The New Collection Catalogue Irish College Rome
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Archival list The New Collection Catalogue Irish College Rome PART ONE Introduction Pre‐Cullen Series Cullen Series ARCHIVES PONTIFICAL IRISH COLLEGE, ROME The New Collection, Irish College Rome Collection Identity Statement Title: The New Collection Covering Dates: c.1770-1895 Collection Codes: PICR Archives PCUL/NC, CUL/NC, KIR/NC Collection Size: 20 boxes (7 boxes or circa 4000 documents covered by this catalogue) Finding Aids: Descriptive list. Description level: Multi-level description (Series, Sub-series and Item) Table of Contents Page (i) Introduction. (i) Preface. (i) Biographical points. (vi) Provenance and Archival History. (vii) Scope. (ix) Content. (xii) Archival Listing and Arrangement (including schema). 1 Pre-Cullen Series. 2 Miscellaneous Letters. 1759-1830 11 Financial Affairs. 1811-1829 18 Michael Blake- Correspondence 1824-1826 21 Irish College- Correspondence. 1826-1832 24 Michael Blake Constitution. 1825 25 Cullen Series. 27 Paul Cullen- Student of Propaganda Fide. 48 Paul Cullen- Office Holder of Propaganda Fide. 76 Cullen correspondence- undated, draft and miscellaneous material. 92 Cullen correspondence- dated material. 1829-1851 214 Kirby Series. 215 Kirby correspondence- dated material. c.1840-1895 (reference code includes the date). 828 Kirby correspondence- drafts, petitions and miscellaneous material. 911 Appendix. 912 Appendix 1: Summary overview of uncatalogued sections of The New Collection. 917 Appendix 2: Details of previous archivists’ notes and comments found in collection during renumbering. 921 Appendix 3: Response from Sydney Archdiocesan Archives to query regarding ‘unaccounted for’ New Collection letters. 922 Select Bibliography Introduction The following archival list describes the arrangement and content of documents contained in the New Collection held at the Pontifical Irish College, Rome. These documents are associated with a number of rectors of the college and in particular Rector Cullen and Rector Kirby. The archival history of the collection is complex- involving the separation of documents from their original collections and contexts, their removal to Australia and their eventual return to the college archives. It should be noted, from the outset, that in order to maximise the potential of The New Collection, researchers must, in parallel, search through the catalogues of the ‘core’ Cullen Collection and ‘core’ Kirby Collection. One of the aims of the following introduction is, therefore, to familiarize researchers with the separations and mergers that shaped this collection thereby enabling them make these parallel searches. Biographical points. The New Collection was not created by a single Irish College Rector. It, in fact, contains papers dating from at least four rectorships; those of Rectors Blake, Boylan, Cullen and Kirby. It also includes a small quantity of papers dating from the early decades of the 1800s before the college was re-established. However, perhaps the most significant shaper of this collection was Cardinal Patrick Moran, Archbishop of Sydney who was responsible for the seperation and removal of the papers. Michael Blake The college in Via degli Ibernesi had been closed in 1798 during the French occupation of Rome. In 1824, Michael Blake, a Dublin priest and former student of the college, embarked on a mission to have the college restored.1 While he had the backing of Archbishop Murray and initial Papal support his plans were hindered by Monsignor Caprano, Secretary of Propaganda Fide who lobbied for Propaganda College to incorporate Blake’s project. Blake dedication to the task resulted in the restoration of the college in 1826. He remained as Rector until 1828 and later became Bishop of Dromore, a position he held until his death in 1860.2 Christopher Boylan Christopher Boylan, a former professor of Maynooth College, was appointed rector in 1828. His brief tenure as rector was hindered by ill health and was ended with his death in early 1832. There are few documents associated with Boylan – the most notable being his dispute with Michael Blake over the financial affairs of the college in 1829. Paul Cullen Paul Cullen (1803-1878) was Rector of the Irish College from 1831 to 1849, was consecrated Archbishop of Armagh in 1849, was translated to the See of Dublin in 1852 and was to become Ireland’s first Cardinal in 1866. The Irish College hold an extensive quantity of papers from this influential figure. Cullen was born and educated near Ballitore, Co Kildare. He first studied in Carlow College before going to Propaganda Fides’ Urban College in Rome in 1819. At Propaganda he absorbed the values that would shape his future outlook and he laid the foundations for a reputation which would, at key stages of his life, advance his career and objectives. He enjoyed a distinguished academic career and in 1828 defended his doctorate in theology before an audience that included Pope Leo XII. Mauro Cappellari, who would later become Gregory XVI, took an interest in Cullen and as a result Cullen did not return to his Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin following ordination but instead remained at Propaganda Fide as Professor of Greek, Hebrew and Scripture. 1 Hanly, John. “The Restoration of the College” in The Coelian 1970 (Rome) p12‐15 2 http://www.catholic‐hierarchy.org Accessed 13/10/2009 In 1832, Cullen was appointed rector of a fledgling and struggling Irish College. He successfully secured the future of the college- increasing the student population from twenty in 1832 to over forty in 18353 and thereby strengthening the finances of the college. He also secured a permanent home for the college and the church of S. Agatha from Pope Gregory XVI. He astutely fostered relationships with the Irish hierarchy, on whom he relied for students, often becoming their official Roman agent. His role as agent yielded an income of £100 per annum but also increased his influence in Ireland and at the Curia. This role was to remain a key function of future rectors. He endeavoured to chart a middle ground between conflicting parties of Irish bishops but increasingly found himself in agreement with Archbishop MacHale of Tuam (as opposed to Archbishop Murray of Dublin) on the divisive issues of education and charitable bequests. In 1841 he had reported that national schools were no danger to faith, however he was active in his opposition to the establishment of the secular Queen’s Colleges which lead to their papal condemnation in 1848. Internal hierarchical conflict in Ireland and revolution in Italy served as the backdrop to his appointment to the See of Armagh. During the short-lived Roman Republic of 1849, Cullen took over as Rector of the Urban College and successfully countered attempts to confiscate the college. During the same year Archbishop Crolly, a supporter of Archbishop Murray of Dublin, died suddenly during a cholera outbreak. As the provincial bishops of Armagh were unable to agree upon a successor the decision fell upon Pope Pius IX and Propaganda. They decided to send Cullen back to Ireland not only as archbishop but also as apostolic delegate with powers to restore order on the Irish hierarchy. Cullen was true to his brief and convened a national synod of Irish bishops at Thurles in 1850, the first held since the Reformation. At Thurles, despite strong opposition, he not only attempted to assert his (and by extension papal) control on the hierarchy and their clergy, he also created the blueprint for the remodelling of Irish Catholicism along more ‘Roman’ lines. The Decrees of Thurles were approved by the Pope despite continuing opposition. In the subsequent decades, as Cullen’s authority increased, they were continually asserted in pastoral letters and circulars and through the Irish Ecclesiastical Record which he established in 1864. Cullen’s translation to the See of Dublin was again pushed by Propaganda despite opposition from the British government. As Archbishop of Dublin he was able to pursue with even more vigour policies already implemented in Armagh. His desire to have Catholic-run schools, hospitals and institutions resulted in his active support for religious orders, in particular nuns. His desire to introduce vigorous Roman-style religious practice lead to his active support for the parish missions of the Redemptorists, Vincentians and Rosminians and the introduction of devotions such as the ‘Forty Hours Adoration’. His earlier experience with secular Queen’s Colleges infused him with a desire to establish a wholly Catholic third-level institution. This eventually led, in 1851, to the establishment of the Catholic University under the rectorship of John Henry Newman. The emerging confidence of the Catholic Church in Ireland took a physical form in new churches, schools and hospitals buildings. Cullen’s letters, therefore, reveal a heavy administrative workload that involved fundraising and lobbying, the purchase and development of property and regular visitations involving confirmations, ‘sod-turnings’ and church dedications. His episcopacy also saw a dramatic increase in the number of religious and a corresponding increase in religious observance and enrolment in fraternities. In his own diocese he oversaw the purchase of lands at Clonliffe and the building of Holy Cross Seminary. He believed that Irish emigrants and Irish missionary priests in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States etc. should have Irish Bishops and used his position to promote like-minded clergymen to the episcopacy in Ireland and missionary territories. The Australia hierarchy, for example, were to have a number of Irish-born and Rome-educated bishops including Cullen’s nephew, Patrick Moran, who was himself to become Australia’s first Cardinal. Cullen was deeply loyal to the papacy throughout his life and while he regularly found himself at odds with the British government, the press, Protestant organisations or Irish politicians he rarely put a foot wrong with the Curia. He was a trusted colleague and friend to Fransoni and Barnabo both of whom held the post of Cardinal Prefect. Despite his poor health he returned on a number of occasions to the Eternal City attending, for example, the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.