About
Joseph B. Darcy
A native of St. John's, Br. Joseph B. Darcy is uniquely placed to write the history of this illustrious institute. His family history is intertwined with that of the school. His grandfather graduated in 1861 while it was still called The Orphan Asylum School, and served as a pupil monitor. HIs father attended St. Pat's and acheived the distinction of being the school's 'head boy' in his final year, 1904. Still later, as treasurer of teh BIS for many years, he was responsible for overseeing the financial support which the Society provided for the school. While Br. Darcy did not himself attend St. Pat's, his position on the American Provincial Council of the Christian Brothers during the 1960s gave him a close view of the St. John's Catholic schools during that turbulent period. His later position on the General Council of the Brothers in Rome provided him with the unique opportunity of studying the voluminous correspondence that went back and forth between the early Brothers in Newfoundland and teh General Council of the period., depicting vivdily the many trials and challenges that these Brithers faced. The fact that he is now living at Mount St. Francis, where the Canadian archives of teh Brothers are located, has enabled him to study much correspondence and other information which would normally be unavailble to reserachers.