1 - Copy Letter Book of Fr. Bonaventure Murphy

1

Copy Letter Book of Fr. Bonaventure Murphy

84 pp; 27 cm x 22 cm; Bound volume; manuscript

Carbon copy letter book maintained by Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap., Rector of the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork. The volume predominantly preserves outgoing correspondence addressed to parents of students, documenting everyday matters of school administration, student discipline, the collection of tuition fees, accounts management, and academic queries regarding examination results. It also records institutional assessments of student piety, containing recurring suggestions to families regarding a student’s potential religious vocation to the Capuchin Order.

Occasional entries contextualise student life against broader contemporary political and historical events. Notable examples include a letter dated 13 January 1915 concerning a student (John Brennan) who absconded from the college with reports suggesting an intent to enlist in the military, and a letter dated 29 May 1917 referencing the attendance of numerous Capuchin friars at the obsequies of Irish republican leader Thomas Ashe. The physical condition of the latter portion of the text is noted as significantly faded and difficult to decipher. The notebook was subsequently repurposed by a later hand to record theological and pastoral notes in ink concerning the sacrament of baptism and the salvation of souls.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition