A Highlands Novitiate An account written by some of the young English men who spent a year in Jersey as novices in the order of the Brothers of Christian Instruction. Edited by John Lodge This book is the product of collaboration. The editor would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following people who sent in material for inclusion. Thanks also go to those who offered critical feedback on the book’s development, especially to Jimmy Coffey who spent a lot of time contributing ideas and material that led to the book’s improvement. Jimmy Coffey Peter Finnerty Jim Howley Barry Kirwan David Kitchen John Lodge Grattan O’Brien Brian Slattery Tom Taylor Frank Vincent Many thanks also to the St Edward’s wiki members for their written contributions and photographs.Also, archivist Brother Hervé responded very quickly to the request for photographs of novice groups over the years; many thanks, Brother. June, 2015

Preface This book is presented on the occasion of the 2015 reunion of former Highlands College novices. It is written in remembrance of those young Englishmen who lived as novices at the 1

college and has been compiled from contributions by former English juvenists and novices who lived there ­ and in other houses of religious formation ­ between the years 1948 ­ 68. Inevitably this book is an artefact of its time and its authors’ experiences. It is not an official publication by the Brothers of Christian Instruction (or La Mennais Brothers); it is an account 2

based on the experiences of some of those who underwent religious formation at a time when religious orders carried out their training more or less as they had done unchanged for decades. In the late 1960s, shortly after the period described in this book, the Vatican Council ushered in a wide range of reforms which radically changed the face of religious formation. This book therefore describes a time capsule in that it attempts to capture what living as a novice (or juvenist) at Highlands was like in the first two decades following the second world war. A word about the authorship of this book: the contributors to this volume are participants of an online wiki. All of usl shared the experiences of training for the brotherhood and are happy to be in touch with each other. We look back with affection on our years with the brothers and the friendships we made at the time ­ although most of us are ambivalent or critical about some aspects of our training all those years ago. However, there are sure to be other former juvenists and novices not part of our group who retain possibly very different feelings about their time spent with the brothers; their contribution is not present here. Consequently, no claim for objectivity is made for this text. Novices were not parachuted into Highlands ­ most had already spent several years in religious formation and they would go on after their novitiate to spend further years in training. To understand the novice lifestyle one needs to see the Highlands year in the context of the wider practice of religious formation in the brothers. For this reason the novices earlier experiences at the juniorate and their post­Jersey training in the scholasticate are dealt with here. As editor, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of my former friends and colleagues in the brothers who have made this book possible. People have been generous with their writing, their photographs and their feedback. Further, I would like to thank some of the present­day brothers themselves who have contributed photographs and some of whom will be participating in this reunion. With so much goodwill on hand, it has been an enjoyable task putting this text together. John Lodge Editor

1 This book concerns itself with those ‘novices’ in their teens entering the religious life. However, Highlands catered also for another group of novices, i.e. ‘les grands novices.’ These were experienced professed brothers who spent 6 months or so at the college on a ‘refresher course’ in religious practice. 2 Named after their founder John de la Mennais.

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Institution Age (typical)

Location

Juniorate 11­16 years 1948­50 Highlands College 1950­68 St Edward’s College, Shropshire 1964­65 Highlands College (Postulate)

Novitiate 16 years 1950­68 Highlands College

Scholasticate 17­20 years 1952­64 Strawberry Hill Teacher Training College, London 1967­69 Toddington Manor, Glos. 1967­70 CB Marino, Dublin

Teacher in community 20+ years St Mary’s College, Southampton St Joseph’s College, Shropshire St Edward’s College, Shropshire St Josephs Cathedral Choir School, Liverpool Woolton College, Liverpool

Figure 1 . Formation houses of the Brothers of Christian Instruction (English province)

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Religious formation The brothers' English province had close links with Highlands College, Jersey. Highlands was the mother house of the brothers ­ started when there was religious persecution in France in the early 20th century. Following the expulsion of religious orders from France in 1903 some brothers settled in England and opened up a school in Southampton and later at Market Drayton, Shropshire. Later on in 1922 the order bought Highlands College as a headquarters and a site for their novitiate . 3

Early on in their teaching activities the English brothers pursued, like other religious orders, the active recruitment of young boys and men into the order. As early as the 1930s they were sending small numbers of English candidates for the novitiate to Highlands; these received their training ­ or ‘formation’ ­ alongside their more numerous French counterparts. By the 1950s the numbers of young English men passing through Jersey increased and in some years there were groups of around four or so of them studying alongside novices drawn from France. This book describes the experiences of these young men and what it was like to live as a novice at Highlands. The preparation of candidates for the religious life was a lengthy process and those who visited Jersey for the novitiate year were part­way along a timeline of religious formation. For most, their entry into this timeline began as a young boy of 11 or 12 years; they studied at a residential school called a juniorate. The regime at the juniorate was not dissimilar from a boarding school but there was a strong emphasis on religious education and practice. Juvenists (as they were called) were allowed only limited holidays home and at school their contact with the outside world was minimal. At around 16 years, mid­way during their final year at school, a juvenist graduated to the status of postulant ­ a role in which more 4

responsibility is taken as preparation for the novice year. After GCE exams in July, postulants completed a full week’s retreat prior to entry to the novitiate; following this, at a special 5

ceremony, candidates were dressed in a cassock and took a promise to live as a novice for full year obeying the Rule of the order. Their novitiate year had begun and they travelled from the juniorate to Highlands to undertake this. After their year in Jersey those aspirants those aspirants who wished to continue took temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and became ‘scholastics’. As its name suggests, 6

scholastics engaged principally in the studies needed to acquire a teaching qualification so they could work in the order’s schools (see diagram on previous page).

3 A period of religious training lasting one full year. 4 A postulant in the brothers was a senior juvenist, i.e. a person who had declared his intention to attend the novitiate. 5 A retreat is a time set apart from daily life in order to spend time in prayer and reflection. There are usually spiritual talks during each day and extended prayers. Silence is an important feature of the experience. 6 A religious brother took these three vows. Before being fully professed a young brother would spend several years taking temporary (renewable) vows before making his ‘final profession.’

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The Juniorate

Cheswardine Hall, Shropshire ­ the brothers’ juniorate from 1950­68

The novitiate at Highlands was fed from juniorate institutions in both France and England. To provide a regular supply of new English entrants one of the brothers ­ Brother Louis Dupré ­ was appointed as recruiter. He visited Catholic parishes up and down the country seeking out potential candidates. Any 12 year­old who showed an interest in the brothers received a home visit and very soon afterwards such a boy could find himself walking through the doors of the juniorate. And for him it was an entrance into a new mode of existence!

'Little man' comes to school We were called into the hall of our school. Everyone from four classes was there, all the pupils and all the teachers, some of the staff, the assistant head and the head. So it seemed that this gathering had an important purpose. This little man walked onto the stage at the front, looking much like a priest and started talking. He had a strange accent, was dressed in a cassock and was wearing a dog collar. I can't remember much of what he was talking about other than the religious life and teaching. Even at the tender age of 12 I had been thinking about what I had wanted to do when I left school and I had teaching in mind. Having been brought up Catholic and assisting at all sorts of religious ceremonies and morning mass at the priest’s house for a number of years, the thought of a religious life appealed even though, in my naivety, it meant little to me. Priests, bishops and so on had always seemed to be very special people who had abilities and attitudes at a higher level than the rest of us, even above my favourite teachers. They appeared, to me, to put aside their personal feelings for a much higher purpose beyond my comprehension. We were all handed a leaflet and given time to fill it in. As best as I can remember it asked if we had an interest in both the religious life and teaching. I answered ‘yes’ to both. I had no idea that my answers would have such large repercussions. A few days later the man who had addressed us at school arrived at our house. I learned that his name was Brother Louis. He was a French Canadian. That really didn’t mean much to me and I still thought that he talked funny. He and my parents spent a time alone with him at the kitchen table. When they finished I was told that I was going to St. Edward’s College to become a brother. At school, the following Monday a group of us gathered and talked about this funny little guy. Another of the boys, in a different class group, said that he was going to St. Edwards later in the

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year. That began a loose friendship with John Carroll. We were aware of each other as we were both in the same scout group based on our local junior school.A dice had been cast.” (Barry Kirwin) ‘ VAT69 to the rescue “Thanks, Barry, for rekindling the memory of the life­changing visit of dear old Bro. L. His recruiting ground was determined by the location of Catholic communities in London, the midlands and north taking in Southampton, the home of St. Mary's College. For accommodation, he relied on families of already recruited juvenists. I'll always remember him returning about 1954 after one of his trips to Yorkshire where he had stayed with my family in Huddersfield. He came looking for me to tell me how he'd had to spend a couple of days in bed with the flu which might have been longer but for my Dad's remedy, VAT 69 whisky served in hot water with sugar (a drink known as a 'hot one' I enjoy to this day on winter visits to Ireland). ‘Your farder's VAT 69 cured me straight away', he was delighted to tell me. (Remember? Br. L never really mastered the English 'th'). Every time there was an outbreak of flu after that at Cheswardine he'd come to me and say ‘If only we had VAT 69, the miracle medicine!’ (Jim Howley)

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Personal account: Jimmy’s experience of formation A candidate to the religious life passed through several stages before becoming a fully professed brother. This is my journey ­ told in words and pictures ­ of going through different steps in the formation timeline.

Recruited to the brothers I was recruited by Bro Louis from St John Fisher’s Secondary Modern School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, following a talk he gave to my class on the Religious Life. My positive response gave rise to a visit to my parents and it was arranged for me to go away to St Edward's College in June for a trial period upto the Summer holiday. I was driven down to college by the father of another recruit from Leeds ­ Mario Granelli. It was a journey into the unknown and the reality hit home on saying goodbye to my mother who had accompanied me. I was allocated a ‘guardian’ whose job was to look after me in the early days and ‘show me the ropes’. My time as a ‘juvenist’ had begun.

The photo shows me posing by a stranger’s car on one of the parents days of which there were two per year.

Studying at the juniorate I spent five years at the ‘juniorate’ where life was a mixture of religious exercises, study, manual work and sport. It was characterised by small class sizes and a shifting pupil population since boys chose not to stay or were invited to leave. We received a good academic education enhanced by opportunities (not open to many of our age) presented by living in 72 acres of parkland where we worked in the gardens and the woods as well as enjoying sport on a daily basis. The Brothers ran a strict regime but in a kindly manner. There was no such thing as corporal punishment which was commonplace in the schools we had left. The photo shows my small class with our form tutor

Bro Eugene.

Postulant After GCE O­Levels a decision had to be made whether to become a member of the Religious Congregation which would mean taking the ‘habit’, progressing through a number of years of temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to a point where total commitment of final vows would be asked for. The first step in this process was to become a postulant which was like a statement of intent. The school blazer

Seen here with one of my fellow postulants John Lodge. The lapel badge denotes postulant status.

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was no longer worn and the school tie was replaced with a black tie.

Novice After a short period as postulants we took the ‘habit’ and entered the ‘novitiate’. The novitiate was housed at Highlands in Jersey and consisted of a year of religious study whilst practising the life of a Religious Brother but without vows. High on the agenda was prayer, meditation and long periods of silence tempered by occasions to savour the beauty of the Island and in Summer to visit Greve D’Azette on a weekly basis for a swim

Here I am pictured with John and Paddy ­ in our new soutanes and our parents looking on proudly.

Scholastic At the end of the Novitiate one had to decide whether to take the next step which was to commit to a year of temporary vows of poverty chastity and obedience. On making first temporary vows a crucifix was added to the habit to be worn on the chest. This was the beginning of a new period of formation ­ a large part of which was studying to become a teacher. Many brothers pursued this phase at Strawberry Hill Teacher Training College but I did my A­levels at Toddington with the Christian Brothers and then later went on to La Sainte Union College at Southampton.

Pictured with my mother on the day of first vows.

Teacher At the end of the scholasticate brothers entered community in one of their schools to pursue their vocation as teachers. The school day was preceded, punctuated and closed by religious exercises such as Mass, meditation, spiritual reading and the Divine Office . 7

Pictured with my football team at St Mary’s, Southampton

7 The Divine Office consists mainly of psalms, hymns and prayers and forms part of the official prayer of the church. Each brother had his own ‘breviary’ ­ a book containing all these prayers over the cycle of a full liturgical year. All priests and religious are required to ‘say their office’ every day.

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Juvenists at Highlands For most of the period covered by this book, the brothers’ juniorate was at St Edward’s College, Cheswardine in Shropshire, viz. 1950­68. However, for two brief periods juvenists were located at Highlands: the first was a two year period in the late 1940s and the second was an unsuccessful initiative to establish a presence for older juvenists (or postulants) in the mid­1960s. 1949­50: Post­war juvenists

“In 1949, my class of Juvenists were transferred from St Joseph's, Market Drayton to Highlands College, Jersey. We went by train to London, and got another train to Weymouth which went right through the town's streets to the ferry for St Helier.This was quite an adventure for the group of mainly Liverpool 12­13 year old boys. Until four years previously, Jersey had been occupied by the German army and we were of an age that could remember the blitz of Liverpool in May 1942. Highlands College had accommodated German troops and this added to the fascination. There was still much evidence of the occupation. Besides the famous underground hospital, one could see the gateposts of some houses which had been daubed with swastikas. These were the homes of someone who had collaborated with the enemy. The Germans had built many concrete fortifications around the island, and these were great play areas when we went for our Sunday walks. John, when looking at the photographs of Jersey, one with the view from the football pitch showing the steeple of St Thomas Church jolted my memory. In 1949 at the harbour­side in St Helier was a gun emplacement. The gun was no longer there, just its plinth. Surrounding the emplacement was a low concrete wall and stencilled on the wall were graphics of various targets to aid the gun aimer. There was a graphic of St Thomas's Church with the appropriate range setting underneath it. Obviously it could be used for purposes other than repelling invaders from the sea. We wondered if the Jersey people were aware of how methodical their uninvited guests were. All of great interest to 12 year old boys. Every morning at Highlands we had porridge for breakfast. We were told the weavils would not harm us ­ they had been killed in the cooking and were quite nutritious. The rich, creamy milk from the Jersey cows helped to wash it down, but I've never eaten porridge since I left the brotherhood. A more exotic item on the menu which was new to us was artichokes. These grew in abundance in Jersey and were served up as an occasional treat. The football pitch at Highlands had not so much as a single blade of grass. It was just hard packed dirt. We were told that the German troops had used it for an exercise area for their horses and older boys used to try and terrify us with stories of the dirt pitch being impregnated with the sweat of the horses. When playing football, if you went in with a sliding tackle and grazed your leg, we were warned the leg would probably fall off. We were introduced to some new sports to supplement the football and cricket. Volley ball, shinty and the baseball­like game of softball became enjoyable means of exercise and these all took place on the barren football pitch.I don't remember using any form of motor transport at Highlands. We walked everywhere. In the warm summer months we walked to the various beaches for a swim and on the way back, we used to slake our thirst with the tomatoes which were growing abundantly in the fields. A couple of years ago I visited Jersey with my wife and found Highlands College. It is now a Polytech type school, the nearest thing to a university on the island. I went into Reception and told them I went to school there 50 years ago and received a very warm welcome. I was shown

