Page 24 - Gonzaga at 60
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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
However, the diminishing Jesuit presence on the teaching staf did not lead to a diluion of its
quality. There was an intake of outstanding teachers among whom were Michael Bevan, in
Classics and English, Tom Slevin in Chemistry, David Murray in Irish Denis Cusack in Maths and
Physics, Noel Mc Carthy in Irish and Kevin Whirdy, who was to become Headmaster, in PE and
Maths. Gerry Murphy gave music a place of signiicance in the college and with music Chess.
I would consider Fr Alan Mowbray played a paricularly signiicant part in ‘interpreing’ staf
and management to one another. This role Fr Joe Brennan coninued to play on Fr Mowbray’s
departure.
THE LAY SCHOOL
By the end of the 1980s the future of Gonzaga remained unclear but despite this a lay
Headmaster was appointed; Mr Patrick Pots replaced Fr Peter Sexton and remained Headmaster
Fr Rector, John A Dunne
SJ, turning the sod at the for 17 years. These years saw a great development of the plant; it would be diicult to ind a
start of construction of beter equipped school in the country; the musical, dramaic and sporing tradiions blossomed;
the new sports hall and
classroom developments debaing coninued to thrive and experienced new life in recent years; there has been a growth
in outreach programmes and fund-raising for charity culminaing with building homes in Zambia,
and this has inspired parents and past pupils to follow the students’ example and go themselves
to AFrica to do similar work.
Mr Pots (right) served it with rare commitment and disincion for 17 years during which he
won the esteem and afecion of staf, parents and students.
He oversaw its physical development and, more to the point,
strove with remarkable success to enhance its Catholic and
Jesuit ethos through his unremiing culivaion of its cultural
and religious roots. His commitment to excellence in all
aspects of school life, his insistence on the highest standards
and the breadth and depth of your own intellectual and
cultural interests have made you more than an outstanding
educaional administrator; he was a profound educator.
Gonzaga, Ireland, the Irish Jesuits have all changed greatly
since 1951; the culture shaping the insituions and society
has changed out of all recogniion so we have a lay Jesuit school in a secularised society. One
observes that a goodly number of people have quite an extraordinary desire to retain the Jesuit
ethos. I am not certain what exactly they mean by ‘Jesuit ethos’ or even if there is a common
understanding of the term. I am, however, clear that over the past 20 years Headmasters strove
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
However, the diminishing Jesuit presence on the teaching staf did not lead to a diluion of its
quality. There was an intake of outstanding teachers among whom were Michael Bevan, in
Classics and English, Tom Slevin in Chemistry, David Murray in Irish Denis Cusack in Maths and
Physics, Noel Mc Carthy in Irish and Kevin Whirdy, who was to become Headmaster, in PE and
Maths. Gerry Murphy gave music a place of signiicance in the college and with music Chess.
I would consider Fr Alan Mowbray played a paricularly signiicant part in ‘interpreing’ staf
and management to one another. This role Fr Joe Brennan coninued to play on Fr Mowbray’s
departure.
THE LAY SCHOOL
By the end of the 1980s the future of Gonzaga remained unclear but despite this a lay
Headmaster was appointed; Mr Patrick Pots replaced Fr Peter Sexton and remained Headmaster
Fr Rector, John A Dunne
SJ, turning the sod at the for 17 years. These years saw a great development of the plant; it would be diicult to ind a
start of construction of beter equipped school in the country; the musical, dramaic and sporing tradiions blossomed;
the new sports hall and
classroom developments debaing coninued to thrive and experienced new life in recent years; there has been a growth
in outreach programmes and fund-raising for charity culminaing with building homes in Zambia,
and this has inspired parents and past pupils to follow the students’ example and go themselves
to AFrica to do similar work.
Mr Pots (right) served it with rare commitment and disincion for 17 years during which he
won the esteem and afecion of staf, parents and students.
He oversaw its physical development and, more to the point,
strove with remarkable success to enhance its Catholic and
Jesuit ethos through his unremiing culivaion of its cultural
and religious roots. His commitment to excellence in all
aspects of school life, his insistence on the highest standards
and the breadth and depth of your own intellectual and
cultural interests have made you more than an outstanding
educaional administrator; he was a profound educator.
Gonzaga, Ireland, the Irish Jesuits have all changed greatly
since 1951; the culture shaping the insituions and society
has changed out of all recogniion so we have a lay Jesuit school in a secularised society. One
observes that a goodly number of people have quite an extraordinary desire to retain the Jesuit
ethos. I am not certain what exactly they mean by ‘Jesuit ethos’ or even if there is a common
understanding of the term. I am, however, clear that over the past 20 years Headmasters strove
