Celebrating Fr. Troy’s unconventional ways
By Vanessa Santilli-Raimondo, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Spiritan Father Michael Troy, founding father and principal at Toronto’s Neil McNeil High School, had an untraditional way of thinking, said Fr. Gerald FitzGerald.“There was a rapport, a relationship and a casualness between the priest-teachers and the boys that did not exist elsewhere and that was the unique spirit of Neil McNeil,” said FitzGerald, a fellow Spiritan who was a seminarian under Troy in Dublin and a science teacher at Neil McNeil. “He came in at a unique time in the spread of Catholic education — and I think he left a stamp on it.
“I think he shook up Catholic education,” said FitzGerald. “He came here with no preconceived ideas and he brought with him a tremendous freshness.”
On April 15, a reunion and celebration of Troy’s life is being held at Our Lady of Fatima Church, with a Mass celebrated by a Neil McNeil graduate, Toronto Auxiliary Bishop John Boissonneau. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Troy passed away March 19 of last year at 92.
Troy was very influential, said Neil Lundy, a former student and member of the alumni committee.
“He was quite a dominant guy in a benign way,” said Lundy. “He knew everybody… He knew the students, and in most cases, he knew your parents. And he wasn’t just some academic hiding out in his office. He was involved with student life and that’s the important thing.”
Catholicism was really at the forefront in classes at the school, said Lundy.
“Not only in religion class but in every class that we took.”
He lived by example, said Lundy. Every week, Troy would lace up his skates and play hockey — even though he wasn’t the best at it.
“He was a strong believer in strong mind, strong body: play sports even if you’re not good at it,” said Lundy. “And that’s leading by example.”
Sports were incredibly important in his life and he made them important in his students’ lives, said Tony Loginow, a Neil McNeil alumnus and alumni committee member.
As a former director of the Spiritans at the seminary in Dublin, Troy was responsible for bringing many priests — and strong educators — with him to Canada. He was the guiding light at Neil McNeil from the very beginning, said Fr. John Geary, a seminarian under Troy in Dublin and a teacher at Neil McNeil.
“There’s no doubt that once Fr. Troy arrived he personified the school and he became a symbol of the place,” said Geary.
Cost is $20 and proceeds will be used to create a Fr. Michael Troy scholarship. For information, call the school at (416) 393-5502 or e-mail frmichaeltroy@gmail.com.
Please support The Catholic Register
Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.
For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.
DONATE