Ray's View: 2013

St.Philips Grammar School, its part in forming my Catholic Conscience and where did it all go wrong? by Ray Towey (1955-62)

We all take individual responsibility for our life choices of course but when reflecting back over the years at the principal influences throughout my life, next to my parents, to whom I owe the richness of my Catholic faith, it is to Blessed John Henry Newman and the Oratorians at SPGS that I am indebted to today.

As a first generation child of immigrant Irish parents who came to Birmingham searching for the dignity of work and who suffered under the rigors and dangers of the Birmingham Blitz in World War II, life was in no way materially privileged. I was brought up in the Sparkbrook area in the parish of St.Anne’s Alcester Street in Digbeth-which interestingly was a parish that Fr.John Henry Newman as he then was, served at the beginning of his early ministry. Along with my two brothers and sister, I went to Our Lady of Lourdes primary school in Yardley Wood and the great privilege of being accepted as a pupil in St.Philips Grammar School at the age of 11 years has been one of the great joys of my life. Being a pupil at SPGS fostered an inquiring mind, an academic discipline, a work ethic and a nurturing and a study of the Catholic faith. Included in my studies were social teachings of the Church. During my time Fr.Geoffrey, Fr.John and Fr.Hamish were the Oratorians most active in the School. My memories of them were that they were men of faith who had the the capacity to not only teach their pupils, but also to listen to their pupils and to respect their pupils. They encouraged us to question and to follow our faith journeys with integrity and courage. They gave us the basics of what an informed conscience should be. Cardinal Newman was presented to us as man of conscience who followed his conscientious historical discerning to Rome and as history has told - such a journey is not without personal sacrifice. Newman’s discerning of the development of Christian doctrine showed us that faith journeys are a living process that need to be followed with persistance and courage. He believed that his responsibilities went beyond teaching and imparting of knowledge. He saw his role as both moral and pastoral as well. Working tirelessly especially for the poor parishioners of the Birmingham Oratory, Newman also conducted an enormous correspondence, helping people all over the world with their religious difficulties. Newman's aim was to describe and enlighten the Christian mind. When Newman became a Cardinal in 1879, he had to choose a motto to go on his coat of arms. He chose the Latin words Cor ad Cor loquitur – heart speaks unto heart. The words from St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) a French Bishop and great spiritual writer whom Newman revered. Newman wanted English Catholics to be better educated because he believed the Church needed to be prepared for converts, as well as converts prepared for the Church.

In my later years at SPGS I was fortunate to be very active in the St.Vincent De Paul Society and as I look back I can now recognise from this distance the very beginings of my life choices which were nurtured at SPGS. My academic interests were in Chemistry, Physics and Biology and this led me to study medicine in Manchester qualifying as a doctor in 1967, interestingly the very year of the Abortion Act. My Catholic training in SPGS alongside the influence of Newman’s philosphy certainly prepared me for realising that the Catholic conscience may lead you out of the mainstream secular world at a personal cost in whatever profession you choose, especially in medicine. I had the privilege after more than a decade of training to hold the position of consultant at Guy’s Hospital in London and serve in that role for many years. However that position was not to be the final pinnacle of my career and in the early 90s I resigned to work as a medical missionary in Africa.

Over the last 20 years I have spent most of my professional life working in Tanzania and Uganda: countries whose life expectancies are around 53 years compared with 82 years in the UK. However its difficult to experience and feel the poverty of Africa and not look at my own society and its choices with a discriminating scrutiny. A short time in Africa can alter your whole outlook and your priorities. For me, it was to assess the choices that we as a country made for war when there was so much need in Africa going unanswered that moved me to make a special commitment to the peace movement. When there was so much unnecessary death in Africa from diseases that we prevent or cure in UK so easily - why were we ready to spend so much of our resources on creating more deaths in war? Could not these resources be diverted to my patients for saving lives? Could not these conflicts be resolved non-violently? I often look back and reflect on the wars that we have fought as a country. I ask myself: have these wars ever solved any real issue of justice from the South Atlantic to Iraq or Afghanistan? Similarly, it could be said that the ultimate evil genocidal weapon of the Trident nuclear weapon system leaves us as a community both morally, spiritually and economically bankcrupt.

My commitment to the peace movement is often in the form on non-violent civil disobedience at the Ministry of Defence in London during Lent. For some of us this journey of faith often led to court followed by short prison sentences in Pentonville or Holloway Prison. Without doubt the influences of Newman and the staff of SPGS helped me to discern the life choices I made. The staff and chaplains of SPGS showed me the way to find the grace to make these life choices.

This article is a small way of saying thank you to all the Oratorian Fathers and teachers at SPGS that helped inspire and mould my Catholic conscience. From my humble beginnings along with the richness of family love and faith you all guided me and led me both to Africa and to Pentonville Prison! I take full responsibility for these choices myself but I thank you all for giving me the intellectual and spiritual capacity for making those choices with freedom and joy. On reflection I leave you with one question: St.Philip’s Grammar School, its part in forming my Catholic conscience……did it really all go wrong?

Ray Towey

raymond.towey@btinternet.com There is a charity which continues to support my work in Uganda now and other missionaries in Zimbabwe, African Mission, www.africanmission.org.uk

A small group known as Catholic Peace Action which I joined can be seen on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQXHJShmfv4