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Correspondence between Fr Leonard Sheil SJ and Irish Fr Provincial Laurence J. Kieran SJ on the content of Fr Sheil’s mission sermons. Includes:
– censors’ judgements on the manuscript of a sermon on ‘Sin’ by Fr Sheil (Jun 1936, 2 items); copy of summary of censors’ judgements (n.d., 2pp) and letter from Fr Sheil to the Irish Fr Provincial after receiving the censors’ reviews (24 June 1936, 2pp);
– letter from Fr Sheil in which he explains his delay in sending the Irish Fr Provincial the texts of his sermons, ‘My delay, and indeed serious negligence, has not been due, I think, to wilful disobedience, or to the opinion that they did not need censoring, but to this. I have eight fully written sermons in my drawer at present, but my dissatisfaction with them has caused me to cross out and amend lines and pages, so that none of them are yet in fit condition to send.…also…between missions my head is so tired that I am loathe to work.’ Also refers to the Sodality and the Legion of Mary (see J16/3) (12 Oct. 1936, 2pp);
– copy letter to Fr Sheil from the Irish Fr Provincial calling attention to Fr Sheil’s ‘want of prudence and discretion’ and warning him that if he continues ‘on present lines’ he may be ‘removed from the mission staff and given work in a College. With a view to rendering such a change unnecessary I forbid you in future to speak in the pulpit on questions of sex or, on general, matters relating to the VI commandment, without having first submitted your MS to the Socius for censorship. I wish also that you give up mentioning in public estimates or conjectures regarding the number of Irish emigrants who lose the faith or give up its practice’ (24 Jan. 1938, 2pp);
– note from Fr Sheil to the Irish Fr Provincial in which he lists the topics of his sermons that have been passed by the censor (12 Mar. 1940, 3pp);
– letter from Fr Tom Counihan SJ to ‘Fr. John’ in which he refers to Fr Sheil’s sermons, ‘You should have heard his sermons on sin, temptation, holyhour, family life & Holy Communion to feel utterly ashamed of the twaddle neither here nor there (sic.) No Scripture, no sound reasoning & abundance of crudity & naked realism…It is very unfortunate & I am not at all comfortable when I have to hand over an out-church to his tender mercies!’ (15 May 1940, 2pp) and
– copy letter from the Irish Fr Provincial to Fr Sheil in which he states, ‘I have been regretfully obliged to change you from the mission staff, and it is only fair that you should know the reason of this change. From information I have received from many different quarters it seems clear that you are greatly lacking in prudence in the things you say; and I cannot help thinking that if you were allowed to continue working as a missioner you would land both yourself and the Society into serious trouble…you allow your zeal to get the better of you with the result that you act contrary not only to the advice of your colleagues but also to that of your Superiors. I am afraid also that your knowledge of theology is very much wanting in accuracy…As to your work in Galway in the coming year, I must forbid you to preach anything in the Church without first having shown the MS to Fr Rector…’ (30 Jul. 1940, 2pp).

File of letters and copy of letters related to the postponement of the Penny Dinners in Galway at Columban Hall and its eventual re-establishment. Correspondence between Irish Fr Provincial Laurence Kiernan SJ, Fr John MacSheahan SJ, Rector, St Ignatius Church, Galway and Thomas O'Doherty, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, relating to Bishop O'Doherty’s pastoral letter in which he indirectly refers to the Penny Dinners and the Jesuits, when he condemns dances organised in aid of Penny Dinners by non – Jesuits, ‘I have the strongest possible objection to the means of raising money employed last January…who can control the evils perpetuated in motor cars' (6 April 1926). Includes correspondence between Fr John MacSheahan SJ, Rector, St Ignatius Church, Galway and M. O. Lainn, Clerk, Galway Urban District Council, relating to the re-establishment of Penny Dinners.

Letters to the Irish Fr Provincial concerning the celebrations for the fourth centenary of the foundation of the Society. Includes:

• letter and notes by Fr Aubrey Gwynn SJ (See also ADMN/3/18; 29; 37) concerning a discovery he made in the course of reviewing a German History of the Jesuit Missions under Fr Roothaan, written for the centenary – ‘I found that the four years spent by Fr Robert St Leger at Calcutta (1834-38) mark a turning-point in the whole missionary policy of the new Society. He and Fr Roothaan differed on a fundamental point, and he was recalled after four years. But Fr Roothaan was later compelled by wider experience to adopt the policy which he had opposed in Fr St Leger’s case – i.e., the policy of permitting our Fathers on the missions to accept promotion to episcopal dignity.’ (26 February 1940, 2 items);
• copies of circular letters sent to Jesuit schools and to scholastics by Irish Fr Provincial informing them of the date and form of the celebrations for the centenary in each community (11-12 May 1940, 3 items) and
• copies of newspaper cuttings, congratulatory letters to the Irish Fr Provincial from Galway Corporation and the Catholic Social Service Conference and copy replies ([22 August] – 29 September 1941, 9 items).

Correspondence between Irish Fr Provincial Laurence Kieran SJ, Fr John MacSheahan SJ, Rector, St Ignatius, Galway and Thomas O'Doherty, Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh relating to the authority of the Bishop in insisting that the acts and five minutes sermons are connected, and limiting the number of Masses said at St Ignatius. Refers to the university sodality question, and Fr O'Dea mentioned that he didn't bring it to the Bishops attention (Canon Davis).

Documents, mainly letters to Irish Fr Provincial reporting on works in progress by various Jesuits, to be published during the fourth centenary year of the foundation of the Society. Includes letters from Frs John Ryan, Timothy Mulcahy, Charles Scantlebury, Henry Gill, Joseph Canavan, Michael McGrath, Patrick Gannon, Stephen Brown, Arthur Little, John MacErlean, Edward Coyne (See also ADMN/3/37; 39; 42; 57), Timothy Corcoran, Aubrey Gwynn and Seán Ó Catháin. Also includes lists of titles and authors and a memorandum on historical publications of the Irish Province by Fr Aubrey Gwynn SJ (See also ADMN/3/18; 37; 40).