5 - Canonical Visitation Report for 1955

5

Canonical Visitation Report for 1955

9 pp; typescript

Canoncial visitation report compiled by Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap. for the Irish Capuchin custody in the United States. The report includes commentary on the spiritual, physical and financial condition of various churches and friaries in Oregon, California, and Delaware. Father Murtagh confirms that the Order holds full, legal ownership of the monastery buildings and land in Wilmington, Delaware, as well as the school buildings and land in Flintridge (La Cañada), California, both established using Provincial funds. In Oregon, the Order has held legal ownership of three parish properties – including churches, rectories, and lands – since 1910. However, these properties are bound by contracts stating that if the Order leaves a parish, ownership reverts to the local diocese; this clause was triggered in 1954 when the Roseburg parish reverted to the local Ordinary to secure a development loan. Additionally, the report clarifies that local Ordinaries have always shared equal rights over rectories, refuting claims that the Order ever held exclusive ownership. The Order maintains Foundation rights in all its locations, except for three small California parishes: Fort Bragg, Point Arena, and Willits.

Reference is also made to the financial position of the custody. The Wilmington property consists of a monastery and a house rented out on roughly twenty acres of poor-quality land. Because there is no established parish, mission grouping, or steady local income, all financial support is generated through mass stipends, preaching, and supply work. While the location serves as the Novitiate house, its operational capacity is limited, as only three of the fathers stationed there are free to perform this work.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition