Exercitia spiritualia
St. Ignatius (Inigo de Oñaz y Loyola), 1491?-1556, was the founder of the Society of Jesus. By turns courtier, soldier, and priest, he directly or indirectly inspired the labors of the Society, shaped its formation, and both codified and exemplified the goals that have been its aim.
The first edition of a book which St. Ignatius began writing at Manresa in 1522-1523; extensively revised and translated into Latin for its first publication, the Exercises not only is central to the Jesuit experience, but is also one of the great monuments in the modern history of the Church. (Woodstock)
Certification of faculties for Rev. Leonard Kessel, S.J.
Kessel (1528-1574) was appointed at age 26 head of the Jesuit college in Cologne; shortly thereafter he experienced a vision of St. Ignatius, then still living in Rome. (GULSC)
Silver chalice and paten
This chalice was used over a long period in the Lancaster family home at Rock Point, Charles County, Maryland. Made in two parts, its bowl has been repaired and makers' marks deliberately obliterated. (GUC)
A briefe relation of the voyage unto Maryland
The case for Fr. White's authorship of this primary account of the settlement is overwhelming, though this manuscript is at best a secretarial copy of White's holograph. Its conclusion aptly states the high hopes of the nascent colony and mission: "the place abound not alone with pfit [profit], but also with pleasure +" (MHS)
White, Rev. Andrew, S.J., to Lord Baltimore
A very long letter in which Fr. White makes a special request for the recruitment of two more Jesuits who have written to him. Of particular note is the following reference to the Indian language and "a decay of my hearing":
...an office I have as yrLp knowes as allso in lerning the Indian language wch hath many darke gutturalls, and drowneth often the last syllable or letteth it so softely fall as itt is euen by a good eare harde to bee vnderstood." (MHS)
Fisher, Rev. Philip, S.J. (alias Thomas Copley), to Lord Baltimore
Baltimore's endorsement summarizes the contents: "heerein are demands of very extrauagant priuiledges." Fisher sought, "while the gouerment is catholique" to establish the right of sanctuary; to free the Jesuits from public taxes; to work toward the establishment of an ecclesiastical court; and to "freely goe, abide and liue amonge the Sauages, wth out any licence to be had here from the Gouernor, or any other." (MHS)
Manuale sacerdotum
STC 16159. On five pages bound at the front are drafts of prayers, the commandments, and the precepts of the Church written by Andrew White ca. 1640 in English, Latin, and Conoy (Piscataway). These fragments are all that is known to survive of extensive works by Fr. White in the language of the Piscataways. (GULSC)
Silver chalice and paten
London, 1640-1641; and [Maryland? 1650-1700?]
The chalice, used at Newtown perhaps as early as the 1650's, is taken over from a secular cup bearing London marks for 1640-1641 and a maker's mark also found on Church of England communion cups. Such conversions, as well as the use of base metal, helped alleviate the scarcity of church vessels. (GUC)
Grant of land to William Britton
Calvert, Caecilius, second Lord Baltimore
The original grant for Newtown, also known as "Britton's Neck." This parcel, together with another ("Britton's Outlet"), were purchased later in the century by Rev. Henry Pelham, S.J., for 40,000 lbs. of tobacco. Together with St. Thomas and St. Inigoes manors, Newtown was one of the principal Jesuit estates in southern Maryland. (MSJ)
Grant of land to Rev. Henry Pelham, S.J. (alias Henry Warren)
Calvert, Caecilius, second Lord Baltimore
Fr. Pelham, Superior in Maryland from 1661 to 1675, held in his own name much of the Jesuit estates. This grant conveyed to Pelham 4,000 acres in "St. Thomas his Mannor" on the Potomac near present-day Port Tobacco. (MSJ)
Rich Neck Manor, Talbot County, Md. Ink drawing
The manor includes a small brick building (right foreground) in the style of a 17th-century chapel. It is possible that the building dates from as early as 1650, and it is also possible that it was a Catholic chapel. (Frederikse)
Silver ciborium with cover
The mark PE on the ciborium is not recorded in England; this is possibly the "silver challace with a cover" listed in the 1723 inventory of James Heath of Worsell Manor. The cover is a later replacement. (Carley)
Deed of "Brambly" to Justinian Gerard
The deed to "Brambly," a tract of 500 acres in St. Clement's Manor, including a detailed inventory of farm equipment and household goods; later part of the estate of the Plowdens, an early Catholic Maryland family. (GULSC)
Silver gilt ostensorium
