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Photographs associated with the visitation of Fr. James O’Mahony OFM Cap. to the United States. Fr. James visited the United States for several months in 1936. Many of the photographs show Father James with missionaries at the newly-constructed novitiate building (St. Patrick’s) in Wilmington in Delaware. The file includes photographs of Fr. Adrian Sharkett OFM Cap. (1879-1965), Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap. (1875-1963), Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap. (1894-1980), Fr. Cyprian O’Leary OFM Cap. (1905-1977), Fr. Fergus Lawless OFM Cap. (1904-1991), Fr. Conleth Killian OFM Cap. (1895-1950), Fr. Berchmans Cantillon OFM Cap. (1880-1942), Fr. Fintan Roche OFM Cap. (1898-1953), Fr. Brendan O’Callaghan OFM Cap. (1880-1952), Fr. Finbarr O’Callaghan OFM Cap. (1879-1963), and Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. (1874-1951). A manuscript annotation on the cover reads ‘Found these in attic in Bonies [St. Bonaventure’s Hostel, Cork], Pat’.

Fr. Kevin Moynihan OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, during his visitation to the Sacred Heart Parish in Lincoln, Nebraska. The group includes Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap. and Fr. Raphael Quinn OFM Cap.

A report chronicling the Irish Capuchins’ struggle to establish a permanent presence on the American East Coast between 1928 and 1930. The Irish friars sought a foundation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. However, the Pittsburgh Province claimed exclusive rights to the territory, despite the Irish friars having the personal support of Archbishop Curley. They initially looked at properties in Baltimore but found the market ‘too high’. After being ‘frozen out’ of Baltimore and Harrisburg, the friars eventually looked toward Wilmington, Delaware. The history concludes with the acquisition of a property in Silverside, Delaware (later St. Patrick’s Friary), which offered 22 acres of ground for roughly $15,000. This site was strategically chosen because it was outside the immediate contested jurisdiction but still accessible to their mission work.

Statement or ledger for Masses received at the Church of St. Lawrence, Watts, Los Angeles, from January 1924 to March 1925. Includes entries related to Masses on hand: The backlog of uncelebrated Mass intentions brought forward from the previous month. Received: New Mass intentions and stipends collected during that specific month. Applied: The total number of Masses actually celebrated by the friars during that month. The document is signed by Fr. Gabriel Harrington OFM Cap., Fr. Finbarr O’Callaghan OFM Cap., and Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap.

A financial report titled ‘Statement of Financial condition of American Houses for Provincial Chapter August 11th, 1925’. It lists the ‘Present Debts’ of thirteen specific locations. Listed locations include several towns such as Bend and Roseburg in Oregon, as well as other communities like Watts, Abbottstown, Ukiah, Hermiston, Fortbragg, Mendocino, Willits, Santa Ynez, Greenwood, Lincoln, and Hopland. Margins feature handwritten annotations (such as ‘C[hurch] F[riary]’, ‘Hosp[ice]’, and updated debt balances). The document is signed by Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap., superior.

Financial statement, signed by Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, providing a summary of the funds generated by the Irish Capuchin missions in America and how they were spent between December 1921 and September 1922. A significant portion (£138. 10s.) was spent on ‘Tickets’ for friars traveling between Ireland and the U.S. This included Frs. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap., Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap., and Fr. Urban Riordan OFM Cap.

A clipping of an article reporting on the construction of St. Mary’s Church in Ukiah, California. On Saturday evening, Archbishop Edward Joseph Hanna of San Francisco will arrive to lay the building’s cornerstone. He will be accompanied by Monsignor Cantwell and Fr. Joseph Fenton OFM Cap., with a large class of candidates scheduled for confirmation on Sunday morning. Designed by architect Jos. A. Leonard, the new edifice is built of concrete and reinforced brick, replacing a smaller frame structure built in 1870. The estimated cost of the church is $25,000, though the true value is much higher due to extensive donations of building materials and labour from the community. Once completed around the end of October, it will feature handsome stained-glass windows, a large choir loft, and landscaped grounds. The local parish dates back to 1865, and this new, modern church is expected to be a lasting source of pride for both the congregation and the city. The clipping is taken from the ‘Ukiah Republican Press’ (13 June 1923).

Clippings from the ‘Watts Review’ (dated between November 1923 and early 1924) regarding St. Lawrence Parish building plans and community life under the Irish Capuchin friars. The centrepiece is a large sketch of the proposed St. Lawrence Parish Group. The complex was designed to include a Sisters’ Convent, an auditorium, a school, the church, and a Friary building. On 22 January 1924, Father Joseph Fenelon presided over the blessing and erection of a large Celtic cross atop the new school’s belfry, signalling the nearing completion of the building.

A clipping of an article reporting on the opening of a large fundraising bazaar for St. Lawrence Parish in Watts, Los Angeles. The event was held to raise money for a new parochial school, estimated to cost approximately $40,000. Father Joseph Fenelon, the pastor, noted that this was the first major appeal made by the Irish Franciscan friars since their arrival in California. The school was described as the ‘most needed’ unit of a planned group of parish buildings.

Clipping from the ‘Watts Review’ detailing several significant events for the St. Lawrence Parish. A successful week-long religious mission led by Fr. Reginald O’Hanlon OFM Cap. concluded on 22 February. The event drew capacity crowds and featured the renewal of baptismal vows and a papal blessing. Many new members were also added to the Third Order of St. Francis. Reference is also made to the death of Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap. who passed away on 14 February 1925 at St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara. He was the former rector of the Old Mission Santa Inés and was buried there following a solemn Requiem Mass. A separate report mentions Father Joseph Fenelon participating in a mission at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.