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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1956-12-24, Page 924,, 1956. • OND,AY, DECEMBER 24, 1956, ► on-ourFather John Nog an ixty Years In Priesthood , _THE LUCKNOWSENTINEL, LUCKNOWONTARIO • .(London Free Press)• • if yo askFather ,John., to tell j ;,,gccri, and St..M:ary's, ' a hospital oir th highlights, of his life he will shrug with modesty and r►urniur 'nothing exciting' hap '1; pened to Ire". •2, !sties to. ighbors It is full a heart • 4. �piness, is true that the years have rolled !over • this trpriest with ti° steadY beat- •fWhich some' find onotQnous, s'o•m e ., comforting. But to Father John Hogan they were years of service to God,: of work in. innumerable parishes in Western Ontario,` work which. ound .signiifi'cance ,in •.the .multi- plicity of • details . surrounding, Itt the lives of his. ,parishioners. Wednesday, Father • John, his ish. eyes alight .•wirth ,pride,, reg: eived• gifts to mark .his 60 years. s a priest, •. oif • the. Roman Cath- lic' Church. The . ceremony was held at .[Sit ;,-Mary's : Hosrpital. held at St. M.ary's. Hospital.:. Nearly •40 priests • frorn the ,dis- trict. were present to •honor him:. He. ''is the oldest priest in'' the. diocese. .• The .Most. Rev. ..John 'C•: Cody, Bishop of London; made • a' .pres entation': on• behalf:' of • thew, dio- cese; the: Rt. Rev. w S° Morri- son, dean of. London,' : made,: a presentation • 'on beh'aif of the' deanery,. • Father John was born', of pion-' • eering parents,' .William'';H•ogan and Mary Dean, on a homestead , tt• at Kingsbridge in Huron ••Cour g ty, His. parish was that of.'•St. 2 Joseph's in ' Ashfield" Township. As__a.;youngste r •he . learned, the: c.! ways of the country. fir Vit -•hand,.. fi: and ,gained his: book .1earnin, i' from. a rural `school,• then, !fro•nm g •Goderich High School. Destined.; E. to be a :priest, he entered,St. Jer t ome's.'C.ollege in Kitchener,.mov- ed to Assunipti:on College in Windsor, ,,and then to finish • his r-- training at ;Grand,. Seminary in. t� Montreal: .. In .1896, at the age of 27,' he g kr}elt :in St. • Peters Cathedral, 2 London, and was ordained to • the D priesthood' by the Most .Rev:.15.en• t nis O'Connor. • • ..As a. young assistant, he 'start - 4 ed'••his ,work at -..Our' .Lady of i Mercy• parish • in . Sarnia,' moved to Mount Carmel, then ,to •Wind- sor, and atthe: turn of the cen- tury came • back. to 'Strathroy. ..° He . has much:: to praise ,in . thc, way .men lived . in Victoria's reign "Those men and. .women' r' who tilled the land had a re- markable strength and vitality“, he remarks.. Yet he: too had to have sonde a of that strength,' His parish at • Strathroy, for ..instance, was 401 Miles long; 2,0 miles wide: • It t ' h stretched 'from Watford in the west to London in the 'east and. comprised .of • churches at Strath- roy, Watford and . Adelaide.- . "1 used. to visit ,rhy• iparishion- . g era in..a horse ' and; • buggy , and ' I.I ` in • winter •' took , the cutter. We D used •to' drive on top, of the. snow . • banks because the ,roads were not plowed out", he : says. `•`I . re- m.ernber ;many of the families i ' G used to visit in winter had very little toeat except bread and i • potatoes and. 'vegetables.' • Some -t, times 'they 'had • a 'little rhea t, l ..-- mostly pork: they put ..dowvn' ,4 hemselves" He; thought nothing of tray 1- •.