The base of this otherwise unmarked piece is engraved "Ora pro Georgio Tompsono." Thompson (fl. 1658-1663) was the first Clerk of Court in Charles County, Md., and the ostensorium was probably executed at his expense or at that of one of his near descendants. (GUC)
Calvert, Charles, third Lord Baltimore, to George Brent
An engaging attempt on Baltimore's part to recruit into Maryland his wife's son-in-law, George Brent, then residing in Virginia; Brent's relocation would be "a great credit to MaryLd." (GULSC)
Pewter chalice and paten
Associated with the early Maryland missions by long tradition, this chalice is unusual in not being made of the customary silver and gilt; its mark RI has not been traced in England. Like the secular cup made into a chalice (8), this chalice of base metal was occasioned by the lack of suitable vessels in the missions. (GUC)
De nieuwe en onbekende wereld: af beschryving van America
A very detailed early map of the area comprising what is now eastern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and southern Pennsylvania, showing "Iamestowne," but not the English settlements in Maryland. (GULSC)
Liberty and property, or the beauty of Maryland displayed, being a brief & candid inquiry into her charter, fundamental laws and constitution. By a lover of his country
Attwood, Rev. Peter, S.J.?
Internal evidence suggests this essay was drafted between 1717 and 1720, when the Calverts resumed active control of the colony. Foreshadowing the Revolutionary literature of the 1770's, Attwood excoriates the Royal governors as "strangers to our Constitution" who "came to raise their own fortunes, not to advance ours." (GULSC)
The laws of the Province of Maryland
Philadelphia: A. Bradford
Evans 1965. The institution of the Penal Laws after 1689 effectively reversed the position of Catholics in Maryland. A principal reason for the survival of Catholicism, however, was the official policy of permitting priests to say Mass in private homes, as shown here in an act of the session of March 26-April 15, 1707. (GULSC)
Archbishop John Carroll. Oil on canvas by Gilbert Stuart (unsigned).
The most famous likeness of John Carroll, commissioned by Robert Barry, a devoted friend. (GUC)
Silver pocket-watch
This watch belonged to Archbishop Carroll. Its place and date of manufacture have not been ascertained; the movement is unmarked, and the case bears the stamps GFT and 1363. (GUC)
Missale romanum
An early octavo edition of the Tridentine missal. According to Bishop James Van de Velde and others, this was the missal used by John Carroll while attending the missions at Rock Creek. The binding is American, ca. 1825-1850. (GULSC)
Theological notes on the Sacraments, in Latin
Though these notes, in the hand of John Carroll, are undated, it is likely that they are from the time of his theologate. As is the case in most of the "school manuscripts" (cf. 30) authorship is not ascribed, since they represent a cumulative effort of lecture, study, and annotation. see: The Catholic School Manuscripts Collections; and The Jesuit School Manuscripts Collection. (GULSC)
Some thoughts upon America, and upon the danger from Roman Catholicks there
Sabin 86780. An anonymous broadside cautioning against the danger of allowing Catholics to settle in the English colonies. Declaring himself against religious persecution, the author stresses nonetheless the menace of a league between the Catholics of French Canada and those of the English colonies. (GULSC)
The New Testament
STC 2884 and 2946, the first and fourth editions of the Rheims version. Both volumes were part of the library of the Jesuit residence at St. Francis Xavier (Bohemia Manor) in the 18th century, as well as St. Joseph's in Talbot County. Catholic English Bibles and Testaments were so scarce that they were literally read to pieces (and repaired again, as is the 1633 volume shown here). Not until 1790 was the Rheims-Douay text printed in America. (GULSC)
Ledger and day-book, Bohemia Manor
The Jesuits established their second Maryland school (the first ran briefly at Newtown in 1677) at Bohemia Manor, on the Eastern Shore at the head of Chesapeake Bay. John Carroll entered in 1745 to prepare for the Jesuit College of St. Omer in Flanders. The opening displayed shows the account of Mr. Wayte, the schoolmaster. (MSJ)
Grant of land to Major Peter Sayer
Calvert, Charles, third Lord Baltimore
Part of Worsell Manor, the subject of this grant, subsequently (1728) passed to Rev. Peter Attwood, S.J. and was incorporated into what the Jesuits called "Bohemia Manor." (GULSC)
Silver chalice and paten
