1 - Letter from Fr. Casimir Butler

1

Letter from Fr. Casimir Butler

4 pp; manuscript

Letter from Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. to Fr. Angelus Healy OFM Cap. providing a personal and detailed historical account of the early Capuchin Franciscan missions in Oregon and California. Describing himself as an ‘old timer’, Father Casimir responds to a request for information regarding the order's history. He chronicles the physical and financial hardships of the early days, noting that when the friars arrived, they had no money, lived on very little, and relied heavily on the charity of local communities. He recounts specific historical milestones, including their initial work among Native American populations, early ministry efforts in towns like Hermiston (Oregon), and the eventual expansion of the order’s presence into northern California. The letter also addresses internal administrative challenges, such as the difficulty of obtaining steady financial support, securing reliable transportation to remote mission stations, and managing the severe shortage of priests to cover the massive territorial boundaries of the Western missions. He describes the mission at Santa Inés as being in a state of severe neglect and near-collapse when the friars first arrived, noting that it required monumental physical labour to clean, repair, and make habitable.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition