Letter from Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap. to Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, discussing church appointments and visitations in California. He writes ‘I was present in Ukiah, when Archbishop Hanna blessed the Corner Stone of the new Church there and a deputation again waited on him and on me for a Father to be appointed to the district of Willits. The Archbishop appealed to me to put a Father there, accordingly I have appointed Fr. Ambrose to the position, who is a very safe man, and as I have no Brother to go with him there, arrangements are being made to get an old lady as Housekeeper for the present. I was thinking of taking Fr. Sebastian to let Brother Paschal go there for some time, but as he is an old man he requires the help of a Bro. Fr. Urban will be in Ukiah with Fr. Raphael, and Hopland can get Mass every Sunday now, and also Willits’.
A note with dates and names tracking the arrival and assignment of Irish Capuchin friars to the United States from 1902 to 1926.
The Early Years (1902–1910):
• 1902–1908: Lists Luke (Fr. Luke Sheehan) in Aden, confirming his early mission work in Arabia before moving to America.
• 1910: Shows the initial arrival in Oregon with Luke and Casimir in Hermiston, and Leonard in Harrisburg.
Growth and Expansion (1911–1915):
• 1911: Records Benignus in Harrisburg and Camillus and Edward in Roseburg. A note indicates Edward returned in 1923.
• 1913: Notes the arrival of Fr. Brendan (O’Callaghan) in November, who would later become a long-term leader in Abbottstown.
• 1915: Mentions the arrival of Adrian, Ferdinand, and Anthony in September.
Post-World War (1919–1926):
• 1919–1920: Shows a new wave of friars, including Raphael, Gabriel, Urban, Stephen, Vincent, and Ambrose.
• 1924: A particularly busy year for arrivals, listing Pacificus, Finbarr, Isidore, Albert, Reginald, and Damian.
• 1926: The final entries on this sheet record Berchmans and Enda arriving in January.
Visitation report from St. Francis of Assisi Capuchin Franciscan Friary in Los Angeles (located at 1541 Golden Gate Ave). The report details the parish’s administrative, financial, and spiritual progress since the Capuchins assumed leadership on 1 June 1929. The report notes that the initial property debt of $18,000 has been successfully reduced to $15,500. Additionally, the parish has completed extensive property improvements totalling $8,535 – including church remodelling, new stained-glass windows, painting, and a new bell – alongside constructing a new, fully defrayed Capuchin Friary for over $6,000. Driven by active parish sodalities, church socials, and card parties, the congregation has more than doubled to over 350 families, generating a regular Sunday income of approximately $135.00 per week. Led by Community Superior Father Joseph Fenelon OFM cap. along with his assistants Father Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap., and Father Edmund Hyland OFM Cap., the report concludes by praising the deep spirit of fraternity within the community and its excellent relations with the local Bishop and clergy.
Fr. Juan Antonio (Joseph Antony) de San Juan en Persiceto OFM Cap., Minister General of the Capuchin Order, during a visitation to the Irish Capuchin friars residing at Ukiah in California. The group includes Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap., Fr. Anthony Holmes OFM Cap., Fr. Raphael Quinn OFM Cap., Fr. Leo Sheehan OFM Cap., Fr. Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap., and Fr. Sebastian Brennan OFM Cap.
Photograph of Fr. Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap., Fr. Anthony Holmes OFM Cap., and Fr. Clement Connolly OFM Cap. on a boating excursion.
Photograph of a large group of Capuchin friars in the garden of the Church Street Friary in Dublin. The photograph was taken during the Eucharistic Congress held in the Irish capital.
Photograph of (left) Fr. Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap. and Fr. Leo Sheehan OFM Cap. on a beach, possibly on the Mendicino Coast in California.
Photograph of (from left) Fr. Urban Riordan OFM Cap., Fr. Ambrose Brutnon OFM Cap., Fr. Gabriel Harrington OFM Cap., Fr. Raphael Quinn OFM Cap., Fr. Leo Sheehan OFM Cap., and Fr. Pacificus McCafferty OFM Cap. in California.
Photographs of (left) Fr. Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap. and (right) Fr. Joseph Fenelon OFM Cap.
The top photograph is captioned ‘Sea View, Fort Bragg’. The bottom photograph, captioned "Overlooking the Pacific’ and identified the two individuals as Fr. Ambrose Brunton OFM Cap. and possibly Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap.