Page 11 - The Gonzaga Record 1985
P. 11
A History of
Gonzaga College
1950-85
DECISION TO OPEN A NEW SCHOOL
The decision to open a Jesuit school on the south side of Dublin was taken in
August 194 7. From the records it is not clear whether the primary impulse came
from the Jesuit Provincial, Fr Thomas Byrne SJ, or Archbishop John Charles
McQuaid. If it came from the Jesuit Provincial it found ready encouragement from
the Archbishop. The population of the south side of the city was growing rapidly,
and there was a demand for more secondary schools, especially for boys.
Nevertheless, it took courage to make the decision. The Jesuits of the Irish
Pr~vince were already committed to staffing five Colleges. In Limerick there were
Mungret and the Crescent; in Galway, St Ignatius' College; in Kildare,
Clongowes; in Dublin, Belvedere. In the Far East there was the rapidly growing
Hong Kong Mission with already a large College and a Seminary to be staffed.
And of course, there were all the other ministries in Ireland which were run by
Jesuits.
Was it wise , given all these commitments, to open still another College for which
the Provincial would have to find men for years and years to come? A school is not
something that can come and go as the mood takes you. You are making a
commitment for the foreseeable future, and even for the unforeseeable future!
And then, of course, there was the money problem. There are many myths about
Jesuits. One of the most persistent and erroneous is that the Jesuits are rich. For
the bursars in the Jesuit houses it must be the most infuriating of myths. They
spend a lot of their time trying to balance their books, and pacifying nervous bank
managers, who keep reminding them of large overdrafts. In the Ireland of those
days there were no Government grants for the building of private secondary
schools, let alone any help for the buying of the land on which to build the school.
So the Irish Jesuits would have to find the money to buy the building land, then
land for playing pitches, and finally to initiate a building programme. The
economic condition of Ireland just after the Second World War was dismal. Was
it fair to commit the Province to such a debt? In theory, of course, the new school
would have to try to pay its own way. But if it failed to do so-a likely enough
outcome - the Province would have to stand over the debts. In 194 7 one could
give many very good reasons for not opening the proposed school. Yes, there was a
need for one. Still , it is one thing to recognise a need ; another thing to be imprudent
and take on more than you have the resources for.
3
Gonzaga College
1950-85
DECISION TO OPEN A NEW SCHOOL
The decision to open a Jesuit school on the south side of Dublin was taken in
August 194 7. From the records it is not clear whether the primary impulse came
from the Jesuit Provincial, Fr Thomas Byrne SJ, or Archbishop John Charles
McQuaid. If it came from the Jesuit Provincial it found ready encouragement from
the Archbishop. The population of the south side of the city was growing rapidly,
and there was a demand for more secondary schools, especially for boys.
Nevertheless, it took courage to make the decision. The Jesuits of the Irish
Pr~vince were already committed to staffing five Colleges. In Limerick there were
Mungret and the Crescent; in Galway, St Ignatius' College; in Kildare,
Clongowes; in Dublin, Belvedere. In the Far East there was the rapidly growing
Hong Kong Mission with already a large College and a Seminary to be staffed.
And of course, there were all the other ministries in Ireland which were run by
Jesuits.
Was it wise , given all these commitments, to open still another College for which
the Provincial would have to find men for years and years to come? A school is not
something that can come and go as the mood takes you. You are making a
commitment for the foreseeable future, and even for the unforeseeable future!
And then, of course, there was the money problem. There are many myths about
Jesuits. One of the most persistent and erroneous is that the Jesuits are rich. For
the bursars in the Jesuit houses it must be the most infuriating of myths. They
spend a lot of their time trying to balance their books, and pacifying nervous bank
managers, who keep reminding them of large overdrafts. In the Ireland of those
days there were no Government grants for the building of private secondary
schools, let alone any help for the buying of the land on which to build the school.
So the Irish Jesuits would have to find the money to buy the building land, then
land for playing pitches, and finally to initiate a building programme. The
economic condition of Ireland just after the Second World War was dismal. Was
it fair to commit the Province to such a debt? In theory, of course, the new school
would have to try to pay its own way. But if it failed to do so-a likely enough
outcome - the Province would have to stand over the debts. In 194 7 one could
give many very good reasons for not opening the proposed school. Yes, there was a
need for one. Still , it is one thing to recognise a need ; another thing to be imprudent
and take on more than you have the resources for.
3
