Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 6 Mar. 1936 (Creation)
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2 pp; typescript
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Baptismal name: Michael Anthony Gough
Religious name: Fr. Jarlath Gough OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 22 Mar. 1904
Place of birth: Rush, County Dublin
Name of father: Thomas Gough (Carpenter)
Name of mother: Alicia Gough (née O’Donohoe)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 18 Sept. 1921
Date of first profession: 15 Oct. 1922
Date of final profession: 29 Dec. 1925
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 June 1929
Educational attainments: BA (1925)
Missionary activities: Travelled to the United States in 1929; Pastor at Our Lady of Angels Parish, Hermiston, Oregon, 1930-3; returned to Ireland in 1936; Travelled to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) in 1936; returned to Ireland in 1957; Parish Priest on the island of St. Helena from 1957-64 while attached to the Cape Town mission in South Africa.
Date of death: 30 Nov. 1983
Place of death: Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home, Sybil Hill, Raheny, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin
Repository
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Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Letter from Fr. Jarlath Gough OFM Cap. to Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, regarding his pending request to return to Ireland. He strongly advises against retaining Mission Santa Inés describing it as a ‘partial ruin deteriorating more and more every day’ that lacks adequate financial support. The roof and other structures are in desperate need of repair, with estimated restoration costs exceeding $12,000, while their ordinary income is barely enough to cover basic daily necessities. Furthermore, a recent pageant intended to raise funds resulted in a meagre profit of only $36 for the Mission after expenses. Father Jarlath argues that the historical mission is an economic burden rather than an asset to the Catholic Church, noting that modern state infrastructure bypasses them and that they primarily serve as picturesque ruins for tourists. He criticizes past suggestions to construct a new dwelling house on the property, highlighting that the Order does not own the surrounding land and would be forced to take on massive debts. Ultimately, he recommends that the Order rid itself of the property as soon as possible, suggesting that the Bishop of Los Angeles would gladly relieve them of the burden if requested.