Being
brought up in a very large family, I had plenty of brothers to play
football with and plenty of sisters for company. So I was delighted
when my first appointment after being ordained was to the staff of
St. Mary's College in Dublin, a boys' school not far from my home.
The five years I spent there were among the happiest in my life. I
became totally involved in the life of the school; academic,
athletic, cultural, social and religious. I was most involved as a
classroom teacher, as rugby and cricket coach , as moderator of the
Boy Scouts and as a director of the Legion of Mary. So I was not
overly enthusiastic when I heard I had been appointed to a team of
pioneers given the mandate to establish the Spiritans in English
Canada. I was leaving behind in Dublin my family and a community I
loved so much; the staff and students of St. Mary's. Today, fifty
years later, I'm sure I still bore people with stories of "the
Giller" and how my Under Twelve's lost in the final to our great
rival Belvedere.
On arrival in Canada, in 1954, I found life tough. I was appointed to
parish work, a new experience for me, under a very demanding pastor
Nick McCormack who did not suffer fools gladly. I hope I was not a
fool. But I was naive.
But then my fondest dreams came true. The Spiritans were asked to
open a new high school for boys in the East End of Toronto. In
September 1957 I joined the staff of the legendary St. Michael's
College in Toronto operated by the Basilian Fathers. I was accepted
into their community, included in all school activities and learned
the skills I needed to be an educator in Canada.
In September 1958, Neil McNeil High School took its first students
into Grades 9 and 10. Fr. Michael Troy was Principal, I was
Vice-Principal and treasurer and year by year Spiritans from Ireland
were added to the team until our number reached fourteen.
I still look back on those years when Neil McNeil grew in size,
stature and reputation as among the best in my life. I was young,
energetic, and creative. Since money was so tight and we did not have
a residence, we Spiritans slept in empty classrooms and ploughed
every dollar we earned back into the school. The spirit among the
staff and the students was unbelievable in those early years.
Everyone showed up to see the hockey, football and basketball teams
play. I will never forget the evening we first beat St. Michael's in
ice-hockey. The celebrations at the school went on long into the night.
But all good things must come to an end. In 1963 I was appointed
District Superior to replace Leo Brolly who had led the Spiritan
group for nine years. I did not want the post of Superior, I felt I
did not have the particular talents which that position of leadership
required. I had no inclination for administration. The nine darkest
years of my life had begun. I missed the Spiritan Community at
McNeil. I missed the boys and young men who attended the school, I
missed the parents' group, my junior hockey team. I missed
everything. But thanks to the moral and spiritual support of my
confreres and my many friends, I survived this difficult period. For
me it was a "dark night of the soul" experience. But there
is a light at the end of every tunnel and in 1972 my term of office
was finally over. Then I was appointed co-coordinator of our vocation
team in a period which saw vocations to the priesthood reappearing
after the tumult of the sixties. I enjoyed visiting schools, keeping
in touch with young men who appeared attracted to the priestly
vocation. But how could I, who had never worked in a mission
territory, speak of the missionary vocation which every Spiritan has received?
So in 1976 I joined our French Canadian confreres in the missions in
Central Nigeria. At 55 I found the climate, the language, the food
and the scope of work very challenging and after two years my health
broke down and I was home in Canada for recovery, with a heightened
admiration for missionaries in foreign places.
For the next fifteen years, I was director of our pre-novitiate
house, novice-master in the international Spiritan novitiate for
North America, and vocation director for Ontario at different times.
I also have served in two of our parishes, St. Rita's Woodstock where
it all started, and Holy Rosary in Guelph.
In 1997 at the age of 76, I retired to Shanahan House, our Spiritan
residence in West Hill. I am happy in my retirement and keeping busy
with all the chores that ordinary house - maintenance demands. The
bird-feeders, the lawn, the flower-beds, the library, the chapel, the
garbage, the shopping, all demand my attention.
And as for my memories of fifty years in Canada, I can truly say that
God sent me to a wonderful country where I made wonderful friends and
had wonderful experiences. For these gifts I am truly grateful.
From Spiritan
Missionary News
Vol. 28, No. 2
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.
