Only half a dozen masked visitors presented themselves at our 260 Young Street door this Covid Halloween. Con Mulvihill dutifully and carefully treated them from the box of 120 Nestle’s products. I hoped he gave away all the M&M’s, my least favourite in the pack. It was a very quiet All-Hallows Eve, but one to be a little longer than usual.
After turning back clocks not internet attached, I settled down for a peaceful night’s rest. At about 4 a.m. I came to slight consciousness and began to dream of Jesuits past.
Names and images paraded by me of brother Jesuits recently or long dead: Brother Hevey, Jim Toppings, Joe Gavin, George Topp, Dan Hannin, Art Cotter, John Holland, Ross Feeley, Gordon George, Brother Dan Byrne, Joe Driscoll, George Schner, Len Fischer, Eric Smith, Jack Murray, Terry Walsh, Pat Boyle, Bela Somfai, Bob Chudzik, Charlie Sitter, Brother Al Voisin, Nick Johannesma, St Claire Monaghan, John Wickham, Wilf Harris, Ron Barnes, Buzz Massie, Remi Limoges, Jim Farrell, Angus Macdougall,
Kevin Scott, Doug McCarthy, Ben Reichman, Jim Dyer, Tom Walsh, Tom Moylan, Mike Stogre, Doug Daly, Harold Bedford, Harry Bedard, Brother Westaway, Allan Peterkin, Mike O’Donnell, Bill Addley, Peter Nash, Walt Kelly, Bill Ryan, John Hodgins, John Grimes, Frank McGee, Fidelis Buck, Larry Braceland, Jim McGarry, Michael Lapierre, Jim Deshaye, Barry Connolly, Brother Jacoby, Charlie Sitter, Bill Maurice, Stan Drummond and a host more, beyond my ability to list here, seemingly hundreds.
The peaceful and curiously pleasant procession of visitors seemed absolutely unaware of me. I simply observed them with light contentment and gratitude in my heart, sometimes amazed my sometimes flimsy memory so nimbly and precisely reached back even decades to name each!
Having described this peculiar dream to my sister, Marlene, later that day, she declared it was really like a litany of Saints on their feast day. I like that interpretation.