The Group of Six
Their First Five Years
In 1952 the
General Council of the Spiritans decided to open new missions in
regions in which the Congregation had never been previously engaged.
The post-war era was one of an abundance of vocations. The numbers of
Spiritans being ordained in the "home countries" of France,
Germany, Quebec, Holland, the U.S., Portugal, Ireland, U.K., etc. was
growing every year. And the traditional "mission countries"
were producing their first crop of Spiritan priests and brothers.
The same Council also decided to develop new "home
countries" which would produce Spiritans to serve in their
third-world missions. The Spiritans of Ireland were asked to create a
presence in English Canada, known to be a rich source of missionary vocations.
They picked the founding team with great care. Everyone was
experienced in some aspect of evangelization. Leo Brolly, aged 50,
was a proven administrator and leader of men, with a quarter century
of experience in Nigeria. Paddy Walsh aged 44 had a brilliant career,
also in Nigeria, as Vicar General, Superior and Seminary Professor.
At 33 Garry McCarthy was the youngest of the group. In his five years
as teacher and coach in St. Mary's College, Dublin had showed himself
to be a talented staff member
with great influence over the boys in his care. Bob Hudson already
had several years experience in vocation animation in Ireland when he
arrived in Canada. Nick McCormack was a veteran parish priest with
over twenty years as pastor in Trinidad W.I. Des McGoldrick was only
35 but had built a great reputation in Kenya as a giver of retreats
and spiritual director.
Each member of this team was selected as a role player. The plan was
to accept a parish in Ontario as the central administrative centre
and home base of the new foundation. Leo Brolly travelled to Detroit
and stayed with the Spiritans there. They gave him the names of some
contacts they had in Canada, including Bishop Cody of London,
Ontario, a past student of St. Alexander's College in Gatineau,
Quebec. This famous school is operated by the French Canadian
Spiritans. Bishop Cody offered Leo a place to start the new foundation.
Leo travelled north at once to inspect the location in which his team
was to create a new parish. There was no church, no priests'
residence, but there was a name; St. Rita's Parish, Woodstock,
Ontario. A large rambling old house near the corner of Dundas Street
and Clarke Avenue was bought by the diocese for the Spiritans' use.
On Monday October 18th, 1954 the group of six gathered there. In this
modest foundation the project took roots.
Right away Nick McCormack set about building a parish with Garry
McCarthy as his assistant. Weekend Masses were held in the local
school; funerals and weddings were held in St. Mary's Parish Church,
the parish from which St. Rita's had been broken off. Within three
years a fine church had been built.
In the meanwhile the "mission band" of Frs. Walsh,
McGoldrick and Hudson was spreading the name of the Spiritans through
missions to parishes, retreats in schools and convents, all over
Canada. Their spreading of the news soon brought results, as
invitations came to the Spiritans from far and wide. The Irish
Spiritans sent more men to join the pioneer group every year.
Then an invitation came from Cardinal McGuigan of Toronto to open a
boys' high school. Neil McNeil High School was opened in 1958, the
same year the first English Canadian applied to join the Spiritans.
In five short years the founding fathers had planted roots, the group
had grown, and the first fruits of the harvest were being reaped.
Spiritan
Missionary News, May 2004
Welcome
to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of over three thousand members,
founded in 1703. Our missions are spread worldwide. While we may be
found involved in many diverse ministries, we have dedicated
ourselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the
Church has difficulty in finding ministers. We hope you enjoy your
visit to our site and that while browsing you will keep us in your
prayers. May God bless you.
In
2003 we celebrated 
