Peter Slevin, CM, Golden Jubilee

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Very Rev. Peter Slevin, CM, celebrated his 50 year jubilee in the priesthood. To mark his enormous contribution to SVC since 1963, the College staff made a presentation and the House Captain, Liam Hawkes, spoke on behalf of the boys:

Vincentian Fathers, Students, Staff, a dhaoine uaisle

It is both my great honour and pleasure to represent the student body on this joyous occasion today as we congratulate and proudly commence College President Fr. Peter Slevin's Jubilee Year celebrations. Fellow students, this morning, perhaps you passed by the granite statue of St. Vincent De Paul in the foyer or even touched his toe in the Castleknock tradition; you may also have read the proclamation on the statue's black marble "St. Vincent De Paul- priest and teacher". Today, we show our appreciation for Father Slevin, who has embodied this very spirit of St. Vincent through his work and dedication to both the priesthood, the Vincentian order and the education and pastoral care of the students of Castleknock College.

Undoubtedly, each and everyone of us has experienced Father Slevin in our school lives in different ways; for some, it may be a shared passion for the complexities of applied mathematics, for others, a simple enquiry along the hallway as to how we're getting on. I will never forget at my first beginning of year mass, the respect and admiration senior students held for Father Slevin. Now as a sixth year, I realize that the longer I have been in the school, the more I have appreciated how the Castleknock experience has been enriched by his huge contribution. The Slevin Legacy is all around us, a modern educational environment second to none that still retains its core values and traditions that will serve future generations for years to come.

We all know Father Slevin as priest and teacher; but to others, he is a highly respected Academic, a mathematician, an astrophysicist fascinated by the wonders of our universe. When some would say that Faith and Logic can no longer coexist in our world, here we have our Father Slevin, who embodies our Castleknock motto. "Nos Autem in Nomine Domini - We however in the name of the Lord". Here, we pursue our own enlightenment not by following the crowd but by reflection on the Vincentian ideals instilled with in each one of us by men such as Fr Peter Slevin. For that, we are all eternally grateful. And today, as I congratulate you on behalf of the current student body, I also represent the thousands that have passed under your care and guidance throughout your years at Castleknock.

Go raibh mile maith agat, comhairdgeas, and we wish you continued health and happiness.

Later, the students formed the number '50' on the hill and Fr. Slevin planted a tree on the school grounds. We wish him many more years of health and happiness to continue the good work.