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around the school by the caretaker who was able to rekindle some old memories. What was once the chapel is now a very large and ornate Dining Room and there is a picture on the wall of a lunch the Queen attended there. In one of the site pictures is Brother Edward who was in Jersey when the Germans invaded and he finished up in a prison camp in Germany. His parents interceded on his behalf claiming he had been born in Eire. Eventually, because Eire was neutral, he was released and repatriated.” (Tom Taylor)

1964: Older juvenists initiative

“In 1964 the brothers’ English province was rethinking its formation and four of us older juvenists were sent to study our A­levels in Jersey. We formed a small English community with three scholastic brothers and an older brother, the superior of our little group. We all attended the De La Salle school a few minutes up the road. However, living at Highlands proved to be too much of a lonely and institutionalised experience for my fellow juvenists and after the Christmas holiday I was the only one of the four to return. I found it difficult to settle into my new school but fortunately the extra­curricular activities compensated somewhat and helped keep up my spirits. One of the scholastics, Tony Brown, was a cycling enthusiast and he mended several of the ratty bikes in the rear shed; with these we'd the freedom of the island! At weekends and on summer evenings we'd cycle to the beach (Green Island and Portelet were favourites) or ride off to far­flung spots (like the beautiful Greve­au­Lancon). My preferred beach I think was Portelet Bay which, together with Beauport and the far corner of St Aubyn's bay, had the clearest water on the island and was a joy to swim in. Green Island was our regular swim spot ­ near to hand and full of rock pools and interesting things to see ­ as well as swim. Highlands did not work out as a formation initiative for older juvenists so our group separated in summer 1965 and I went to study at the brothers' school at St Mary's, Southampton where I completed my A­levels.” (John Lodge)

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Novices at Highlands French novices ­ and the occasional English one ­ had been studying at Highlands since 1922 and since that time small groups of young English aspirants (from the brothers’ English province) joined them for a year’s novitiate at Highlands. With their school exams completed at around the age of sixteen, farewells made to families and wearing their new soutanes, the novices started out on their full year of religious training, separated almost completely from the outside world. The novitiate year was rigorous and managed in accordance with church law.

“Novices are to be led to develop human and christian virtues. Through prayer and self­denial they are to be introduced to a fuller way of perfection. They are to be instructed in contemplating the mystery of salvation, and in reading and meditating on the sacred Scriptures. Their preparation is to enable them to develop their worship of God in the sacred liturgy. They are to learn how to lead a life consecrated to God and their neighbour in Christ through the evangelical counsels. They are to learn about the character and spirit of the institute, its purpose and discipline, its history and life, and be imbued with a love for the Church and its sacred Pastors.” (Code of Canon Law Article 2: The Novitiate and the Formation of Novices)

These instructions of canon law were taken seriously by the novice master and the young men 8

arriving in Jersey were in for a shock as they grappled with the exigencies of starting out on their training. Although the juniorate experience was designed to prepare them gradually for a life of prayer and self­denial, they could not have anticipated the extraordinarily intense demands of the novitiate year. Of key importance to this year’s success would be how they adapted to their new regime; but also they would need to be supported and guided by by an experienced and sensitive novice master. Personal reflections on the novitiate 9

“My novitiate year was from 1966­67. Preparation for it began in mid­July when I met up with my two fellow postulants, Jimmy Coffey and Paddy Monaghan. We had a full week’s retreat to get us in shape for it – this proved to be something of an ordeal for altho’ we’d had short retreats before we’d never had anything this long. What made the experience especially challenging was that the World Cup was on and we had no access to radio or TV for the duration; fortunately the priest giving the retreat would slip the scores somewhere into his homilies. At the end of the week – in the Cheswardine chapel ­ each of us ‘took the cassock’ and from that moment on we were novices. To indicate to the novices the radical nature of the lifestyle that they had embraced, even their names were changed (although this practice was discontinued 10

after 1959). That day was special also because our parents came to visit and assist at the mass. But the very next day, we were off on a plane to Highlands College, Jersey – the mother house of the order.

8 The novice master was an experienced fully professed brother who oversaw the novices year at Highlands; he was a pivotal figure in the novices’ religious development and responsible also for their pastoral welfare. There were several English novice masters during the period of this book and inevitably they each approached the task differently. 9 This section is written mostly by the editor but is interspersed with contributions from other former novices. 10 The practice was dropped because changing someone’s name, without deed poll, gave rise to administrative complications where brothers taught in state schools.

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Settling in We arrived at Highlands under the supervision of our novice master. Each of us was given a room in the main building and we were shown the English novices’ study on the ground floor where each novice was allocated a desk. The study was spartan – just some desks and a few glassed­in shelves of religious books on the back wall. The building had high ceilings throughout and possessed a strong institutional atmosphere. This did not have the appearance of a place of comfort nor intimacy!

‘Highlands College was walled on all four sides and non religious people rarely came through the main gates. The milkman, the butcher, the grocery delivery van being the rare exceptions, but they came and went without us hardly noticing. This religious fortress overlooked (as it name suggests) the capital St. Helier of a relatively small island which attracted holidaymakers, most of whom would have been oblivious to our existence.’ (Brian Slattery, 2015)

English novices’ study

Shortly after our arrival a group of the professed English brothers landed up at Highlands for their annual retreat. Up to this point, we had been spending a lot of time in silence and so we were delighted when they appeared outside our study door – we opened up for a friendly chat with them. However, conversation was to be short­lived as the novice master intervened and reprimanded us for talking without permission. And so began a year’s regime of extended periods of silence . . . Happily, the French novices arrived soon afterwards and we had the company of people of our own age. They were numerous (there were 31 of them) and really likeable lads and we got on well almost immediately. Language learning In our spoken communications, we stammered broken French in their direction and when we got stuck for words they came back helpfully to us in English. The three of us thought this was working out well; but not for the first time, we were in for a surprise. The novice master instructed us that we were to converse only in French – our Gallic confrères had been forbidden to speak English to us. Ouch! Moreover, we three were not permitted to talk to each other during recreation, walks and so on; we were to mix solely with the French lads. Whew! This was social engineering big time. At the time, the reasons for this one­sided language requirement were far from clear to us, but subsequently I gathered that the French novice master was concerned that some of his charges

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might spend time practising their English – a forbidden activity for them apparently. Since none of us had studied French beyond O­Level communicating was a struggle at first, but bit­by­bit we managed to understand what was being said to us and then gradually we took the initiative and slowly began also to speak in our turn. By Christmas we were reasonably fluent. Our novice master gave us several French lessons at the beginning of the year but these tailed off after a few weeks and we were left to get on with it by ourselves after that. This approach to learning French was hardly calculated to help us integrate easily into the whole cohort. Every teacher knows the crucial importance of communication so it was surprising that our master of novices – an experienced teacher – did not provide us with more support. Perhaps he was of the view that others before us had been required to get on independently, so he could see no reason why we shouldn't do the same.”

