Golden
Jubilee
of Profession
Bro.
Vincent McCaughey C.P.
On
15th October 2005 Bro. Vincent McCaughey celebrated 50 years as a Passionist.
The celebration began with a Thanksgiving Mass at 11.00 a.m. in the Church
of St. Paul of the Cross, Mount Argus celebrated with his Passionist brethren,
his family and his friends.
Born Patrick on 19th April, 1931 Vincent is the eldest son of Edward and Sara McCaughey. He worked on the family farm which he was destined to inherit. But at around 22 years of age he saw an advert in 'The Irish Weekly' for brothers in the Passionists Congregation. He made contact and Fr. Maurice Egan C.P. sent him a small spiritual reading book. In it Vincent read the story of the call of Samuel and decided to join.
In Autumn 1954 a taxi left him at the door of the Passionists Novitiate at St. Gabriel's, The Graan, Enniskillen. The taxi man asked if he would wait. Vincent replied that he expected to stay a few days. The few days have now stretched to over 50 years.
Professed on the 11th October 1955 he was assigned first to assist on the farm at St. Michael's Retreat, Dankeith, Scotland. Four years later he was transferred to St. Joseph's Retreat, Cloonamahon, where he was to spend the next 33 years of his life asfarm manager. In the later part of that time he was also bursar of the house.
Over those years he was involved in the life of the Passionists community and the wider community in the Sligo area. For a time he was County President of the Junior Farmers Organisation. One of his great loves in life was to play the bagpipes and was for many years a member of the Sligo Pipe Band.
In 1992 he was moved from Cloonamahon, first to Botswana for six months and then to Mount Argus Dublin. Here he began to assist Bro. Gabriel on the sacristy. He took over more and more of the work as Bro. Gabriel became frail and on Bros Gabriel's death became sacristan. With the help of various parishioners he continues in this job to this day.
All
were united in congratulating him on a life of commitment and faithfulness
and wished him many happy more years.
