St Joseph's Society
I entered the college as a young man in August 1966. It was the first time I was leaving Jamaica and getting on a plane to go anywhere. I was going to a different country, a different climate, a different culture, and I had no idea what to expect. When I got there, I got such a warm welcome, and during my years there, there was such a strong feeling of camaraderie and friendship with my fellow students that I can honestly say that it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
The late Monsignor Kenneth Mock Yen, and Monsignor George Bardowell, were my fellow students from Jamaica. We arrived together from St. Michael’s seminary in Jamaica, having completed our courses in Philosophy. We spent three years at the College studying Theology. We should have stayed for four years, but after the third year, St. Michael’s Seminary became a major seminary, and began offering Theology, and so we were called back to complete our final year in Jamaica.
Our lecturers were excellent and extremely helpful and accommodating of us students. If there was anything you didn’t understand, they were happy to meet with you and explain it to you. Before we wrote our papers, we could go in and speak to them for one-on-one advice and assistance. I remember in particular, Father Kevin Kelly, my lecturer in moral theology who was always extremely helpful. I was pleased to meet him again the last time I visited England in 2011.
I remember fondly my rector, Monsignor Breen who was rather forgetful at times, and would sometimes mix me up with my fellow students from Jamaica. He called me in to his office with regards to end-of year evaluations and said to me “Sit down, Ken Mock Yen.” I didn’t correct him. I just sat, and he told me that I was doing well and then dismissed me. Then he saw Ken, and called him in saying “Sit down, Charles Dufour.” Ken said “But I’m not Charles Dufour. I’m Ken Mock Yen.” Mgr. Breen said “Then who was that fellow who just left here?”
Once, as I went to chapel for evening prayer, he met me along the corridor and said. 'Would you be George Bardowell by any chance?'
Another memory I have of Mgr. Breen was when he called me in to tell me that my father had died. The way he broke the news to me was so diplomatic and so gentle, that until this day, I always remember how he spoke to me. Whenever I have to tell someone that a loved one has died, I remember how Mgr. Breen spoke to me and I do the same.
Mgr. Breen also taught a course on the sacred priesthood and used many stories to illustrate his teachings. I still remember the way in which he taught and I continue to preach using stories today.
I have fond memories of the Carmelite Sisters, visiting their chapel and having dialogue with some of their Sisters from time to time.
The college liturgies were truly wonderful, with a very talented choir, and St. Joseph’s was the place where I first developed an appreciation for, and fell in love with, classical music.
It was also where I developed a love for mountain climbing. In this, I was perhaps more adventurous than some of my friends. Whenever I went climbing, and I invited Ken Mock Yen, he would just say “Go ahead and tell me what it was like.” When I returned to Jamaica, I climbed up to Blue Mountain peak, the highest mountain in Jamaica at 2,256m, accompanied by members of my youth fellowship and their adult advisors. I did this seven times before my doctor advised me to stop due to arthritis.
I remember that one of the rules was that we had to wear our cassocks at all times, except when we were playing sports. Also, that seniors and juniors were not allowed to fraternize with each other. Occasionally we would encounter each other at the bus stop and have only brief conversation. I recall that for initiation I had to play rugby. That was my first and last time.
The most lasting thing about my time at Upholland were the friendships I made with both lecturers and students. When I was ordained the second Bishop of Montego Bay, Mons. William Dalton, one of my former lecturers, came to support me, along with a number of mates from Upholland including Father Dennis McNamara who was accompanied by his mother and other relatives. These friendships and many others that I made at St. Joseph’s continue until this day.