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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 he would make it difficult for us so long as he was Archbishop. I told him then and there that if he were opposed to our building at the Old Mission we would not do so. But that did not seem to please him either. He said I was trying to put him in the wrong.
In the Archives here is a copy of a Definitorial Enactment dated October 9th, 1924. No. 2 of that Enactment reads: "That the acceptance of the Church, house and lands of the Old Mission of Santa Ynez be approved of." There should be in the Archives a letter from the then Bishop Cantwell donating the property to the Order. Father General is anxious to get a copy of the letter if it exists. I hope you can find it. Fr. General says that even should the letter exist, and even if we have a right to build, no building should be done at the Mission as long as the Archbishop maintains his present attitude. He feels that it is better to be patient and wait, that the term of an Ordinary is short, whereas the life of an Order is long. Besides, he is in doubt as to whether we should use Santa Ynez for our students. We would need week end work for our priests to support it, and the place seems far from the center or activity. He instanced the case of the Italian Custody which established its House of Studies in a non-Catholic area, where lack of supply work is making it difficult if not impossible for the Custody to support its financial burden. His attitude is that we could use the money ($40,000) to be borrowed for Santa Ynez, to build at McKenzie Bridge, Oregon instead. The latter place is at least in the name of the Order.
I personally think that one of our scholastic establishments should be in Oregon where we have three parishes.
Regarding Flintridge, he noted the heavy schedule of the teachers. Some have 25 periods weekly. They go to school on Saturday, and do supply work on Sunday. He hopes that we may procure vocations among the day boys. He was identified with their school at Calvary, Wisconsin for several years, and understands the problems and conflicts that may arise in the relation of day boys to those aspiring to the Order. Accordingly he appreciated a difficulty that arose with the parents of the day boys. They wanted to hold dances in the school. In this the Rector had aided with them. But I refused. I told them that the place was primarily for boys wishing to be Capuchins, and that if they wanted things for their sons that we could not give them, they should try to find them elsewhere. Another problem was brought
Saint Francis of Assisi
1541 GOLDEN GATE AVENUE
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
PHONE
OLYMPIA 1305
to his attention. There is now a football team at the school. I told him I deprecated games with other schools that would bring girls on the grounds. He said that this was the correct attitude, that in Calvary he had favored intra-mural activities. Yet another problem is that of boys destined for the Order going to outside dances.
Perhaps a statement will come from Fr. General indicating his attitude towards the conduct of a school such as ours. The teachers in Flintridge are excellent; their example is excellent; and the school is held in high esteem. But we must always keep in mind its primary purpose, - to educate boys for the Order. Perhaps we may find another location for the Seraphic school. In that event these problems will not arise. I hope that day will come, and that Flintridge will become an outstanding high school for Catholic boys, under the care of the Capuchins. I have felt for long that we should be identified with education. And the more we work in education the less will be the danger of conflict with the Hierarchy.
Father General expressed satisfaction with reports of observance in the various communities. I instanced the case of the House where I live where there are three Fathers who have as much work as those of any other community, yet the horrifium is fully observed. It includes two meditations daily, and the whole office is said in common. I told him there should be no practical difficulty about it anywhere. That it was merely a question of the will to do it.
Father General observed that we have no monasteries. The difficulty regarding the building of monasteries lies in this, that we are dealing with Parish money, or more often the lack of it. In 1977 I proposed the erection of monasteries at Bend, Burlingame, and Los Angeles. Only this year has a Parish house been built in Bend on monastic lines with reception rooms outside the enclosure door. At present a new church is being erected in Burlingame. There is prospect of a monastery in Burlingame to be built soon after the church is completed. In 1938 I was refused permission for a monastery by Archbishop Mitty.
There is a fairly good Rectory here built partly on monastic styl