Letter from Fr. Stephen Murtagh

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Saint Francis of Assisi 1541 GOLDEN GATE AVENUE LOS ANGELES, CALIF. PHONE OLYMPIA 1305 Saint Francis of Assisi 1541 GOLDEN GATE AVENUE LOS ANGELES, CALIF. PHONE OLYMPIA 1305 December 15, 1949. Very Rev. Father Colman, O.F.M.Cap. D.D. Provincial, Church Street, Dublin, Ireland. My dear Father Colman: Before replying to letters received recently I wish to make a brief report regarding the Visitation of Most Rev. Fr. General, just concluded. I know I speak for the Custody when I say that we found Fr. General to be in the words of his secretary Father Cuthbert, "a simple friar". We found him to be an American very understanding, and very sympathetic towards our problems. He realized that while much remains to be done, we are working amid difficulties towards accomplishing our aim, - a distinct American Province. He did not have time to visit the Oregon Houses. He missed three in northern California. However he saw most of the Friars. He did not visit any of the Ordinaries except Archbishop Mitty who had asked him to call. He is not accustomed to call on the Ordinaries unless they request it. Archbishop Mitty - as I surmised he would - asked him to replace the foreign born with native Capuchins. He said that whereas there were few native secular clergy in San Francisco when he came there, two thirds of the clergy are now native born. He also said that I had threatened to cite him before the Sacred Congregation of Religious. But he failed to tell the whole truth in the matter, - namely, that in the presence of his Auxiliary, Bishop Connally, and his V.C. Monsignor Ryan, he told me he would request the Sacred Congregation to remove us from the Archdiocese and then I told him that I would protest our removal to the Congregation. You were Provincial at that time. You will then remember that I wrote a defense of our work. I sent you two copies, one for the Archives in the Curia in Rome, and one for the Dublin Archives. The then Fr. General wrote that the Archbishop's request had not been received, but if and when it was received he would strenuously defend the rights of the Order. Father General told the Archbishop that he felt we were developing along the line of native Vocations, just as his own Province had developed, and he felt that in time we would furnish the Archdiocese with native-born Capuchins. He said also that he did not think he could find any native-born Capuchins to take our place. The Archbishop admitted to Fr. General that for several years past he had no cause for complaint. So you can see what we are up against. Even the best we can show is not good enough. Regarding Santa Ynez, Archbishop McIntyre has manifested a spirit quite opposed to that of the late Archbishop Cantwell, in regard to its development as a House of Studies. He seems to want us there merely on sufferance, or not at all. He had asked for Hescripts for the Foundation and the Parish. When he had read them he told me angrily that if that was the attitude of our Superiors…