‘I arrived in Jersey at Highlands College in 1967 armed with my French ‘O’ Level and was immediately required to speak French to total strangers. This was daunting at first but soon became a pleasure and after several months was quite articulate. I remember a French family wandering up to our study room, and asking for directions to Hotel de France which was adjoining our property. I replied and we had a short conversation. The lady of the family was surprised that I was English and told me that she thought I was French. I was very proud of myself. We had to take it in turns to read passages of the bible in French at church services, and I used to practice these readings beforehand so that they sounded competent. The only time that I have really spoken French since leaving Jersey is when my wife asks me to perform like a monkey to family or friends we meet; I rarely do so unless the other person knows some French. In particular My wife and I holidayed in Paris at Montparnasse Hotel for a long weekend, and I found it very useful in dealing with the reception and in shops. We booked a Saturday evening and night tour, which took in a VIP meal at La Cupole restaurant, then a boat trip on the Seine and finished with a night at Le Moulin Rouge. Here we were led in passed the huge line of people queuing to get in and were treated to a bottomless pit of champagne. We were accompanied by an American couple and the minibus driver was an Algerian who knew every back street and drove everywhere faster than Lewis Hamilton. I think the Highlands language learning added to the experience. It also helped me sail through the oral exam for ‘A’ Level French. I became an ad hoc interpreter for the Police and carried out this function at road accidents and other incidents for 30 years.’ (Pete Finnerty)

“Although outnumbering us by ten to one, the French boys proved to be interesting company. There were lots of different characters among them and they came from a wide variety of backgrounds. In conversation, it was clear that they had received a different education from us – one that appeared more intellectual with its emphasis on subjects like philosophy and so on. We were warned – there seemed to be a lot of admonitions that August in 1966 – to avoid particular friendships with the French novices – especially when out on walks. This was a bit bothersome since certain French lads were quick to pick up the meaning of our crude French and so we naturally gravitated to them. For all that, I did manage to a maintain a good friendship with Frère Yves. He was a smashing lad from Finisterre and ­ like me ­ he shared an interest in

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nature; thanks to him, before the end of the year, I knew the French names of most common birds and hedgerow plants. I still know them today. A day in the life of a novice Routine structured our lives. We rose early and went to bed early; indeed, the house operated its own time (HST ) – two or three hours ahead of GMT if I remember correctly. We really were a 11

world apart. Our days were filled with prayer, the liturgy, lessons, meals, chores, recreation and occasional outings. We prayed the Divine Office – the official prayer of the church. So there was Matins 12

first thing in the morning, Lauds after breakfast and chores, Sext at midday, None in the afternoon, Vespers in the evening and then Compline just before retiring. Meditation followed Matins and then we went up to mass in the splendid wooden­beamed chapel.

A twenty minute period of ‘spiritual reading’ followed mass and then it was down to breakfast continental­style with lovely French bread, butter and jam – all with a large bowl of coffee; bizarrely, the English novices (only) were permitted breakfast cereals. No speaking was allowed during meals – instead an improving spiritual book was read out loud. Chores came after the meal and then we’d a short break up on the gravel­covered playground beside the zaingo . We English boys usually played football at this 13

time and there was always a group of French lads who joined in too. Some French novices were country boys with large boots and little experience of the game, so one had to be careful in tackles. After the break, we went down for lessons.

Former chapel, now a hall at Highlands. The three of us would repair to our own study where our novice master would take us for classes until lunch time. We’d begin with Lauds at 9.00am (HST) and then settle down for a lesson on some aspect of the spiritual life. There was a break for recreation mid­morning – something we all looked forward to – and we played a wide range of games such as football, drapeau, handball, softball and so on. We encountered lots of unfamiliar games and sports during the year – most of them enjoyable. Then it was back to the study for more classes until lunch time. Despite the privations we experienced that year, food was not one of them – quite the contrary. There was a group of Spanish nuns on site who saw to the cooking and laundry. And could they cook? You bet they 14

could – we ate like princes! Nothing at the juniorate could compare with this grub. Lunch was eaten in silence and a spiritual book was read aloud to us. The dining room comprised several long refectory tables and we sat at these on benches. There were the usual condiments on the table but additionally there were baguettes and drinks such as water, orange squash and – excitingly for us – bottles of cider. All of us ate with a vengeance.

11 HST ­ Highlands Summer Time (my own appellation). 12 Matins was the first prayer of the day in the Divine Office. Other prayers were said at different times of the day in order with the aim of rendering the whole day holy. 13 The zaingo was the building clad in corrugated metal behind the main Highlands building. 14 I remember these nuns floating around in their blue habits. They did our laundry and cooking (great cooks apart from the pigs’ trotters on Thursday nights). They also looked after the sacristy. They never spoke to us but would leave notes. One of the washing­up jobs was 'les marmites'. That was washing the pots and pans the nuns had cooked with. If they were not washed to their satisfaction the next day there would be a note waiting for you when you went in to tell you so. Normally you were on ‘les marmites’ for a month but at the end of my month the duties rota was rejigged and by some strange turn of fate I ended up doing a second month. (Jimmy Coffey)

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Chores followed lunch and then another recreation; back for prayers to the study and then an afternoon activity of some kind. This varied according to the day; sometimes it was further manual chores, or a practice teaching session where a novice would take a sports lesson of some kind, or it could be an afternoon walk or even a swim out by Green Island. Evenings began with Vespers and then the novice master left us on our own to undertake spiritual reading ­ in silence, of course. In turn, one of us would be appointed to be in charge of the other two; if one wanted to do anything other than sit quietly at the desk, one had to ask permission of the colleague in charge (even for calls of nature). These sessions tended to be slow and boring. The exception was when Bro Augustine – an English brother who was doing his great novitiate at the time – came over and talked to us about his travels in Brittany. He’d had several weeks’ leave in August and toured all round the brothers’ houses taking slide photographs as he went. One evening a week over a period of almost a term, he’d come to our study and show his slides and talk about the places he’d been to and the brothers he’d met. After the novice master’s dull classes, Bro Augustine’s lively travelogues were a godsend. Finally we’d go down to the refectory for supper, then chores and a short stroll around the playground. The day concluded with saying Compline together; then it was off to our rooms for sleep.”

