The province was delighted to welcome Mr Con McGinley, and Fathers John Harrington, Kevin Cooney to New Zealand to represent the Irish Region of the Society of Mary, at the St Patrick’s College 125th Jubilee.
Con is the principal of St Mary’s College Dundalk and John and Kevin both have connections to St Mary’s Dundalk where Dr Watters, the first Rector, came from.
As well as attending the Jubilee, they also managed to spend a few days seeing the lower half of the North Island. A highlight of their sightseeing was a visit to the former Marist Novitiate, Highden, and the Mission, at Greenmeadows. They had heard of both places before their arrival and as well as attending the Jubilee, these were the two places they most wanted to see.
Con also took some time to re-connect with fellow Marist principal, Neil Swindells at St John’s College in Hastings. Con and Neil first met a couple of years back during a Marist education pilgrimage through the “Marist Places” in France. Con was delighted to be welcomed to St John’s with a Maori welcome.
Kevin, John and Con departed for home on Friday, after a rather whirlwind 10 days in the country.
Their interest in the St Pat’s Jubilee was heightened somewhat by the pending 150th Jubilee of St Mary’s College in 2011.