Letters from Fr. James O’Mahony OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, and Fr. Felix Guihen OFM Cap., Provincial Secretary, to Fr. Andrew Carew OFM Cap. and other guardians of the Kilkenny community, mainly re notices of the deaths of friars (or their relations), the professions of novices, the appointment of confessors in the Diocese of Ossory, and requests for contributions from the Kilkenny community to the Provincial Accounts.
Letters from Most Rev. Peter Birch, Bishop of Ossory, to Fr. Fidelis O’Connell OFM Cap., guardian. The letters refer to the appointment of confessors to convents in the diocese, notices of clerical conferences, arrangements for ecclesiastical celebrations (masses, benedictions, expositions) and faculties for various Capuchin priests.
Copy letter from the Most Rev. Herbert B. Kennedy, Dean of Christ Church, Corrig Castle, Kingstown, County Dublin, to Fr. Matthew O’Connor OFM Cap. affirming that he pays a yearly rent of £12 5s 5d for two alms houses (formerly called the ‘Munster Arms’) to the Pack Estate. The file includes a letter from Fr. Kevin Moynihan OFM Cap. stating he is ‘writing to the Rev. Mr. Kennedy saying that at present, owing to the state of affairs, we are not anxious to invest in house property. I take it that owing to the same reason that he is so anxious to part with it’ (11 Jan. 1921). Rev. Kennedy later wrote to Nicholas Shorthall, solicitor, referring to negotiations to sell the head rent on two houses on Walkin Street, which he holds from the Pack estate, and which are currently leased to the Capuchin friars. With income tax demands in respect of said properties.
Letters from the Most Rev. Daniel Colahan, Bishop of Cork, to the guardians of Holy Trinity Friary, Father Mathew Quay, Cork. The recipients include Fr. Fiacre Brophy OSFC and Fr. Flannan Downing OSFC. Some of the letters were written by the Bishop’s secretary, James Hurley. Many of the letters relate to requests from the Bishop to the Capuchin community for confessors (particularly for convents of religious women) and to other aspects of ecclesiastical administration in the diocese. Reference is made to masses for benefactors including the Christopher Dunn bequest. On 9 Feb. 1940, Bishop Colahan wrote a circular letter to the clergy warning of the need to the keep the Church ‘detached and Independent of party politics’. The file also includes several printed pastoral letters: 5 Apr. 1942, referring to the ‘sacrament of matrimony’; 16 Mar. 1947, warning of the threat of ‘Communist’ activities in Cork.
Letters from the Most Rev. Cornelius Lucey (1902-1982), Bishop of Cork, to the guardians of Holy Trinity Friary, Cork. The letters concern the appointment of ordinary and extraordinary confessors for convents of religious women and at hospitals in County Cork.
Letters to the guardians of Holy Trinity Church, Cork, from the Electricity Supply Board regarding alterations and maintenance of the electricity supply to the Church and Friary. Reference is made in the letter of 4 Mar. 1948 to ‘continuing emergency conditions’.
Letters from the Most Rev. Patrick O’Donnell (1856-1927), Bishop of Raphoe, to Fr. Paul Neary OSFC, Provincial Minister, re the progress of temperance work in County Donegal.
Letters from the Most Rev. Adrian Mung'andu and the Most Rev. Raymond Mpezele, successive Bishops of Livingstone, to Fr. Bruno McKnight OFM Cap. and Fr. Anthony Boran OFM Cap. re the Franciscan House of Studies in Livingstone, concerns re the Capuchin commitment to ongoing pastoral work in the diocese, and the appointment of Fr. Philip Connor OFM Cap. as Episcopal Vicar in the diocese.
Letters mainly from patrons forwarding subscriptions in favour of the Brigade. The file includes letters from Richard O’Shaughnessy, barrister, 3 Wilton Place, Dublin, to Fr. Mark McDonnell OSFC, Church Street, passing on his good wishes to the Boys’ Brigade. He claims that ‘the richer Catholics, and a large, a very large number of Protestants would be among its subscribers … if they only know the work it is effecting’.
