Booklet presented to the Western American Capuchin Province on the occasion of its foundation

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PRESENTATION TO THE WESTERN AMERICAN PROVINCE on the occasion of its foundation "The Voyage of St. Brendan to the Promised Land" with fraternal greetings from the friars of THE IRISH CAPUCHIN PROVINCE 18th APRIL 1979 Story of St. Brendan Legend has it that St. Brendan, "Brendan the Navigator", an Irish monk, born in Kerry by the shores of the Atlantic (484 A.D.), was the first to discover America. From his monastic retreat, high up on Mount Brandon overlooking the vast expanse of the Atlantic, this Abbot's mind was fired by one ambition – to seek new lands wherein to spread the Gospel. Selecting fourteen monks from his community, he set sail in quest of the "Land of Promise". The story of Brendan's voyage tells of his discovery of various rocky islands, of Sheep Island and the paradise of birds, the Easter celebrations on the back of a whale, the volcanic island and the vision of hell which threatened to engulf them in its fires. It tells of Brendan's encounter with the wretched ghost of Judas Iscariot a skeletal figure sitting on a rock in mid-sea; and of an island on which they met "the Silent Brotherhood": an abbot and 24 monks. We read too of the island of the holy hermit, Paul, who lived alone and had been fed by an otter for forty years. Finally, they reached the Land of Promise, a beautiful, populated country, rich in fruit, vegetation and precious stones, lightsome and moderate in climate, so big that they "could see no end to it". This is believed to have been America. "The Voyage of St. Brendan" is the unique work of artist Theo Séafra of Glengarriff, Co. Cork, Ireland. It is a painting on leather, using traditional Celtic design in a new and creative way. 1. St. Brendan and 14 monks set sail. 2. Angel guiding the ship. 3. Recording Angel. 4. Island where they are fed bread and fish by a huge dog. 5. Sheep Island. 6. Whale on whose back they lit the Paschal fire. 7. The Paradise of Birds. 8. A bird brings them a branch of a vine. 9. A sea-monster attacks the boat; his eyes are plucked out by a white dove. 10. Volcanic mountain: fires and devils surround the boat. 11. Paul the Hermit being fed by an otter. 12. The "Silent Brotherhood": Abbot with 24 brothers, each with a candle and a crown. 13. Judas Iscariot on a rock in mid-Atlantic. 14. Land of Promise: men, women and children, with flowers and fruit-trees, etc. Eagle - Cork