The history of this chalice can be traced back to the Peter Sayer (d. 1697) who received the grant of Worsell Manor in 1685 (cf. 28). Typically English, its mark TP in a shield has not been associated in the past with work done for the English recusants. (Carley)
Collection of mathematical treatises and notes, in Latin and English
This manuscript is associated by tradition with Rev. Henry Neale, S.J., recognized as a talented mathematician, who died in Philadelphia in 1748. Such manuscripts, derived from lectures in the European Jesuit colleges, often served in place of printed books both for teaching and for reference. (GULSC)
Record book, Maryland Mission
The "Old Records" represents an early effort at codifying the history of the Maryland Mission. Begun by Peter Attwood in the 1720's, it includes a comprehensive list of lands held by the Society; a summary of ecclesiastical faculties and privileges; a list of births of slaves on St. Thomas Manor; and a list of Jesuits who served on the mission, 1632-1815. (MSJ)
To the Hon:ble the Upper House of Assembly of the Province of Maryland. The petition of sundry Ro. Catholics on behalf of themselves and others of the same communion residing in the Province aforesaid
Docketed by Charles Carroll
(MSJ)
Ridout, John [secretary to the Governor], to Charles Carroll, Basil Waring, Clement Hill, and Ignatius Digges
Carroll, Charles, to Ignatius Digges, Basil Waring, and Clement Hill
A list of papers sent to England in defense of the Roman Catholics of Maryland
The lower house of the Maryland assembly increased its attacks on Catholics after 1750; its measures were generally blocked by the Upper House and Council. Charles Carroll, the father of the Signer, led the Catholic petitioners against these measures. The petition displayed proclaims the loyalty of Catholics, yet "We are informed a Bill is now before yor Hon:rs by a Clause of which the lands of all Ro. Cats are doubly taxed." On May 12 John Ridout denied knowledge of such a bill in the name of the Governor, who suggested a petition to the lower house should such a bill appear there. Yet the engrossed bill passed both houses on May 15. Faced with this duplicity, Carroll refused to join in petitions to the lower house. We find Carroll's comments in his list of documents sent to England: "Oh, the sagacious, merry and witty Govr! who ordered his clerk to write to me . . . to oppose a law which passed the House the day Mr. Ridout wrote his letter . . . Most governors find their Lower Houses of Assembly assuming powers . . . [the Governor's doctrine] would make the Upper house and Governor cyphers."
Missale romanum
One of two missals copied out by Rev. Theodore Schneider, S.J., founder of the mission at Goshenhoppen (now Bally), Pa., in 1741. The scarcity of Catholic devotional and liturgical works was a constant problem until well into the 19th century. (GULSC)
Ledger, St. Thomas Manor
The ledger is in very poor condition. The leaf displayed lists tenants and their rents ca. 1755. The yearly income of the manor is difficult to tally, but appears to have totalled 40 fowl, 21,050 lbs. of tobacco, and 1,050 lbs. of pork. (MSJ)
Silver chalice and paten
The early history of this two-piece chalice is not known. It is of a relatively common type, though the maker is not identified. Chalices of this sort would have been, perhaps, those most frequently used in the Maryland missions and among Maryland Catholic families. (GUC)
Carroll, John, to the Continental Congress
(Incomplete retained copy)
In February, 1776, the Congress asked Carroll to accompany Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll to Montreal with the aim of securing the neutrality, if not the active assistance, of the Canadians. Carroll reluctantly accepted the commission: "I have observed that when the ministers of Religion leave the duties of their profession to take a busy part in political matters, they generally fall into contempt." (BCA)
Rob of the Bowl: A Legend of St. Inigoe's
Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard
First edition of a novel set in St. Mary's County in 1681; central to its action is the continuing rivalry of Catholic and Protestant factions in the colony. Parrington called it "one of the most finished and delightful of our earlier romances. (GULSC)
Sketch of St. Joseph's, Talbot County, Maryland
Rev. Joseph Mosley, S. J, was born in Lincolnshire on November 16, 1731. He came to Maryland in 1758 and in 1765 established the mission of St. Joseph's in Talbot County, remaining there until his death in 1787. His life is typical of the missioners serving isolated congregations. Sixteen letters to his sister in London, Mrs. Dunn, survive. The entire collection is available here.
