1 - Correspondence of Fr. Thomas Dowling

1

Correspondence of Fr. Thomas Dowling

79 items; manuscript and typescript

The subseries comprises the correspondence of Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. relating to the establishment and progress of the Irish Capuchin missions in Oregon and later in California. In February 1910 Fr. Thomas travelled to Oregon to explore the region and assess its suitability for missionary and parish work. His later correspondence documents his work as a preacher and pastor, particularly after he volunteered for the American missions in 1926. Many of his letters specifically refer to the arrival of Irish friars in the new parish of Burlingame near San Francisco in California in 1926. By 1937 Fr. Thomas was serving as Pastor of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame. Shortly after, he was appointed Pastor of St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in Watts, Los Angeles, where he became known for successfully paying off the parish’s significant debts during the late Depression era.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition