| Title: | Coogan, Michael (Brother Declan) to Doyle (n. Coogan), Margaret, 1870 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6331 |
| Collection | Carlow-Coogan Letters |
| File | coogan/20 |
| Year | 1870 |
| Sender | Coogan, Michael (Brother Declan) |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | monk/shoemaker |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Mt. Melleray, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford |
| Destination | Harlem, NYC, USA |
| Recipient | Doyle (n. Coogan), Margaret |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 500 |
| Genre | emigration, encouraging her in her new life, commentary on James's behaviour, religious commentary |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Mt. Melleray Abbey, June 14th [1870?] Notes Added at top: James' address was not correct. Please send him this letter speedily. [letter enclosed?] Tell my mother not to fret on any account. My Dear Sister, I have read with ineffable joy your transcendent letter which was handed to me on the 7th of this month, and I can assure you I have not read any letters for several years which gave me so much satisfaction. I hope you will always act in like manner when you write to me, that is, to let me know the particulars of your circumstances. I thank the Almighty from my heart for his Paternal Care and protection of you all, and I can picture you in your new home and I hope that you will all prove your gratitude to our Divine Lord by leading henceforth more than ever holy perfect Christian lives. Don't be uneasy if you meet with unexpected difficulties, for trials are to be met with everywhere. Have confidence in our Lord, who in the inscrutable ways of His adorable providence never fails to place crosses or trials in the path of his elect to add to their glory hereafter. Pray continuously that God's holy grace may never depart from amongst you. What a pity James Coogan should lead a life of such spiritual sloth and indolence, I mean spiritual indolence. I am not at all surprised that my mother should be afflicted, for his state is a most deplorable dangerous one and one that deserves all our prayers and our most serious attention, but I'll mention a fact for your consolation and which may stimulate you to do all in your power for him. Before the conversion of Saint Augustine his mother who was a Catholic and is now a canonized Saint spent ten long years in prayer and tears for his conversion and at length the Almighty heard her prayers and wrought his conversion and we all know the wonderful Bishop and Saint he afterwards became. So I hope this will encourage you all to pray most frequently for him and offer your Communions for him for some time and as you recommended me to pray for him I promise to make good use of your timely suggestion, and I hope our united prayers and supplications will preserve him from the danger of being ensnared in the cruel deathbonds of God's darkest, foulest enemy. My Dear Sister, this is a most important epoch in the Catholic Church. I allude to the general Council of the Vatican (Rome) where the prelates of the Christian world are gathered round the throne of their Anointed Head. Pray for His Holiness and pray for the Bishops and for the success of the holy Council which will prove so much good to the Catholic Church, for now more than ever will the multiform spirits of darkness use all their diabolical machinations to falsify and disturb the onward progress and diffusion of our holy religion. |