‘ Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. A constant theme in religious formation was the need to pursue virtue – to be aware of our wrongdoings and shortcomings and to seek to overcome them; great stress was laid on this in the novitiate. Since the juniorate years the evening prayer concluded with the formal reflection:

“Let us think of our last ends. At any moment we may die and enter into our eternity. At death we shall be judged according to our works. If we die guilty of even one single mortal sin . . ..”

This prayer preceded the beginning of the ‘magnum silencium’ (the great silence) which was to be maintained until permission was given to speak the following day. The idea of the silence was to facilitate reflection on our spiritual well being. The novitiate devoted lots of time to this kind of soul searching. To aid the same process time was set aside on the first Sunday of each month for what was known as monthly recollection ­ a thorough examination of conscience giving rise to a renewed commitment to do better 15

and pinpointing one area to be a resolution for the coming month. Each day during the midday Office ‘Particular Examen’ took place. This was a few minutes set aside to reflect on how well we had done regarding our resolution made at the previous ‘monthly recollection’. We would then record a mark out of ten to plot our progress in notebooks reserved for that purpose. To help us even further with self­improvement we had “fraternal correction”; this consisted of other people pointing out your shortcomings and where you needed to improve. It was a group exercise and so the six or so brothers who sat together for meals would list each other’s failings and then once a week in the evening, whilst strolling to and fro on the yard outside (now a car park), they would take it in turn to inform the others of their faults. No discussion was permitted – there was no counsel for the defence; the observations made about you were to be accepted and acted upon. The final and perhaps most scary exercise aimed at our spiritual development was monthly ‘spiritual direction.’ This was a formal, individual meeting with the master of

15 The examination of conscience is a classic spiritual exercise in which one reviews one’s thoughts, actions and words and considers whether one has in any way broken the moral law or the Rule of the Order.

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novices during which he would question us about our development as novices. Uncomfortably we had to tell him what we thought our weaknesses were ­ and even more uncomfortably we'd to reveal to him those criticisms that had been voiced by others during fraternal correction. As if that wasn't enough, the master of novices might add his own opinion regarding our areas for improvement. The interview was a humbling experience. When asked by the novice master if there were any issues or concerns I wished to discuss ­ to avoid yet more criticism ­ I always said everything was fine, fearing that anything volunteered might rebound and be used against me in a future meeting. These exercises of self­examination were perceived at the time to be a necessary part of preparing for the religious life; however an over­emphasis on self­examination could leave one feeling unworthy of the calling we were supposed to have. The antidote to all this introspection I found, was maintaining a good sense of humour.’ (Jimmy Coffey)

Cultural differences “Although we got along well, inevitably cultural differences existed between the two groups of novices and this led to some surprised reactions on either side. Personal hygiene, for instance. We were only permitted one shower a week – a meagre ration for young lads playing sport every day. The shower room (a large room with separate cubicles) was in the zaingo and you needed to know the drill or you could be stranded with a soap­covered body. Frère Michel would give the first call of “Eau chaude” and warm water would flow out of the shower­heads for a couple of minutes; then the water stopped and the instruction, “Savonez­vous” (soap up!) was given. Finally, “Rinsez­vous” was the last stage and the showers came on again and the novices sluiced the soap from their bodies. One of us (Jimmy Coffey) got into a bit of a tangle with this procedure on the first occasion and wound up covered in soap at the end of the cycle! Brian Slattery reports that Jimmy wasn’t the first English novice to get into trouble over the showers . At the start of his novitiate, John Melody ran into the same difficulty. Brian could hear from two cubicles down where a soap­sudden John let out a strangled cry of, “Encore s’il vous plaît un peu d’eau!” Happily Frère Gildas the deputy novice master obliged. Views about appropriate sports clothing was another area where we differed with our French colleagues. One afternoon we went out to some open space (with grass) in St Helier to play football. We three English boys got into our shorts and shirts for the game whilst the French lads merely rolled up the sleeves of their shirts but kept on their everyday clothes. The reaction of our confrères to our kit was one of confusion – they thought we were playing in underpants! On our return, our novice master had to reassure the other novitiate staff that we were dressing properly i.e. accepted UK­style. Happy memories There are a number of things in my novitiate year that were really good experiences and have stayed with me. Christmas was celebrated in the English way in our study – whereas there was little evidence of the festive spirit in our confrères’ study. Our novice master was adamant about this. I can still remember that delightful afternoon on Christmas Eve, listening on the radio (our one and only time that year) to the carols and lessons from King’s College and fabricating our own decorations from tissue paper. When we had finished, the study looked a treat ­ funny isn’t it, how much pleasure one feels when so little luxury is available? Grattan O’Brien also remembers a similar very English incident during his novitiate.”

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‘One morning in the summer of 1957 we looked out from our study window to see the royal yacht at anchor in St Aubin’s Bay. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were here on their Royal Tour. The itinerary included passing along the road next to the college grounds. Preparations were in hand to decorate the outer wall and gateway where the Queen was to pass. We prepared great banners with lettering a foot high “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN” and “GOD BLESS THE QUEEN” these were hung on the wall where the Queen was to pass. In the gateway we erected a stand with a huge crown and velvet cushion. We all waited on the pavement for passing of the royal party. It was a great thrill when they came. The English cheered, the French applauded and cries were heard “God save the Queen”. The Queen waved and smiled at us. Later we all agreed, both English and French that we had done our bit to welcome the Queen to Jersey.’ (Grattan O’Brien)

‘Physical Education Every day we had a period of manual work in the afternoon and at the end of it we returned to our study to pray Vespers and then we would come out again for a session of physical education. In one corner of the yard there was a metal structure with ropes hanging from it. In the same corner was a long jump pit with the run­up starting down by the statue which overlooks the present car park. This was the sum total of our PE equipment apart from a collection of rocks from the beach referred to as ‘balles de jonglage’ – these were used like weights to do physical jerks with. Each novice had to take his turn in leading the PE lesson and on the afternoon he was doing it he was excused manual work to prepare. When it was my turn I struggled thinking of things to do with the added complication of having to translate the instructions into French. By the end of the work session I had run out of time, failing to have carried out the translation. On the way into Vespers I rushed into the office of the master of novices and asked if he would translate the instructions for me. When he came in for Vespers he passed me a piece of paper which I put in my cassock pocket as Vespers began. After the Office I ran out to get changed and appear in front of the ranks of young men ready for action. We did a few preliminary warm up exercises with the balles de jonglage and then I pulled from my pocket the piece of paper which contained the master class. To my horror I couldn’t read a word of the master of novices writing. In my best French I uttered in a loud voice ‘Suivez moi’ and set off running. We ran around the property for the next half hour with me constantly checking my watch desperate for the lesson to be over. After the session Bro Michel, the sub­master of novices, complimented me on my lesson – I don’t think he would qualify today as an OFSTED inspector. However, this was probably my first lesson in the need for improvisation to survive in teaching.’ (Jimmy Coffey)

Every six weeks or so we’d have a full day’s outing and all the novices with Frère Michel (sub master) would go out to some remote part of Jersey for the day. I say remote – what I mean is, remote primarily from the opposite sex. This meant we went to the rougher parts of the coast such as Bouley Bay in the north or St Catherine’s in the west – we went where there were cliffs or rocky places or beaches where no one in their right mind would want to swim. Nonetheless these days out were marvellous breaks. I can still remember saying the Divine Office (breviaries

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were bussed in at midday with the grub) and sitting praying together on the rocks above the pounding waves. Magic.”

