Bend, Oregon, to Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, referring to the status of several land deals for new churches. He also notes that two religious sisters have been collecting funds for Baker City. While Father Luke is unsure how much they will help, the Bishop has approved the effort.