Letter from Fr. Sylvester Mulligan
Letter from Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, to Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. expressing his shock about the decision made by General Definitory requesting that the Irish friars hand over Abbottstown house to the Provincial Minister of the Pennsylvania Capuchins. He suggests that the ‘decision will hit our [Irish] Province very hard’. Father Sylvester highlights the deep bonds formed with their ‘American brethren’ and the success of their work. He notes that the friars had bee
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- Level of description
- Item
- Date
- 2 Mar. 1926
- Reference
- 1
- Extent and medium
- 4 pp; manuscript
- Scope and content
- Letter from Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OFM Cap., Provincial Minister, to Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. expressing his shock about the decision made by General Definitory requesting that the Irish friars hand over Abbottstown house to the Provincial Minister of the Pennsylvania Capuchins. He suggests that the ‘decision will hit our [Irish] Province very hard’. Father Sylvester highlights the deep bonds formed with their ‘American brethren’ and the success of their work. He notes that the friars had been working zealously and were on friendly terms with the local community. Reference is also made to the difficulty of building missions among diverse populations, specifically mentioning Italians, Portuguese, and Mexicans in California.
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- Irish Capuchin Archives
- Context
- Irish Capuchin Archives > Papers of the Irish Capuchin Mission in the United States > Missionary Correspondence > Correpsondence of Fr. Sylvester Mulligan
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Sample passages
- The decisions will hit our Province very hard! Our Stuggling missions in the West of America - and not one of them is possibly equipped - have been looking for help from the Abbott…
- in St. Francis
- Belfast. So I cannot meet them while hashe weeks. But I know it will be a civil shock to them to be on the contents of M. R. F. Generals letter
Full Transcript (OCR, 1 pages)
Machine-generated OCR transcript. Handwritten material may contain recognition errors.
Page 1
FRANCISCAN CAPUCHIN FRIARY, CHURCH STREET, DUBLIN. 2: 3: 76 Most Rev & Dear Lather The letter of the next Rev. L. General has just reached me saying it was decided at a meeting of the General Definition that I am to give up Abbottstown Hospice and hand it over to the Provincial of the Pennsylvania-ian Province. The letter - need I say it - comes as a complete surprise. There has never been any question of the Hospice in my time nor in the last two or three Administrations as for as I am aware. I am at a hos to know what has happened to precipitate such a decision without our even knowing the question was in the tapes. I believe your paternity had heard nothing either else you would surely have let us know as our representative on the General Definition. Our Lather have been working in the East very gentlenessly and have been in the friendliest terms with our American brothers. Indeed my have engagements hosted on into the Summer. All the Definitions are about from here as we are in the midst of ant ferten work, and I am leaving myself for a mission or three weeks in Belfast. So I cannot meet them while hashe weeks. But I know it will be a civil shock to them to be on the contents of M. R. F. Generals letter The decisions will hit our Province very hard! Our Stuggling missions in the West of America - and not one of them is possibly equipped - have been looking for help from the Abbottstown Missionaries to carry on and build up their Missions - and your Paternity - knows what it means to build Churches Schools Convents among a foreign population - Italians Portopiere and Mexicans many of them in California - If then Abbottstown is the infresting place we can call our own between Ireland and the For West - and you know what is number of friends will be passing back and forward in convenion with our Western Missions - I must say no more for the present, but will ask you to acknowledge to M. R. F. General the receipt of his letter and congress the disappointment the the disappointment the Trish Province will feel when the decision of the General Definition becomes known - With must respect I am Yours Dearestly in St. Francis Dr. Sylvester O. S. K. C. Min. Prov.