‘Où est mon béret? Et allongeons la jambe, Anatole, Car la route est lon­on­gue. What the neighbours made of it, Heaven knows! Every Monday afternoon in the 1950s thirty young novices would file out of the main gates of Highlands College in a long line, three abreast, led by Brother Gildas, the sub­master of Novices. We were heading off on our weekly walk. Dressed in sombre trousers and jackets, we must have been an odd sight as we headed downhill to Bagatelle Road or uphill towards Five Oaks. In my year the Novice group was made up of 28 young Breton boys and 4 of us from England. Highlands, the headquarters of an order of Breton Teaching Brothers, was like a transplanted bit of Brittany. They even kept Breton time, ignoring the British Summer change of hour. The Breton novices were completely comfortable with all this, wearing their wooden sabots, speaking their French and Breton language (they pronounced Five Oaks Feeve Oowacks), while we young Brits felt like strangers in our own land. So it came as no great surprise when, just before setting out on our first Monday walk, we were issued with a beret just like the ones all the Breton Novices had and the one the French onion sellers back home used to wear with an inch long stalk in the centre of the crown. We’d line up in front of the main building and one of the novices would shout ‘En avant!’ (Forward!) and we’d shout back, ‘Pour le Christ!’ (In the name of Jesus!). The file would move briskly through the gates and soon we’d be clear of the built area of St. Saviour and into the country lanes. That’s where one of the novices would suddenly burst into a French marching song and everyone would join in at the top of our 17 year­old voices, striding forth to the beat of songs with lines like:

Dix kilomètres à pièd ça use, ça use Dix kilomètres à pièd ça use les souliers . Nous sommes des carabiniers La sécurité des foyers Mais par un malheureux hasard Nous arrivons t’jours en retard

I imagine the farmers working the fields and catching sight of our berets bobbing along just above the hedgerow ­ perhaps cheered by the singing ­ setting their watches by our song and tramping feet. Most days we’d walk about ten miles and occasionally the trek would stretch up to fourteen along the lovely Jersey seascapes. On reaching the Highlands gates, tired and ready for food, we’d hang our berets on their pegs where they stayed till the next Monday. I became quite attached to mine and was most disappointed at the end of the year when we were asked to hand them back. I sometimes wonder what happened to my beret. I’ve never seen a single photo of any of us in our berets. Still, mustn’t grumble. I bet every one of us can remember the words of those French songs ­ and maybe more than a few of Highlands neighbours can too!’ (Jim Howley, novice from 1957­58)

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More exercise “The sport was welcome, competitive and varied. I loved all those different variations of drapeau – simple, double, prisoner, bridge, random call. Football games were fast and furious; to make it more 'interesting' several balls were usually in play at the same time. The surface of the playground was quite dangerous at the edges and one had to be careful not to trip on (or kick) a hidden lump of concrete. Only one French lad showed a consistent dislike for us English boys and as he fancied himself at football, we felt we always had something to prove when playing against him. Not surprisingly, we were all incredibly fit that year.”

‘I loved the sport at Highlands and grew quite adept at tennis, always trying to get the best racquet. I recall the afternoon collation, where we had lovely bread and la confiture, with large old fashioned real glass bottles of cold Coca­Cola. Also in respect of food which was always top notch, the Spanish nuns made rice pudding with Jersey cream which I to this day treat myself to at home sometimes.’ (Pete Finnerty)

“The French lads were great; they were so welcoming and interesting to talk to. If the three of us had been on our own in Jersey, I wonder whether any of us would have completed the year – the boredom, the silence and the oppressive discipline would have been difficult to sustain without the cheerful company of our French counterparts. And of course through our exchanges with the other novices we learned something of the French character – and of course their language. Something very useful to take away after Highlands.”

‘The French novices were a pleasure to be with and I remember many walks with them, and discussions about our monarchy and Napoleon and our different cultures. They always marvelled at our English calmness and often tried to startle us by clapping their hands in our ears and making loud sudden noises and movements behind us. A good pal was Frère Joseph Le Goff and also Hervé Goudy. Sadly they are both unwell but remain in the brothers. I cannot wait to be reunited with Jo Le Goff in Jersey on 6th June 2015 and hopefully my French will come back to me.’ (Pete Finnerty)

“The mass and the liturgy in the chapel were excellent ­ as was the organist; we sang a lot of the medieval Latin Gregorian chant as well as lively French hymns. And I gained an initiation into personal prayer that has served me ever since.

Disappointments Not everything was great that year, however. I found our daily classes to be worthy but undemanding. By contrast, we were all rather jealous of the French novices who appeared to have much a more interesting and challenging curriculum. Indeed, our novice master gave a weekly class in moral theology to the French lads ­ and the novices raved that it was a lively and humorous affair. We wondered how come our classes weren't like that? In an important year like the novitiate, guidance of the aspirant is crucial, yet I felt this was quite lacking in my case. Our master of novices was ascetic but distant. It was very difficult to share one’s thoughts or concerns with him, so instead of receiving sensitive direction, my Jersey experience was a kind of lonely “Teach Yourself The Spiritual Life.” To be fair, I learned afterwards that other novice masters were quite different from ours ­ more approachable and supportive of their charges, so I wouldn’t want to characterise my experience as typical of all English novices. During that year my brother Liam married and emigrated with his new wife to Canada; sadly, I was unable to be present at their wedding. I should have liked very much to attend but I was told

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it was not permitted during the novitiate year. My parents celebrated their their silver wedding anniversary that year also and my inability to be with them was another regret for me.” Final thoughts

‘After Highlands, my group went to Dublin for 3 years and I attained a Diploma in Education. I left the Brothers and a few months later returned to England as my father was being treated for lung cancer. He died 3 months later. How I regret all those years being absent from him and not having the chance to explore his life and wartime experiences. I was 20 and he was 49. I discovered that in order to teach in England I would have to study for another 2 years. I joined the police instead and have had a great life. I will never forget the Highlands experience which has partly made me who I am and dearly value the comradeship that is growing amongst former novices, albeit on a totally different footing to that experienced in Jersey and elsewhere.’ (Pete Finnerty)

