44. Vancouver College Alumni in Religious Life
When Vancouver College was first founded, the Christian Brothers had the intention of nurturing and developing each student as a whole person, something that continues to this day. As a Catholic school, one important aspect of the whole person is that of faith, something that is reflected in the number of Vancouver College alumni who have gone on to live in religious life.
From Rev. Francis J. Nash (VC 1926), the first alumnus ordained to the priesthood in 1934, to Paul Vo (VC 2012), a seminarian attending Christ the King in Mission, more than 80 VC alumni have been ordained to the priesthood, deaconship, or as Christian Brothers.
According to Rev. Mark Dumont (VC 1962), “in the first 40 years of its existence, 42 VC alumni were ordained or made profession: 33 priests and 9 religious brothers. In the last 60 years, in a time of falling numbers of vocations, another 29 priests and 7 religious brothers have made life commitments.” He notes that two VC alumni went on to become Bishops: James F. Carney (VC 1933), Archbishop of Vancouver from 1969 to 1990, and Mark Hagemoen (VC 1979). In 2013, Pope Francis named Most Rev. Mark Hagemoen as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith and in 2017, he was installed as the eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatoon.
Each student’s faith journey at VC will look different. Each student will choose his own path. Even in the case of alumni who have chosen religious life, this calling may or may not always be apparent to them during their time at the school.
Rev. Richard Conlin (VC 2006), ordained in December 2020, recounts, “Although I never once thought about becoming a priest during my time at VC but was rather fully convinced I’d play professional golf for the rest of my life, I am confident that God was planting seeds all along the way that eventually sprouted forth in my true vocation and life-calling to the priesthood.”
Bishop Hagemoen once stated that “Vancouver College encourages young men to discover and apply their abilities and talents, and put them at the service of others. It is a distinctively ‘Catholic-Christian’ community: one’s talents and gifts are given to them by God to be shared, to serve others, and make the world a better place.” For those who choose to make the world a better place by choosing religious life, they are a living testament to the importance of faith in our faith and learning community.
By: Karen Teufel
A list of Vancouver College Alumni in Religious Life:
VC Grad Year | Names | Year of Ordination/Vows |
1925 |
Rev. James S. McGivern, S.J. + |
1937 |
1926 |
Rev. Francis J. Nash + |
1934 |
1926 |
Br. Herman Sprechen O.F.M. + |
1942 |
1927 |
Rev. Peter W. Nash, S.J. + |
1944 |
1928 |
Rev. Clifford E. Tedlock C.SS.R. + |
1937 |
1928 |
Rev. Leonard Wale, C.SS.R. + |
1937 |
1928 |
Br. Garland P. Lyons F.S.C.H. + |
1938 |
1929 |
Rev. John J. Evoy S.J. + |
1943 |
1930 |
Rev. James M. Barry + |
1939 |
1930 |
Rev. Peter Smeets + |
1938 |
1930 |
Br. Paul. B. Whalen F.S.C.H. + |
1937 |
1931 |
Rev. Peter E. McGuire + |