• ing i,ap,,.to 50 miles a dad on ,hi,.; rounds and soon 'became a fam iliar !figure ' in the Middles t” ouniryside,• . From Strathroy he 'went hark iti to Windsor„ Came east azlin , this time to St, 'Thomas, thO'lr . during the First World War wa 11,' :priest at• Clinton, which had the' t4. mission church at Blyth. . r Thin the, ' wanderlust; Str'u'ck him and he left t'he Diocese of Lon on for ten years to serve Grr at 1terdown in New ':York State. On his; return he was with the Christian: Btothers' in' Tor- onto and 22' year ago, was .ap- l7ointcd chaplain to. the" House of* Providence; •a home for the :.ends, •, wazmt oliday full 'of .4 ><d joy. Merry to -Grill of, torr the inc yrai,te, in London. • Officially he•. retired from .the _,post last year ,,but still assists, - "Being retired doesn't mean: you 'don't . work even 'at my ;Dgc'", he snorts. His `,parishion- cry , men and women tin. whom the 've' of life is closing,. love flim fel his Irish hurn'�or, h� i • kindliness and' understanding. He is above all. a very ' modest man. / Two of his 'brothers, Michael and William; farm around Luck- now; one sister, Mrs, Vern Brady;. lives in Strathroy; an• - % SECOND 'SECTION , • PA1G'rE 9 other, Mrs. John Brady, nearby in Metcalfe Township. Father Jing ,Hogan, who died some time ago in Lucan, was ;also a bro- ther, • What is . hehooking forward to naw, "Why, 1 hope that next summer I'll have a family gath- ering, perhaps back home .in Huron Cetnty, 14-11—invite all •my relatives • from Ontariot and from across the border". IIQLYROQD STUDENTS PRESENT SCHOOL CONCERT the program which included choruses by the pulpils; recita- tions by ' June Ackert, Brenda Bushell; .Yvonne and Janette Eckenswiller, Sharon, Linda and Tommy O'Donnell, Douglas end !Day.id Eadie and 'Eldon Ecken. swiller; song by the senior boys; solos by June ..Ackert, Sharon, • Terry and Tommy O'Donnell; duets, Yvonne . and Janette Eck- •enswiller, Lind "a O'Donnell and Eldon. Eckenswiller; .a star drill by the girls and a series of five plays. The Christmas 'story was read by the teacher with all the pupils taking !part. • The 'National Anthem • was sung acid then Santa • .Claus ar- rived. Lunch was served to ,all. S.S. No. 4,. Kinloss • (Holyrood School), held their Christmas ocncert' in Holyrood Hall, Mon- day evening, December 10th, lir- ected ,by ' ,Mrs. R. • Osborne, the teacher, and . Miss Donna Os- . Inspiration,. borne at •the piano, Mr. Donald. determination. MacPherson was chairman for • recipe for success perspiration ' and make a good DESCRIBES INTERESTING MARITIMES TRIP • ' Elsewhere in this issue; ap- pears an. interesting story of a .goodwill tour to the Mari- times' during the past. Sum- ° mer, sponsored by the • On `t.ario Soil and Crop Improve:. 'menf Association. ' The article was written by Miss Margaret iSalkeld, .dau- ghter of Mr, and Mrs. T J.. Salkeld. Margaret Was .one' of the rnembers• of the party, and her vivid .description of ' the tour -will be found 'both interestingand informative. The story was written dun.- • •ing the past summer,' but space did .not permit . ,its publication at that time. 00'..0 i .0000, 'D n D nizibr eclotendrootitg'0i!flortiot ltt, 40 U t i ►1 Dw"' DODegEiZtitZ aa,VDix'tirgttOeaZbalii0lidgliattiora itOutrIt ltt it ' • t3 itat' ma 4404404 • e hope the ma�gie,of this glorious season extend s d throughout the y4r for youand yours.•.bringing with it the blessingof happiness, :the . joy of �arm . friendships. goodP health . and the ° Leasure ofw nderson Lum t4organ,�. Donald and -Jim 4 3 6 6 • e, 11 ti D,0> t ii 11 v rt rir, v tt0Q 4,0 0 11,704004+1 i,1+rt, riQ 11 + Er00` 44/11 441 i 0/ 00111 �>t�.�Qr.�oar�n�o�u�a�oa���, ti • •