18 - Canonical Visitation Records for Rochestown

18

Canonical Visitation Records for Rochestown

38 items; manuscript and typescript

The file contains formal legal accounts (traditionally titled ‘Verbal Process’) detailing statutory inspections and administrative mandates left behind for local superiors (Guardians) in Rochestown to implement. Matters addressed include religious observance, communal discipline, fraternal charity, the provision of spiritual conferences, the management of the library, care of the sick, the maintenance and cleanliness of convent buildings, and the responsibilities of the Father Guardian and other community officials.

The chronological composition of the file includes:

May 24, 1913 (Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap.): Entirely handwritten record confirming standard canonical inspections, community assembly in the refectory, and individual friar interviews.

February 25–28, 1914 & Feb 2, 1915 (Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap.): A three-page handwritten decree outlining financial reductions to curb the debt burden of the Rochestown house. Mandates strict protocols prohibiting unauthorized communication between standard community religious and novices without explicit permission from the Novice Master. Includes rules governing student travel from Cork or Whitehall.

April 16, 1920 (Fr. Edwin Fitzgibbon OFM Cap.): Handwritten record referencing modern spiritual briefs, notably the Centenary Celebration of the Death of St. Veronica of Milan (issued May 1919) read aloud in the refectory.

April 1924 & April 13, 1925 (Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap.): Partially printed formal legal templates with custom handwritten addenda. Outlines responsibilities for students preparing for Holy Orders and mandates the reading of statutory provisions inside the refectory.

March 28, 1940 (Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap.): Form template containing a prominent handwritten restriction enforcing rules relating to unpermitted communication between standard community friars and novitiate students.

April 9-10, 1969 (Fr. Berard Creed OFM Cap.): A contemporary typed memorandum documenting inspections of account books, mass registers, friary infrastructure, and communal fraternal discussions.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition