Historical accounts written and compiled by Fr. Angelus Healy OFM Cap. documenting the foundation, establishment and early development of the Capuchin Franciscan Monastery of St Joseph at Rochestown, County Cork. Several accounts detail monastery’s origins and its significance within the history of the Irish Capuchin Province. They describe the acquisition of property at Rochestown in January 1873, including an eight-acre holding containing a farmhouse known as Brook Lodge, secured from Joseph Mintern, a Quaker landowner. The property was initially intended to provide a place of rest and recuperation for members of the Capuchin community resident in Cork.
Many of the accounts trace the subsequent development of the property into a religious foundation, including the adaptation of existing buildings, the construction of additional accommodation, the establishment of a resident community and the provision of facilities for religious worship. Particular attention is given to the complex administrative and jurisdictional relationship between the Irish and English Capuchin communities following the reorganisation of the Order in 1873. The accounts discuss the separation of the Irish and English houses, the transfer of responsibility for the Cork establishment, and the correspondence and disagreements involving the Minister General and senior members of the Order.
The narratives record the activities of several Capuchin friars associated with the establishment and administration of Rochestown, including Fr. Albert Mitchell OFM Cap., Custos, Fr. Patrick O’Reilly, Fr. Simon Gaudillot, Fr. Alphonsus Carroll and other members of the Irish and continental European communities. The manuscripts also document the development of the monastery’s religious life, including the reception of novices, professions, the appointment of superiors and the arrival of students from France.
Other notes detail the construction, furnishing and dedication of the monastery church in November 1878. This includes a description of its Gothic architectural character, internal arrangement, sanctuary, altars, sacristies, choir, furnishings and decorative features. One extract provides exact physical measurements and aesthetic descriptions of the newly built Gothic-style chapel (44 feet long, 34 feet wide, rising 46 feet to the apex). It specifies building details such as the polished pine altars, plain tinted glass windows in leaden frames, the red brick exterior, and total construction costs (£1,000) noting the architect and contractor was John Delaney.
Several notes refer to the administrative difficulties affecting the Irish Capuchin Custody in 1879. It describes the decree of 3 July 1879 suppressing the existing Custody and establishing separate administrative jurisdictions for Dublin and Kilkenny, and for Cork and Rochestown, together with restrictions on communication between their respective members.
