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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 who know us, not to speak of the embarrassment of our Superiors in our community. We never appear in the press as diseminators of discord and dissension, or as paliticians, least of all as rebels.
The occasion of the death and funeral of Fr. Albert was chosen to continue the Franciscan racket with additional force in the papers, as though it were something honorable to have the sacred name Franciscan coupled with the rebels from Ireland. Franciscans will bury the exiled patriot, was flaunted in our face to the shame of Catholics and the amazement of Protestants, welcome fodder for the Kukluz. People wondered that real Franciscans could approve of the disgraceful helping to commit suicide of poor Swiney, and aid in disobedience to the Bishops of the Church in Ireland for the sake of silly nationalism, which happily the last election in Ireland crushed for good, we hope. That is not the spirit of St. Francis, but the spirit of the devils who love to foment dissensions, and hate harmony.
You have several times asked me what I would do? Just what the Bishop expected you to do. I would arrange the house so as to harbor a community of religious to runnerial at their exercises; have the Office in Choir; wear the habit always. I would run a corridor through the length of the bldg. beginning at the outer end, rooms on each side to the kitchen. I would not appeal to the public with the false assertion that the Mission needs to be
arranged from 1925 departure of Frank 1911
restored. It is restored. There is room enough for you for years if you intend laboring for the Lord among the people and not among tourists. In the course of time I would make such improvements as the needs call for without pestering the public and making them believe that the Missions turned over by the Bishop is naught but a ruin. Such is the impression people get from the press articles.
Unfortunately your band is not of juneselfish kind, to all appearance, but out for what can be secured. Hence this deception of the public, and the stealing of a name. The tactics are not those of the Frantiscans in California, as people well know. We do not pester them for money. We raised up big San Luis Rey without making an appeal, though that was a ruin indeed. It is apity, but your band has been sized up at Los Angeles, as it will be here. The Superior at Watts returned $350 to a parish priest because it was to him not enough compensation for a mission preached! Priests know that the genuine Franciscans took what was given them, great are small. New satisfied to have had the opportunity to do good. We never charge or demand. Our Spanish Father Perez gives Missions, and mostly without receiving ever travelling expenses. People know us and our methods. If you insist on stealing our name and bewildering the people you will just receive their contempt.
You are happing in excuse that Beo XIII changed the Order, as though that justified you to take a name which is not yours. However, when you talk that way you know not whereof you speak. No essential changes were made. In Mexico and South America the Franciscan Provinces used the blue color: the missionary colleges in Mexico and Spain, and formerly in England, used the grey Habit; others more generally worn brown. The Pope ordered all to appear in brown, for the sake of uniformity. It did not affect us in the United States, as we were brown long before. The names indicating periodical reforms, such as the Capuchin, Revollects, Reformed, Alcatarines, Instituted, should be dropped, as all except the Capuchins, who had staid out from the beginning, were under one head or General. So also appellations should be as used from the beginning. F.M. only S.F. had been used principally in United States and sometimes in Ireland and England. So no changes but return to ancient distinctive name. The Pope also had twelve instead of six definitions elected, and a few provinces merged into one. That was all. Pope Plus X reduced the number to six again, and the provinces, I believe in Italy, were permitted to reform their organizations. That is all.
Enough of this hurried explanation; but I hear you intensify your hostility to us by going rather to Sisters' Hospital than come here. The Poor Sisters do not run a hotel. It is unseemly for a friar to expect as much. It is embarrassing to them. Likewise the Sisters of the Orphan Asvlum do not run a hotel. They must be wondering also. If you do not see that this is most unbecoming and inconsiderate, your hostility must have blinded you. At all events, if we are not your equals, too low for you, I do not see why you should want to confer with me only to the exclusion of the Superiors
and other friars. Hence in future, unless you all present yourselves as Capuchins and nothing less, and stop insulting us by your sudden aloofness, you will do me the favor of not calling upon me, excent through the Superior, and only as Capuchin. I shall