Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1973 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
5 items; typescript and printed
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Baptismal name: Patrick Creed
Religious name: Fr. Berard Creed OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 17 Aug. 1923
Place of birth: Kilmurry, County Cork
Name of father: John Creed
Name of mother: Mary Creed (née Anglin)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1942
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1943
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1946
Date of ordination (as priest): 24 May 1951
Educational attainments: BA, 1st class hons. (1946); MA, 1st class hons. (1947); Higher Diploma in Education (1956)
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor (Councillor), 1961-4, 1964-7; Provincial Minister, 1967-73; Director of Postulants, 1973-5; Vicar Provincial, 1976-9; Provincial Definitor and Novice Master, 1979-82.
Missionary activities: Travelled to Auckland, New Zealand, on 30 June 1975. He returned to Ireland on 30 July 1976; Travelled to South Korea in 1990 and returned to Ireland in 1994.
Date of death: 1 Feb. 2004
Place of death: Kilkenny
Place of burial: Foulkestown Cemetery, County Kilkenny
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The file contains correspondence, circulars and consultation papers concerning the future of Rochestown College, County Cork. The principal correspondence consists of a four-page circular letter dated 12 May 1973, written by Fr. Berard Creed OFM Cap., Provincial Minister. The letter addresses the implications of changing government educational policies for Rochestown College, particularly the development of community and comprehensive schools and the resulting uncertainty surrounding the future of religiously administered secondary schools.
Father Creed outlines the decision to engage Eoin McCarthy, a management consultant, to undertake an independent examination of the Irish Capuchins’ educational apostolate. The correspondence explains McCarthy’s role in assessing the circumstances of Rochestown College and assisting the friars in identifying the principal questions requiring consideration at the forthcoming Provincial Chapter.
The file also includes a typescript report entitled ‘Report on Rochestown College: Some Perspectives’, prepared by Eoin McCarthy. The report is arranged into three principal sections: Introduction, General Observations and Conclusions. The report examines the educational, organisational and institutional circumstances of Rochestown College, drawing on discussions with members of the Capuchin community and consideration of contemporary developments in Irish secondary education. It addresses the relationship between the College and the religious community, the educational responsibilities of the Capuchin Province, the role of school management and the challenges arising from changing expectations of secondary education.
Particular attention is given to the College’s international character, its boarding-school tradition, its educational reputation and the opportunities and limitations associated with its location and organisational structure. The report considers the future direction of the College in the context of government educational policy, changing school structures and the possible redistribution of responsibilities between religious authorities, school management and educational administrators. It recommends further examination and discussion of these matters as part of the Province’s preparations for future decisions concerning the institution. The file also contains an illustrated fundraising brochure entitled The Jesuits of Clongowes Ask You to Share Their Vision for the Future’’, issued by Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare.