Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 7 Nov. 1924 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
4 pp; typescript
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Early Life and Religious Formation
Bernard Clery (spelled Cleary in some provincial records) was born in Cork on 24 August 1888. He was invested with the Franciscan habit on 4 October 1909. He pronounced his religious profession on 16 October of the following year, 1910. His ecclesiastical curriculum was completed at the Capuchin friaries in Cork and Rochestown, where he pursued comprehensive studies in philosophy and theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on 1 July 1917, at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Cork.
Domestic Ministry and Emigration to America
Following his ordination, Father Clery spent four years serving the domestic houses of the Irish Capuchin Province. In May 1921, he was officially transferred to the order’s mission territory in the United States to join the American custody, where his early career spanned several key postings:
• Lincoln, Nebraska: Stationed from 1921 to 1922, assisting with regional pastoral duties.
• Watts, California: Detailed to Southern California in 1922 to conduct evangelical parish missions.
• Roseburg, Oregon: Transferred to the Pacific Northwest in 1924 upon his appointment as Pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Illness, Disability, and Final Years
A short time after launching his active ministry in the United States, Father Clery contracted multiple sclerosis. The progressive nature of the condition left him completely disabled, bringing a premature end to his active parish labour. For more than twenty years, he was completely unable to take part in active work. He was highly esteemed by his superiors, brother priests, and the laity for enduring his illness patiently and valiantly. He passed away in Oregon on 19 May 1952. He was buried in Roseburg, Oregon.
Religious name: Fr. Bernard Clery OFM Cap.
Baptismal name: Richard Patrick Clery
Date of birth: 24 Aug. 1888
Place of birth: Montenotte Cottage, Cork
Name of father: Richard W. Clery
Name of mother: Joanna ‘Jennie’ Clery (née O’Flaherty)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 4 Oct. 1909
Date of first profession: 16 Oct. 1910
Date of final (solemn) profession: 21 Dec. 1913
Date of ordination (as priest): 1 July 1917
Missionary activity: Travelled to the United States on 18 May 1921
Date of death: 19 May 1952
Place of death: Roseburg, Oregon
Place of burial: Roseburg, Oregon
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Letter from Fr. Bernard Clery OFM Cap. to Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, outlining a plan to resuscitate the local parish school in Roseburg, Oregon, which was closed due to a lack of available religious sisters. He argues against relying on the Sisters of Mercy, criticizing their lack of educational training and claiming they bring ‘trouble and endless anxiety’ to Roseburg. Financially, the author notes that supporting two teaching Sisters requires $70.00 a month – a heavy burden for a parish where fewer than 90 individuals have incomes supporting the church. To address this, the author mailed letters to parishioners, securing $45.00 a month in pledges toward a $90.00 goal, and proposes specific steps to reopen the school. Father Clery also refers to regional boundary disputes, noting that the archbishop attempted to redraw parish lines to give a new parish control of territory from Cottage Grove to Drain, which includes all of Douglas County. He strongly objects to this, stating the territory has always been maintained by their parish, and concludes with a discussion on Latin faculties granted in the archdiocese regarding mass stipends and a note on following visitation directions.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Bowe, Peter, 1856-1926, Capuchin priest (Subject)