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21/5/10a Bishops House
Monaghan 20th May 1916
My Dear Mons. Hogan I beg to thank
you for the report on the conduct
and studies of the students from
this diocese, and I am happy to
say that on the whole it is
satisfactory. I hereby grant the usual faculties
for ordination, that is to say
I grant permission to all the
students from this diocese to
be promoted to the order to
which they will be called
by the College authorities, by his
Grace, the Archbishop of Dublin,
on other Bishop who, with
the permission of his Grace
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will confer the Orders, and in
so far as may be necessary. I dispense 'the individual' from
this Diocese in Interstices, though
I think this is not necessary.
With kind regards
I am, my dear Mons Hogan,
Faithfully yours
+ Patrick McKenna
This letter is addressed to Rev Dr John Francis Hogan (1858-1918). Hogan was a priest,
author, and president of St Patrick's College, Maynooth. During the Easter Rising
a group of Volunteers from the town of Maynooth entered the college to seek a blessing
before setting off for Dublin. Hogan reputedly refused to give his blessing to their
‘foolish and most ill-advised expedition’ and urged them to return home. They in turn
refused and Hogan blessed them, while remaining totally opposed to their activities.
He subsequently addressed the students on the need to show proper respect for authority.
This letter was written by Bishop Patrick McKenna (1868-1942). Mckenna was ordained
as the Bishop of Clogher in 1909.
In this letter McKenna is writing to Hogan about the result of the students from
his diocese and states that overall he considers the results to be satisfactory.
McKenna states that he will grant the students permission to be ordained and discusses
their entrance into holy orders.