Copy letter from Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt to Fr. Stephen Murtagh

Page 1

Santa Barbara, Cal., March 16, 1925. Rev. Fr. Stephen, O.M.Cap. With deep regret I must decline to permit you to enter my workshop in the future. I am speaking for myself only, as I have consulted nobody. The attitude you and your friars have assumed towards us studiously offensive, not to say insulting. None of us have occasion for it. We heartily welcomed you in our hearts to California, and wanted to assist with our hospitality and experience. You ostentatiously spurned us and our houses. The first appearance of Fr. Albert and others at Santa Barbara was hostile in the extreme. Instead of coming to the mission for lodging, as all religious do and many priests, he applied to the Jesuits, who must have been amazed at the request. Rather than stay with Sons of St. Francis he went to a hotel, and then went out to Santa Ine's ignoring us entirely. Whether ignorance of the ordinary courtesy or spite, it was not Franciscan-like, nor can we account for it. When Fr. Mariano Fiege, and Fr. Sebastian Brennan O.M.Cap., arrived in California twenty years ago, they at once applied to us at San Francisco, and always made their home there as Capuchins. They were at home with us. In all my many travels in the East I always went to the houses of the Capuchins and was at home. I labored hard with our Fathers, when I observed some antipathy, transplanted from Europe hither, to establish a fraternal feeling, and now we see all three branches meeting together every year for educational conference. I sent you copies of the remotes. That feeling continued in California until your band came from Ireland, and straightway caused bewildement and disedification. For one thing you appear to be asked of your title of Capuchins and endeavor to adorn it with a title not belonging to you, one that from the Pope down no ecclesiastic officially accords you. You want to be called by our name, which is recognized by the Pope and the Church the world over. You can claim exactly as the mule can claim to be a horse by virtue of pedigree. In the Eastern States are two large Capuchin Provinces, that never think of going by our name, not any more than did Fr. Sebastian Brennan of Ukiah. You play the Franciscan Capuchin racket to the wonder of the faithful, who never heard of such title. There is no sense in it either. If you said Capuchin Franciscans, it would accord with Conventual Franciscans, which is correct as indicating the family relationship as brothers with the Franciscans who have ho handle to their name; but Franciscan Capuchins supposes Dominican or Jesuit or Augustinian Capuchins. Yet your Superior or his first appearance in our church had the little courtesy or consideration to ralm that off with other tactless stuff; also at the last appearance when Fr. Augustin was present at the funeral of Santa Inez! Even in the daily press here the ridiculous assumption was emphasized to the bewildement and scandal of the faithful and to the wonderment of the Protestants and infidels…