Mosley, Rev. Joseph, to Mrs. Dunn, Newtown
Mosley's first letter after his arrival in Maryland: "I find here business enough on my hands in my Way of Trade - I've care of some fifteen hundred souls"
The same to the same, Newtown
"You desire a short account of this part of America." Mosley describes the land in some detail. He was particularly fond of the horses: "Our horses are almost all natural pacers; they will easily go . . . a whole day without food, at the rate of 7, 8, 9 miles per hour..."
Day-book
This small day-book gives a brief account of the establishment of St. Joseph's and lists Mosley's expenses and travels. The opening displayed shows expenses, including a donation to the French displaced from Acadia, and lists books loaned to the congregations. (MSJ)
Silver pyx
Abingdon, Harford County, Md.: Joseph Toy
Almost certainly used by Rev. Joseph Mosley; marked (twice) with Toy's IT mark. (Carley)
Mosley, Rev. Joseph, to Mrs. Dunn, Tuckahoe, Talbot County, Md.
Mosley describes his new mission: "On the land there were three buildings, a miserable dwelling-house, a much worse for negroes, and a house to cure tobacco in. . . . The Chief Congregation is but ten mile off; 2nd, 20; the 3rd, 24; 4th, 22; 5th, at home; 6th, 22. All these I visit once in two months."
The same to the same, Maryland
Mosley provides a graphic description of the impact of the suppression of the Society on the Jesuits in Maryland: "I must allow with truth, that what was my pleasure is now irksome; every fatigue I underwent caused a secret and inward satisfaction; it's now unpleasant and disagreeable. . . . As the Jesuit is judged unfit by his H.. ness for a Mission, I think that it is high time for me to retire to a private life."
The same to the same, St. Joseph's, Talbot County, Md.
Drawing of the chapel and residence enclosed.
Mosley did not retire to a private life: "Since the commencement of the war, I've built on my farm a brick chapel and dwelling-house....I've happily finished, without any assistance either from our Gentlemen or my Congregation." Chapel and residence were under one roof, an arrangement adopted in several mission stations to evade the provision of the Penal Laws which forbade public places of worship for Catholics.
Plat of land, St. Joseph's Mission, Talbot County, Md.
