Dear Editor,
I thought that this piece might be of interest to your readers. Perhaps you might wish to use it as a short article……… But not instead of, I mBéal an Phobail!!!
Regards
Peter Barrett.
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“O u r F a t h e r B i b b y”
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I read with interest the feature by Katherine Blake, in a recent edition of the Kilkenny People, in which she told us so much about the Capuchin Friars and their long and fruitful connection with our Fair City. However, the reference to Fr Albert Bibby, interested me particularly, because I had come across a link with that great Friar, while travelling in California, two years ago. Now I wrote an account of that incident in my Irish Column, in “I mBéal an Phobail”, some time ago, but perhaps it might be of interest, if I gave a summary, in English, of the relevant section of that article here. So here it is…..
On Wednesday the 20th August, 2003, we visited the Mission of Santa Ynez, that is the Mission of Saint Agnes, which was founded in the year 1804, the 19th of the twenty Missions, built by the Spanish, along the coast of California to preach the Gospel to the Indian Nations living in that area, and also to prevent the southward march of the Russians in that same territory. The Mission however, was secularised by the Mexican Authorities in the year 1836, and for a time it served as a college, but it was given back to the Church again in 1862, and from that time to the present day, it has served as a Parish Church for the local Catholics. But like most other Missions, it also serves as a Museum, in which the visitor can inspect the various items, of Mission interest, that have survived the years. The place is decorated beautifully with pictures and statues, some from the foundation years. The size and extent of the Mission surprised us. But we were in for an even greater surprise as we were about to leave the Mission, because there on a wall, one couldn’t but notice a picture of that famous Kilkenny Capuchin, Fr. Albert Bibby. No need to tell you that we stopped instantly to examine this find, and we soon discovered that there were a number of newspaper cuttings placed beside the picture. These cuttings explained that Fr. Bibby was the first Capuchin Pastor of Santa Ynez Mission in California, and that he served there, in that capacity, from 1924 to 1925, as the good man died in that same year of 1925. He was buried there in the Mission Cemetery. The article tells of his funeral and of a rousing eulogy delivered on the occasion by a one Sean T. O Ceallaigh, (a future President of Ireland). He spoke in glowing terms of Fr Albert, his sprirtuality, his nationalism, his loyalty to his flock, and his part in the Easter Rising of 1916 and the search for Irish Freedom.
When our visit to the Mision of Santa Ynez was finished, we visited the souvenir shop to purchase some souvenirs of the occasion. I purchased some books to remind me of the detail of our visit, and when paying for them, I spoke to the assistant.
“Does anybody here still remember an Irish Priest who ministered here in 1925 or so?”
“What was his name,” the lady inquired.
“Father Albert”, I said.
“Oh, you mean our Father Bibby.”
“The same man,” I responded.
Another attendant then joined in and said
“He died here in 1925. He was buried here. He must have been very well-thought-of in his own country, because many important people from Ireland came here for his funeral. However, they did not leave his body here permanently, as his remains were exhumed in 1958, and brought back to rest among his confreres in his native land.”
“Fr. Bibby came from Kilkenny city, in Ireland, and I have come here from that same city. I am glad to learn, that Fr Bibby is still remembered among you.”
“He deserves no less”, she said, thoughtfully.
And on that note I brought that instalment of my series on, The Spanish Missions in California, to an end. I trust that you find it of some interest.
English 
Gaeilge