On October 28, 1958, Angelo Roncalli was elected Pope. He had taken the name of Pope John XXIII. Owing to his age of seventy-seven years, John XXIII was elected as a stop-gap pope. He helped to modernize the Catholic Church in association with the photo of Monsignor Paul Dwyer Second Vatican Council. On April 27, 2014, Pope John XXIII was canonized as Saint John XXIII in the Roman Catholic Church. How did the Papal slippers of this Catholic saint end up at Msgr. Paul Dwyer Catholic High School?
Paul Dwyer was born 1898 in Parry Sound, Ontario. He had five sisters and two brothers (one sister was a nun). He graduated from St. Michael's College, Toronto, in 1919 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Our founder was accepted into the Irish College at the University of Rome and spent four years before graduating with a Doctorate of Sacred Theology in 1923, classes in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1923.
From 1921 - 1925, Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, was stationed in Rome as the Italian president for the Society for the Propagation of Faith in Rome where he met Paul Dwyer and the two men became friends. Roncalli was studying Canon Law prior to his elevation as Titular Archbishop of Areopolis and Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria.
Upon his return to Canada, Father Dwyer was posted to St. Mary's Parish in Welland for eight years. According to Sister Anne Schenck, retired Dwyer principal, Monsignor had taught at Holy Cross School (in Welland) and then was the headmaster of Grey Gables (a private boys school in Welland) for the next ten years. At Grey Gables, Father would have taught some of the rich and powerful of Canada's Catholics including the Labatts of Labatts Breweries. In 1941, he became a Royal Canadian Air Force Chaplain serving in England and Canada. In 1945, he was the Command Chaplain of Eastern Canada.
Father Dwyer was appointed pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church, Oshawa, for twenty-four years (1949 - 1973). At one point, he was the sole Italian consul. When he first arrived in Oshawa, there were only twelve rooms available for Catholic students and two churches (St. Gregory the Great and Holy Cross)
Father Dwyer was named a Domestic Prelate to Pope John XXIII and granted the title of Monsignor in 1961. He attended both Vatican Councils as a Canadian clergy representative and renewed his friendship with Pope John XXIII. At this time, there were fourteen distinct offices of Monsignor; however, the Domestic Prelate was considered an honorary member of the Papal Household and received a gift. This gift was the slippers which Angelo Roncalli, now Saint John XXIII, wore when he was consecrated as Pope. These are the slippers which are now in the main office of the school.
As alumni, we must never forget how important the gift of Catholic education was to Msgr. Dwyer. He presented diplomas at each Monsignor Paul Dwyer handing out high school diplomasSeptember Grade 12 Graduation up to and including 1975, the year before he died.
Monsignor Dwyer was a founder of Oshawa's thirty member church council in 1968. He was an ardent curler and golfer who was involved with many civic organizations including: Children's Aid Society, Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Oshawa Men's Hostel Services, Knights of Columbus, Parent-Teacher Associations, and the Daughters of Isabella. He was an advocate for many immigrants, counselling them and making them welcome in their new community. Monsignor Dwyer was present for the cornerstone laying of a United Church, spoke in a synagogue and at Masonic meetings. For his holidays, he would travel to Rome and held audiences with five popes. Monsignor 'retired' at age 75 in 1973 which was the anniversary of his fiftieth year in the priesthood.
Monsignor Dwyer passed away March 19, 1976 at the Oshawa General Hospital and is buried at St. Augustine's Seminary in Scarborough, Ontario.
On his death, certain personal effects were bequeathed to the school including the Papal Slippers. In the school front foyer displayFormer Dwyer student stands with papal slippers window, visitors will see a copy of Monsignor's Missale Romanum (donated by 1975 OCHS graduate, Ken Bodnar), bound in vellum and printed in the late 1800's. Missale Romanum was brought back from Rome by Father Dwyer in the 1920's and it was a keepsake. Ken Bodnar says this Missale was used for Latin masses said at St. Gregory the Great Parish, Oshawa, from the 1940's up to the moment when the rite of Mass was switched to English.
Biographical information for Monsignor Paul Dwyer provided and compiled by graduates Ken Bodnar (OCHS, 1975), Maureen Moloney (Monsignor Paul Dwyer CHS, 1977) and Joe Szekeres (Monsignor Paul Dwyer CHS , 1978)