Friends, Romans, Countrymen,

Our reunion last October was very successful and we were all keen to repeat the event. I have provisionally arranged with Mgr Dan Hart for him to celebrate Holy Mass, along with any of our ordained colleagues, in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, at 1pm on Wednesday 23rd May, 2018. We will then go for a lunch, possibly in The Corinthian as last year, but I am also investigating a few Italian restaurants near the Cathedral.

As last year, friends from other year groups will be welcome to attend. Let me know if you are able to come along and also let me know if your wife would like to join us.

I have some further names I can contact locally and some others through Messenger (Aldo Angelosanto, Andrew McBride, Michael Branney, Con Doherty, Frank McGinley, Joe Duffy, Joe Pat O’Donnell, John Brown, Martin Airlie, Peter McAnna, Stuart Holden, Tommy O’Rourke). If you have e-mails for any of these, or if you can help me with contact with any of these or others, please let them and me know. There are a number of other names that I am still trying to track down. 

I will be in Tenerife until 14th April. I will then take steps to complete the planning and confirm the arrangements which are probably as above.

I look forward to your reply and hope you can join us.

To whet your appetite, I attach a report (!) on last year’s event. With every best wish for a Happy and Holy Easter,

George Haggartygeorge.haggarty@hotmail.co.uk

REUNION OF BLESSED JOHN OGILVIE FORM 2017

1967….a really special year! Our Sixth Form at Blairs were all reprimanded by Canon Danny Boyle, our Rector, for our “childish” behaviour when celebrating Celtic’s great victory, on the hallowed turf of the Philosophers’ lawn (us not Celtic). At our reunion 50 years later, Monsignor Dan Hart was able to tell us that his intervention had reversed Danny’s response to Alex Lafferty, our Decano, when he initially refused to let us watch the Celtic match on television since it was the Feast of Corpus Christi.

68…..the number of us who started St Vincent’s College, Langbank, in 1961 with Father Charles (“Wee Donnie”) Renfrew as our Rector. There were additions and subtractions over the years with 32 of us still in the Sixth Year in 1966/1967.

2017…..a reunion in Glasgow with Monsignor Dan Hart and Fr Brian McNaught concelebrating Holy Mass in St Andrew’s Cathedral. When our photograph was taken below the Peter Howson painting of St John Ogilvie, our form patron, it was Donald McInnes, who was Sub-Decano in 1963/1964, who stepped forward to take our picture. Then a stroll through a rejuvenated Glasgow to The Corinthian for lunch.

The strongest memory of the day was the really strong bond of affection and friendship which we all shared with each other after all these years. Some guys had travelled quite a distance to be with us: Danny Sullivan travelled up from Southampton where he had worked in the University and did great work on Child Protection for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales; Con Doherty, who was clutching a set of old photographs and football memories, came up from East Retford; James Mackie, still with strong Glasgow and Celtic connections, arrived from Oxford; Pat Sweeney (Junior) was delighted to be home from Spain where he spends half the year; Murdoch MacDougall, still with his Barra lilt, ventured from Oban, where he latterly taught Gaelic as a teaching assistant, after 30 years in banking in South Africa which he described as “paradise”; Bill McMullan had just got back the day before from Rome and was determined not to miss this event.

750 years of life experiences since we left Blairs so a lot of catching up. Also with us were Bill Whyte, Tony McLean, Ian Kennedy, George Burns, George Haggarty; and from other form, Mike Gunn and Dave McCann who has helped so much with contacts.

We had apologies from some other members of the form, including Monsignor Aldo Angelosanto, Canon Jimmy Morris, Alex Lafferty (who was in China), Denis McColgan, Andrew McBride, and a group of guys who were in Rome.

We remembered in our prayers those friends who have died: Joe Lynas (“Puskas”); Joe Maclean; Hugh Lowrie. It was great to remember all those who were ordained, including Mgr Gerry McKay who is in Rome, and Father Denis McBride who has had years of great service with the Redemptorists.We should certainly repeat this event next year, hoping that those who missed out are able to attend. If you want to add your contact details, please send them to george.haggarty@hotmail.co.uk

Finally two recurring themes: how well the guys in our year had done in their careers, even when Blair did not given them all the qualifications they needed; and how much of our Blairentian formation and Faith and values we have taken unto the lives of our families and into the secular careers as laymen in fulfilling our vocations in the fields of education, social work, law, banking, accountancy and many others. This latter merits further discussion and research.

Monsignor Dan Hart greatly enjoyed meeting us all and sends his prayers and every best wish to every member of our form; he asks us to remember him and all the members of staff and the Sisters in Blairs in our prayers.

George Haggarty