"The land I bought . . . cost £1-10 per acre some years ago: it will sell now for £6 and 7 per ditto." (Mosley to Mrs. Dunn, October 3, 1774) (MSJ)
Rev. Francis Neale, S.J. Oil on panel
This portrait of Fr. Neale, twice president of Georgetown and one of its first teachers, is probably a copy after an original by J.P. de Clorivière, who painted a number of the Maryland clergy. (GUC)
Challoner, Richard, Vicar Apostolic of London and Bishop of Debra, to the Jesuits of the Maryland Mission
Conveying notice of the suppression ordered by Clement XIV: "To obey the orders I have rec[eive]d from above, I notify to you by this the Breve of the total dissolution of the Society of Jesus...." (MSJ)
Carroll, John, to Rev. Charles Plowden, Maryland
Nine years after the suppression, the Jesuits had still taken no steps to organize, and Carroll became increasingly frustrated by their failure to deal with their situation. Charles Plowden, a prominent English Jesuit, was a life-long correspondent of Carroll, and their letters are a major source for the history of Anglo-American Catholicism from 1779 to 1815 (MSJ)
Proceedings at a meeting of some of the Clergy in Maryland begun & held at the White Marsh
"The object of this meeting is agreed to be, to establish a form of government for the Clergy & to lay down rules for the administration and preservation of their property." At Carroll's initiative six former Jesuits met near present-day Bowie to organize a representative body of the clergy. (BCA)
Carroll, John, to Rev. Charles Plowden, Maryland
"You have adopted the language of some of the prints on your side the water by representing us as under imperious leaders, & the trammels of France: but alas! our Imperious leaders, by whom I suppose you mean the Congress, were at all time amenable to our particular assemblies, elected by them every year, often turned out of their seats...." Carroll was an enthusiastic supporter of American independence. (MSJ)
A short account of the establishment of the new See of Baltimore
Plowden, Rev. Charles, S.J.
First edition. Of principal interest is the crucial portion of the authority granted by Pius VI for constituting the new See:
"the priests who lawfully exercise the sacred ministry and have care of souls in the united States of America, should be empowered . . . to determine . . . who of the aforesaid priests appeared the most worthy and proper to be promoted to this important charge, whom We, for this first time only, and by special grace permitted the said priests to elect and to present to this apostolical See." (GULSC)
Lulworth Castle in Dorsetshire, the Seat of Humphrey Weld, Esqr.
Publish 'd as the Act directs
View of the site of the consecration of John Carroll as first Bishop of Baltimore; engraved from the drawing by Lord Duncannon. (GULSC)
Minutes of the First Diocesan Synod, Baltimore
Twenty-two priests from Boston to southern Maryland gathered to enact legislation concerning the discipline and administration of the American Church. Rapid expansion of the Catholic community led the participants to consider at once the creation of an additional diocese. This synod was the culmination of Carroll's efforts to organize the Church in America. (Woodstock)
Carroll, John, to Rev. Charles Plowden, Baltimore
"Mr. Thomas Sim Lee, who embraced the Catholic faith about four years ago, and is a zealous observer of its precepts, is lately chosen Governor of this state." To Carroll, this was striking "proof of the decay of religious prejudice" following the Revolution. (MSJ)
Carroll, John, to Rev. Charles Plowden, Rock Creek
John Carroll planned to establish an American Catholic college as early as 1783. Fund-raising began and land was acquired in 1787, and building commenced in 1788. The first student, William Gaston, arrived in 1791.
"The object nearest my heart now & the only one that can give consistency to our religious views in this country, is the establishment of a school..." (MSJ)
The same to the same, Rock Creek
January 22-February 28, 1787
"We have now two great undertakings in hand for the success of which we stand in need of every support and best advice of the friends of religion. We have resolved to establish an academy for the education of youth; and to sollicit the appointment of a diocesan Bishop." Carroll asks for detailed advice about the organization and curriculum of the school and describes the opposition of those who did not wish to alienate the property held in anticipation of the restoration of the Society. Carroll took the larger view: "I hope they will soon change their minds, and remember . . . that the Society was instituted to save souls; & that souls were not made subservient to the temporal benefits of the Society." (MSJ)
Carroll, John, to the Gentlemen of the Southern District, Baltimore
(Retained copy)
Answering objections raised to the school, Carroll provides a clear description of its intended scope:
"With respect to Instruction, it is confined to the teaching of English, the learned languages, and the elements of mathematics." (BCA)
