College Record 1992

It is always a very pleasant task to write the editorial for a new issue of the St. Kieran’s College Record and through it to greet the alumni of the college at home and abroad.

Once again, it is fitting that we begin by recording the interest and support of the College Patron, Bishop Forristal, who has continued to provide wise counsel and leadership in every area with which the college is concerned.

The current Record follows the pattern of previous issues. Among the articles of general interest is a noteworthy account of the workings of Dail Eireann by a former member of the Oireachtas staff, and a ‘sentimental voyage’that links St. Kieran with the tragic death of a young Ossory priest in a boating accident in 1918.

The special theme of the issue is ‘1990-2000: The Decade ofEvangelisation’. We are fortunate to able to carry both original articles and re­prints of articles from other journals on this theme all by current or former staff members or students of the seminary.

In this and the College Review section, we publish articles with a more specific interest for past pupils reminiscences and portraits of students and teachers from both nineteeth and twentieth centuries.

The Seminary Review will be of particular interest to the priests ordained there. Fr James Cassin chronicles some of the results of a major review of the seminary programme as its recom­mendations are implemented; day-to-day life is covered in diary form. With each succeeding Record the section devoted to the secondary school has increased. This is to be expected given the fact that it now has over 700 pupils and more than 40 teachers; offers 29 subjects for public examination pur­poses; and provides facilities for numerous non­examination subjects and over 30 extra-cur­ricular pursuits. Our recording of the life of the secondary school is dominated by these positive develop­ments, and by the sporting achievement of stu­dents not alone in the established sports (where the college achieved a three-in-a-row success in theAll-IrelandHurlingChampionship) but also in other areas such as athletics, basketball and equestrian sports. But it also contains a note of sadness, since we must record the passing of a beloved teacher, Alfie Sheehy, and the retirement of two others who have long been associated with the college – Peadar Barrett and Art Anglin.

In From the Dioceses we carry news of the ministry, and more often the passing, of priests who received their seminary education at St. Kieran’s. Once again, Bernard Canning, now a Canon of the Diocese of Paisley, has put his remarkable archival and writing skills at our disposal in his Scottish Miscellany. Fittingly, his account includes a report on the episcopal ordination of one St. Kiera n’s man, Bishop Kevin Rafferty, and the retirement of another, Bishop James Monaghan, as auxiliaries in the Archbishopric of St. Andrews and Edinburgh; Fr. Canning’s first by-lined Scottish Log re­ported Bishop Monaghan’s appointment in the 1970 Record. The Unions and Reunions section has been expanded to cover the welcome revival of the St. Kieran’s College Union in Ireland. It is often said that our In the News section is too brief and that we are too modest when it comes to publicising the achievements of our past pupils. We are justifiably proud of the many notable achievements of our alumni. In the opening pages of this Record we greet a senior alumnus, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Most Reverend Kevin Rafferty, who was ordained in St. Kieran’s in 1957; news of achievers in the secular sphere will also be found in other pages.

I am deeply indebted to each and every contributor. In particular may I express par­ticular thanks to my colleagues on the staff for their help with almost every section of the Record. A special word of thanks to Denis Bergin who has made available his invaluable professional skills in the production of College Records over the years. My sincere thanks also to the many friends who have contributed generously to­wards the cost of publication. And finally, to each reader goes the kindest wish that you may have moments of happy reading and reminiscing as you turn the pages that follow.

May this St. Kieran’s College Record 1992 be a further bond between all who have gone through the halls of St. Kieran’s and the staff; seminarians, and students of today.

Michael Ryan