Vincentians return ‘private’ Kennedy letters

LETTERS WRITTEN by the wife of assassinated United States President John Kennedy to an Irish priest and held by the Vincentians have been returned to her family, writes Sarah Mac Donald.

The 33 letters, written by Jackie Kennedy to Fr Joseph Leonard in the 1950s and 1960s, were kept in All Hallows College, Dublin, after Fr Leonard’s death there in 1964.

In a statement issued last week, the Vincentians said they wished “to confirm that private letters, written by the late Mrs Jacqueline Kennedy to our deceased confrère, Fr Joseph Leonard, have been transferred to the Kennedy family”. The letters were due to be auctioned earlier this year to raise funds for All Hallows College, which has been struggling financially. Estimates said the letters would raise €1 million (£800,000).

However, the Vincentians, who held ownership of the letters, decided that they should be withdrawn from auction following concerns over the private nature of the correspondence. Soon afterwards, All Hallows announced its closure.