It is fascinating  and moving to read Kevin’s latest update and how wonderfully well he puts into context the vulnerability of the young seminarians and their predators.I have reflected for a long time whether to contribute to the Blog.This is not because of any sense of disapproval,far from it. It was more about a sense of guilt due to the fact I was one of those young men who came out unscathed while some of my dearest friend were abused.The personal revelation of that abuse from one of my friends before a reunion has had a deep impact on me. That is why I consulted with him before I decided to relate my experiences of Mirfield . Mirfield gave me life long friendships, a development of good communication skills,a complete sense of independence.Those heartbreaking nights developed an incredible resilience and many experiences gave me tcup qualities ( to cope under pressure) probably due to Cerea standing behind me with a ruler to my head .I hope over a period of time to relate those wonderful experiences of the train trips from Glasgow, times at  the Lake District , Fountain and Boltons Abbey. Fireworks nights,Sunday football,fund raising choirs,sneaking to the ice rink , fights over the toaster,the famous cleaning rota,ghost hunting, dormitory strikes and bizarre punishments.I hope as I get going the rest will flow. What I really hope to do is to try and encapsulate the atmosphere created by all those incredible student who made up such a melting pot of adventure, fun and laughter .A number of those characters such as Tommy Flanagan and Paddy Burns have passed away while Dono is seriously ill Thankfully our re unions allowed me to catch up with these dear friends and share experiences. My support of those other friends who were abused is there without reservation and whatever we can do to help, we should. Till next time Frankie.

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