“I grew to like Highlands and Jersey a lot – although I am ambivalent about the novitiate experience. My postulancy (1964­5) provided me with plenty of happy memories of the island and, in addition to a couple of short periods spent there with the other scholastics, I also worked one summer holiday (in 1971) alongside Bro Hubert. My duties were mainly housekeeping ones such as driving people to and from the airport, preparing their rooms and the like. I found it to be fun and easy­going – not least because I could go to the beach in the afternoon when I wasn't needed. I haven’t returned to the island since 1971 ­ I guess I shall feel quite nostalgic visiting the place where I spent some of my formative years. I’m looking forward to it!” (John Lodge) Frank’s memories My first view of Highlands College in 1956 should have been inspiring but, as far as I can remember, I was still suffering the effects of sea sickness from the previous night’s very rough ferry crossing from Southampton. In the days that followed the five of us, soon to become four with the departure of Ged Steele, had to accustom ourselves to a strange new environment: new routines, a new language in which we were hardly proficient, new confreres outnumbering us. I’m sure, but for the fatherly care of Brother James Messier, it could well have been too much. I think, right from my first days at Cheswardine, nothing had really phased me; so this new “adventure” was yet another chapter in the progression of what would eventually end in my profession as a religious brother. We soon became aware of other communities existing side­by­side in the College; communities which came together once a day for Mass and then from time to time on special religious high days. Besides our small group and the larger one of French novices, there was the senior members of the administration, comprising the Superior General and his Assistants; a group of some 30 mature brothers from a cross section of the Order, referred to as the Second Novitiate; and a number of Brothers who made up the stable and resident community and who saw to the general running and maintenance of the College. And, of course there were the Spanish nuns who prepared such wonderful food. And so began a daily schedule of prayer, work, recreation, meals and sleep; a routine which kept our minds and bodies busy and focused, and as I recall, happy. Two personal episodes which remain with me: during one of the occasions when we met with the rest of our novitiate group we were given some instructions about: “Le grand cabinet” et “le petit cabinet”. Mulling these

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phrases over in my mind I couldn’t work out which of the toilets were bigger than any of the others. I subsequently decided that this was the French euphemism for our long and short calls. The next event happened in the refectory when it was my turn to read. I was recounting the story of the Prodigal Son and had reached the part where the father was welcoming his son’s return. He kissed him and ”Il mit un anneau (a ring on his finger) sur son doigt “ only I read “Il mit un agneau (a sheep) sur son doigt.” The whole room exploded with laughter and of course I couldn’t understand why. I hope others like me will have happy memories to recount, more than I could possibly relate here, but I’m sure we’ll hear many more during the coming weekend. Looking forward to meeting in this special place and recalling those like dear Mel who will be with us in spirit. (Frank Vincent)

More personal reflections on a Jersey novitiate ‘A Year in Jersey’

Deep in the Shropshire countryside surrounded by the sound of woodpigeons and the sight of the colourful pheasant,

then flown to a gem in the sea with the squawk of the seagull and the hum of St Helier rising up to the grounds of Highlands.

The imposing set of buildings with long corridors and grand staircases.

Early mornings punctuated with the sounds of plain chant and periods of meditative silence.

Meals eaten to the accompaniment of readings to enlighten the mind and strengthen the spirit.

Creamy Jersey milk, French bread, patés, and rough Breton cider, new to the English palate.

Long walks to and from beautiful bays and the joy of riding the waves of St Ouen, Greve De Lecq and the like.

Reciting the Office on cliff tops, decorated with the green and yellow gorse bushes, prior to a welcome picnic washed down with strong black coffee.

Picking strawberries with an aching back, peeling vegetables and stripping corn cobs whilst overlooking Fort St Elizabeth and the boat arriving from England in the early morn.

The blockhouses and gun emplacements of a recent intruder leaving memories of hardship to the natives.

An unused hospital testifying to man’s inhumanity to man and hiding in its walls terrible secrets.

The Battle of Flowers with the Red Arrows approaching from the sea, flying low over Highlands leaving their streams of red, white and blue.

Another plane journey and back to landlocked Ches with its silence ­ save for the pigeon’s coo!

(Jimmy Coffey)

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Reflections on religious formation at Highlands One of the concerns in creating this account is not really whether it is accurate or not ­ there is little doubt that the authors’ contributions here are authentic ­ but whether the novitiate 16

account described here is typical of the experience of others going through similar training elsewhere. To allay doubts it is necessary to turn to other sources to see if they confirm or challenge what is written here. It turns out that there are indeed any number of personal accounts that people have written about their experience of undergoing religious formation, e.g. Armstrong, 1982; Cornwell, 2007; Leavy, 2012. From the research literature I found two texts written by O’Donoghue, 2004 & 2012 to be especially helpful ­ particularly with respect to teaching religious brothers into which he had undertaken significant study over several years. I found that many of the key issues related anecdotally in the text of this book certainly resonate strongly with what research tells us. A few of them are discussed here to reassure the reader that this book does indeed describe religious formation with reasonable validity. Authoritarianism There is no denying that the ethos of the Jersey novitiate was strict. “One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the life of the teaching brother, as with all fellow religious, was that it was conducted within a very authoritarian framework.” (O’Donoghue, 2012). Armstrong (1982) ­ a former nun ­ claims that obedience was achieved by breaking “down the will and the judgement of a religious so that he (sic.) unquestioningly accepts the will of God as it is presented to him through his superior.” In the literature there are some pretty humiliating examples of obedience tasks novices have been required to undertake ­ especially amongst female religious. But, although our regime was authoritarian, Jersey novices were never required to undertake degrading tasks. Critical debate There was little encouragement to critical thought in our lectures; the focus was on hearing and doing; this apparently was typical of much religious formation. O’Donoghue (2012) from his researches concluded that, “Critical debate between the brothers was discouraged, as was critical debate among the students they taught in class.” One incident during my novitiate 17

illustrates this absence of critical debate. During a lecture on the subject of vocation one of my fellow novices proposed exploring the nature of vocation through a comparison of the religious life, the priesthood and the married state. His idea was immediately refused by the novice master for his suggestion ­ such an exploration was evidently considered inappropriate; unwisely in my view. One would have thought the novice year was precisely the time to explore such a theme. Particular relationships The brothers rightly placed great importance on the need for harmony in their communities and had identified accurately that exclusive friendships posed a potential threat to this harmony. However, the way of dealing with this issue was heavy­handed in the novitiate year; although in adopting this approach the novice master was following a well trodden path. O’Donoghue

16 One can never be absolutely sure of accuracy of course but personal accounts reported here have been drawn from a wiki where participants’ communications have been read and responded to by others who have undergone the same ­ or similar ­ experiences. 17 The editor is referring to his novitiate.

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(2012) writes, “A brother was trained to be suspicious of himself if he ever found he was inclined towards establishing a friendship with a peer.

‘Brothers shall guard against all personal friendships, because such friendships are not only hurtful to common charity, but even those which are innocent in the beginning, often degenerate into sensual and criminal friendship.’ [Marists Brothers Rule] ”

The Marists weren’t the only order to insist on this; to avoid special friendships developing, novices with the Irish Christian Brothers, for example, were forbidden to walk out in twos; there had to be a minimum of three novices to each group. Perhaps it was fear of scandal ­ ‘criminal friendship’ ­ as much as damage to community harmony that the novice master had in mind when warning us against developing particular friendships. Deciding to leave The issue of whether one had a vocation was dealt in a rhetorical way in lectures; the impression given was that you were now wearing a cassock, so you had a vocation! O’Donoghue writes that, “various practices operated within the cloister which made it difficult for anyone contemplating leaving to do so.” And if a novice did in fact leave the brothers, it would certainly have been considered a failure or something to be ashamed of. This attitude continued amongst the brothers for a long time afterwards; fortunately today, a more enlightened attitude prevails and former members are welcomed back with a better understanding and appreciation of their life choices. Modesty Anything to do with the opposite sex was simply never talked about; indeed anything to do with sex was never spoken of, so novices received no sex education of any kind whatsoever ­ not even from their peers who found themselves in a state of similar ignorance. Modesty at Highlands was maintained by means of the cloister walls, the avoidance of places where women bathed and the total absence of radio and TV. In creating this environment, the brothers were no different from other religious orders of that period. Psychological damage Speaking of his time with the Irish Christian Brothers, Leavy(2012) writes, “While I am aware that I emerged from the Brothers’ houses of formation in reasonable emotional and psychological condition, I am conscious of the fact that many others, both those who left and those who remained, weren’t so fortunate and had to face life in a damaged state, with sometimes disastrous results.” The contributors to this book are those who look back (mostly) with affection on their experiences with the brothers; they are the ones who have come through the religious formation process with equanimity. However, it is undeniable that there are probably some who suffered under such a strict and unnatural regime that was in denial of some of young people’s important emotional and psychological needs. Training with the brothers may have been arduous, but for those who coped with religious formation there were real gains. The excellent education and extra­curricular opportunities received proved life­changing for many and provided subsequently a solid foundation for future careers.

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Returning to Highlands It’s hardly surprising that former novices should want to come back and see Highlands College again; indeed, that is in part the raison d’etre for our 2015 reunion. Three accounts of earlier visits to Jersey are given here which, it is hoped, will give a sense of how the College was organised in the 1950s and 60s. Fortieth anniversary visit

In August 2006 a group of French brothers celebrated their 40th anniversary of the religious life. As part of their formation they had studied for a year in Jersey from 1966­67 together with three English novices i.e. Paddy Monaghan, Jimmy Coffey and John Lodge. To make the occasion special, several of the brothers from Brittany decided to go back and visit the place where they undertaken

their novitiate; none had been to Jersey in the interim and so they were looking forward to what they would find. Like other visitors with links to the brothers, the staff at Highlands College received them well and the brothers were able to take a relaxing tour around the campus. They were delighted with the visit and it brought back many happy memories. Jimmy’s visit

Like others before me, I visited Highlands College last year and received a warm welcome and a bit of a tour. Below are some of the photos I took which may awaken some memories. I was looking for Belle Vue (a curved stone wall at the bottom end of the property but I couldn't find it). The photo shows what in my time was the English Novices’ study. As described elsewhere, fellow novice John had

spent a year in Jersey simply going to school and had told Paddy and I about the swimming and the bike rides etc. In our naivety we thought that is the sort of thing we were going to do. Nothing could have been further from the truth! First names were out and we were required to address each other as Bro Patrick, Bro James & Bro John and each week one of us was in charge of the other two. This photograph shows the two underground passages from the main building. The floors of the corridors were of a linoleum kind of finish and you would get scuff marks on them from polished shoes.

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One of our housework chores was to painstakingly remove the scuff marks using one of those green scrubbers used for washing up. In our day the sloping ground had been planted with strawberries by Bro Marie Bernard and picking them was back­breaking. And all the borders were planted with red geraniums which Bro Marie Bernard would bring out in spring and take back in again for the winter.

Here we are looking down towards the archives and the congregation’s Admin Centre cum residence for the Superior General and his Assistants. We didn't often venture down there. One memory is being on retreat in Jersey after my first year in Liverpool which I loved ­ mainly due to the football team we had. Towards the end of the academic year there was always a worry that you might be transferred to another community. It was now near the end of the summer holiday so I thought I had escaped a move.

On the last day of the retreat I was called down to the Admin Centre by Bro Patrick, the Assistant for England. I walked the long corridors racking my brains as to what I might have done wrong to be called to such an interview. However, it was simply to tell me that on my return to England I would be leaving Liverpool for Southampton. In the true spirit of obedience I thanked him for the information and left his office devastated inside ­ what I had dreaded had actually happened. When I visited the college I asked them if I could visit the chapel. They said they didn't have a chapel but they had a great hall. So I asked if I could visit that.

Now a tarmac car park, this was once our play area which was a stony dirt patch that ripped the soles of your pumps (plimsolls) to bits. I remember the frustration of playing 16 a side and having to play with two balls. It was chaos! The familiar cry of dégage was constantly heard as a French novice would simply boot the ball high into the sky. One of the manual chores was to tidy this area. I had the job in autumn which consisted of cleaning up all

the leaves and then retrieving the dirt that had been washed into the gutter at the bottom of the yard and filling up the rivulets that had been formed in the dirt yard. It was akin to the desert fathers planting cabbages upside down! On one of our monthly full­day walks we almost lost two French novices here. There were big signs saying ‘Do not paddle by the rocks.’ Two French novices who couldn't swim ignored the signs and as a result were swept out of their depth by a wave that was turned back by the rocks. Lucky for them Bro Michael

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(Master of Novices) always swam beyond where we were swimming and saved both of them. I remember swimming alongside him and witnessing the terror in their voices as they asked were we nearly there. In the time of the Jesuits at Highlands College, there was a disaster at Portelet an account of which is to be found in ‘A History of Highlands College’ by Eileen Nicolle. Members of the choir were taken out for a swim as a reward for their hard work in rehearsals. Tragically, a swell carried off the pupils and teachers and eight of the boys were drowned (July 7th 1915). The inquest's verdict was accidental drowning but the jury added the comment that the person responsible for the safety of the boys had committed "a grave imprudence in allowing them to bathe in a spot without ascertaining whether the spot was free from danger" (Jimmy Coffey)

Bibliography Armstrong, K (1982) Through the Narrow Gate, Pan Books Cornwell, J (2007) Seminary Boy: A Memoir, Image Leavy, L (2012) A Broken Hallelujah. The Making of a Christian Brother. History Press Ireland Nicolle, E (2000) A History of Highlands College, Highlands College Press O’Donoghue, T (2004) Come Follow Me and Foresake Temptation: Catholic Schooling and the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers for Religious Teaching Orders, 1922­1965,Verlag Peter Lang O’Donoghue, T (2012) Catholic Teaching Brothers: Their Life in the English­Speaking World 1891­1965, Palgrave Macmillan Slattery, B (2015) Better to Light a Candle than Curse the Darkness, Self published St Francis Xavier School (2015) Brothers of Christian Instruction http://www.sfx.liverpool.sch.uk/the­college/brothers­of­christian­instruction/

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Novice groups over the years 1953:

1955:

1956:

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1957:

1959:

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1961:

1962:

1966:

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1967:

Reunion 2015 attendees

John Brownridge Bro. Alain Dubois Marilena Lodge

Bro. Denis Chamaret Pete Finnerty Tony Martin

Bro. Michel Clouet Ann Finnerty Angela Ryall

Jimmy Coffey Jim Howley Ray McTernan

Margaret Coffey Bro. Jacques Jouvance Julia McTernan

Bro. Jack Davis Bro. Joseph Le Goff Grattan O’Brien

Bro. Jean­Paul Denis Bernard Leroy Malcolm Prince

Ivitt Dickinson Marie­Odile Leroy Brian Slattery

Natasha Dickinson John Lodge Frank Vincent

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