THE
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Former Catholic Central Teachers... r e f l e ct o n t h e i r y e a r s a t C C a n d t h e i r l i v e s t o d a y Fr. Bob Duggan, C.S.B. ’53 After graduating from CC in 1953, I was accepted into the Basilian novitiate in Rochester, New York. I am grateful to Fr. Norbert Clemens, C.S.B. for inviting me to join the Basilians. Otherwise, I would probably be a diocesan priest. After the novitiate and the taking of first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, I was sent to Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario, and then taught English for three years at St. Thomas High in Houston, Texas. I next taught Theology at St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada. Then came ordination in 1964 in Toronto, after which Fr. Bill Gibbons, C.S.B., ’41 the principal of CC, invited me to return to CC to teach third and fourth year English. My nine years there were a great time of seeing students develop as young men of God. I was also moderator of The Spectrum and began some classes in filmmaking, film study, and film history. Remember Super 8 film? Some might also remember the Film Study Club. Our Juniors and Seniors had meetings monthly with the girls from Mercy High. It was great fun watching our sports teams play in an all-boys Catholic League with eight schools participating. I especially liked being on the staff with the men I so admired like Fr. Gerard French, C.S.B. In 1974 I left CC to become director of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center then located in the former convent at Precious Blood Parish. I was there for eight 8
years working with leaders of various prayer groups to grow in faith with a deeper knowledge of the Bible. Later, I got into parish work, first as pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish in Amherstburg, Ontario. Then, in 1990, I returned to Detroit to start to learn Spanish and became pastor of Ste. Anne, the founding parish of Detroit, established in 1701. In 2003 I moved to Texas to become pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Angleton, a town about 40 miles south of Houston. I told the folks there that the Basilians have given me an opportunity to live in four different countries: USA, Canada, Mexico, and Texas. Now I am in Sugar Land, Texas, also near Houston, working as Assistant Director of Novices for the Basilians. Novices are in their first formal year of formation to become Basilian priests. It’s like a year of spiritual boot camp where these men learn about our way of life, living in community, the vows, prayer, scripture, and the foundations of our faith. These young men help me stay young. I also look forward to celebrating with my classmates our 50 years of ordination in December 2014. I have been a blessed man.
As we said in the last issue, we welcome teacher biographies that did not come in by the deadline or that were not solicited because of the incompleteness of our data base. Any of these that come in will be printed or put on our website. Right: Fall 2014 issue of the Aluminator
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