1940 |
1933 |
Most Rev. James F. Carney + |
1942 |
1934 |
Rev. Patrick O'Sullivan + |
1943 |
1935 |
Rev. J. Brooks Costello S.J. + |
1954 |
1935 |
Rev. Francis J. Rayner O.M.I. + |
1945 |
1936 |
Rev. Barry W. Connolly S.J. + |
1952 |
1937 |
Rev. Dominic Langi C.SS.R. + |
1945 |
1937 |
Br. Henry Curran, C.S.C. + |
1952 |
1939 |
Rev. James E. Fagan + |
1950 |
1939 |
Rev. Richard H. Trame, S.J. + |
1952 |
1940 |
Rev. H.I. Bader + |
1947 |
1940 |
Rev. John E. MacKinnon C.SS.R. + |
1949 |
1941 |
Rev. John M. Burns OM.I. + |
1950 |
1941 |
Rev. Roland Joncas + |
1957 |
1942 |
Rev. J. Alexander Macrae, O.M.I. |
1955* |
1942 |
Br. Wayne G. McIntyre CFC + |
1950 |
1944 |
Rev. William M. O'Malley, S.J. + |
1962 |
1944 |
Rt. Rev. Maurus Macrae, O.S.B. + |
1963 |
1945 |
Rev. H.T. Swift, C.SS.R. |
1955* |
1945 |
Rev. William M. Sweeney, O.M.I. + |
1959* |
1945 |
Br. Joseph G. Fairleigh, F.S.C.H. |
1956* |
1945 |
Rev. J.A. Mulronery, S.J. + |
1963* |
1946 |
Rev. Wallace R. Chisholm, S.F.M. + |
1954 |
1947 |
Rev. Neil Kelly, C.S.B. + |
1962 |
1947 |
Rev. Paul Foran + |
1955 |
1948 |
Rev. Lawrence Bileski, O.S.B. + |
1957 |
1948 |
Rev. Leroy Neil Kelly, C.B.S. + |
1962 |
1948 |
Rev. Joseph P. Carney + |
1957* |
1948 |
Rev. Charles B. Paris |
1957* |
1948 |
Rev. D. Anthony Varrall + |
1959 |
1948 |
Rev. Henri Boyer de la Giroday, S.J. |
TBC* |
1949 |
Rev. Basil Foote, O.S.B. + |
1957 |
1950 |
Br. Ronald H. Mackenzie, CFC + |
1958 |
1950 |
Rev. Leo Sweeney, O.M.I. + |
1965* |
1950 |
Deacon Harold J. Graham |
1976 |
1953 |
Br. J. P. Rowland, CFC + |
1961 |
1955 |
Rev. Neil Macaulay, O.M.I. |
1963 |
1956 |
Rev. William Somerville + |
1969 |
1957 |
Br. Philip McClenaghan, O.S.A. |
1961 |
1959 |
Rev. Bill Fletcher |
1967* |
1959 |
Rev. James Dukowski, O.M.I. + |
1968 |
1959 |
Rev. George LaGrange, O.M.I. |
1968 |
1960 |
Br. James T. McInnis, CFC + |
1967* |
1961 |
Rev. Maynard A. Boomars, OMI + |
1979 |
1961 |
Br. James Wright, CFC |
1968* |
1962 |
Rev. Mark Richard Dumont, O.S.B |
1971 |
1962 |
Br. William Carrothers, CFC |
1972 |
1962 |
Br. Jean-Louis Brusset, OFM |
1985 |
1964 |
Rev. H. Lawrence Holland |
1991 |
1964 |
Rev. Francis (Frank) Salmon, OMI |
1973 |
1965 |
Br. Francis Duff, CFC |
1975 |
1965 |
Rev. Michael Storey |
1973 |
1966 |
Rev. John (Jack) Walmesley |
1974 |
1966 |
Rev. David Norman, OFM |
1980 |
1967 |
Rev. Phillip Steigerwald + |
1978 |
1967 |
Br. Charles Hancock CFC |
1977 |
1968 |
Rev. Fabian MacDonald |
1977 |
1970 |
Rev. Christopher Bernard, OSB |
1989* |
1970 |
Deacon Mike Boreham |
2105 |
1970 |
Rev. Ian Stuart |
1987 |
1973 |
Deacon Henk Luyten |
2015 |
1975 |
Rev. Mark Bachmann, OSB |
1991 |
1975 |
Rev. Michael Favero |
1992 |
1979 |
Most Rev. Mark Hagemoen |
1990 |
1979 |
Br. Gregory Hansler |
2002 |
1983 |
Rev. Keith Roscoe |
* |
1988 |
Rev. James Hughes |
1998 |
2001 |
Richard Aldaba |
* |
2003 |
Rev. Pablo Santa Maria |
2012 |
2004 |
Rev. Joachim (Anthony) Aldaba |
2017 |
2009 |
Rev. Juan Lucca |
2017 |
2006 |
Rev. Richard Conlin |
2020 |
2012 |
Paul Vo |
Note: a * denotes alumni who have since left the vocation.
- Alumni
- Faith