Plan for the academy
As this document indicates, Carroll planned the school in great detail. Pages displayed detail the general government of the academy and the salaries of the professors: "But as it cannot be expected that the meer English Teacher will be a candidate for H. orders, it is proposed to give him £80 p. ann." Carroll first wrote "£100 p. ann." (BCA)
To all liberally inclined to promote the education of youth
Proposals for establishing an academy
Carroll's letter of authorization for fund-raising and his Proposals were the first public notices of the proposed academy; the copies displayed were sent to Edward Weld of Lulworth, Dorset, March 30, 1787. In a letter of February 7, 1787 (60), Carroll says that they should have been sent to the addressee long since. (GUA)
Carroll, John, to Thomas Sim Lee, Georgetown
"I have the pleasure to inform you that we have flattering prospects for its [the academy's] encouragement: Col. Deakins & Mr. Threlkeld have joined in granting a fine piece of ground for the purpose of building." (GULSC)
Contract for erecting the first building of Georgetown College
Henry Carlile, carpenter and joiner, and John M. Henry agree to build the "hull or carcase" for 450 pounds, Maryland money. The materials were to be provided by the superintendents, Bernard O'Neale, William Deakins, Notley Young, and Charles Beatty. (MSJ)
Carroll, John, to Rev. Charles Plowden, Maryland
"We shall begin the building of our Academy this summer. In the beginning we shall confine our plan to a house of 63 or 64 feet by 50, on one of the most lovely situations that imagination can frame." (MSJ)
Ledger A-1, Georgetown College
This ledger includes accounts with William Gaston, the first student, and Mathew Carey, bookseller. The opening displayed shows the account of Augustine and Bushrod Washington, sons of Bushrod Washington, the nephew of the first President. (GUA)
Minutes, Board of Directors, Georgetown College
The General Chapter of the Clergy appointed five directors for the proposed academy in 1786; this number was reduced to three in 1792. Neither body appears to have kept regular minutes. On September 1, 1797, a committee of the Select Body appointed a new board and resolved that they should appoint a secretary who should keep a book of their proceedings. Minutes of the first meeting are shown. (GUA)
College of George-Town, (Potomack) in the State of Maryland, United States of America
The same, in Spanish
The first prospectus of Georgetown College, issued by President DuBourg on January 1, 1798. The fragments of the Spanish version are unique; no copy of the French version published at the same time is known to exist. (GUA)
Emblem of Georgetown College
Etched copper plate by an unknown artist.
A ledger entry of May 11, 1798, records the payment of 15 shillings to a college employee, one Justane, for "the Seal of the Corporation." Though not, properly speaking, a seal, this plate is linked with that entry, and later official seals have employed various modifications of this original design. (GUA)
Catholicae fidei
By the brief Catholicae fidei, Pius VII gave his formal sanction to the branch of the Jesuits which had survived suppression in White Russia. Under its terms the vicar-general, Franciszek Kareu, became "General" of the Society. Its circulation throughout the world caused a flood of petitions from groups of ex-Jesuits to affiliate with the Russian Jesuits, even though such affiliation was not formally sanctioned in Catholicae fidei. (MSJ)
Petition requesting restoration of the Society of Jesus in North America
List of those declaring desire to become postulants of the Society
Charles and St. Mary's County
(BCA)
On May 25, 1803, Bishops Carroll and Neale, the recipients of the petition and its addendum, forwarded the request to the General in Russia, Gabriel Gruber.
Stone, Rev. Marmaduke, to John Carroll, Stonyhurst
Fr. Stone's letter includes a copy of the letter sent by Father General Gruber to Carroll, March 12, 1804, but which Carroll never received; thus Stone's letter, a year later, brought the first news of the General's acceptance of the petitioners. (BCA)
Appointment of Rev. Robert Molyneux as Superior of the American Jesuits
Molyneux's appointment antedates by nearly two months the formal taking of vows by Frs. Molyneux, Sewall, and Charles Neale, who became the first Americans to rejoin the Society, August 18, 1805. (MSJ)
Brzozowski, Rev. Tadeusz, to John Carroll, Polotsk
The same to the same, St. Petersburg
(BCA)
The confusions introduced into the process of restoration by faulty mails and the death of Father General Gruber in April, 1805, were finally resolved in these letters from his successor, the second specifically approving Carroll's choices of Molyneux as Superior and Francis Neale as head of the novitiate, and leaving no doubts that the American Jesuits were once again firmly a part of the Society.
The Seal of the Society of Jesus
As rendered in stained glass in the Healy Building, Georgetown University
