Bishop Pearson, the Catholic Boys Association and St Josephs College

by Gerard Slavin (Joe's 1944/1951)

Through many of these reports it is apparent that Father 'P', later Bishop Pearson, had a major effect on many boys at St Josephs, in part because he was a governor of the school but mostly through the Catholic Boys Association (CBA) and the Achille Ratti Climbing Club both of which he founded and which influenced many individuals. Here is one assessment of his influence during the period 1943-1951 and perhaps others might add their own impressions.

In 1943, I was 10 and, though from St Teresa's parish in Cleveleys, I went to the Sacred Heart primary school in Talbot Square. Our Parish priest had been the very active Canon Matthew McNarney, interested in young people, but he was transferred to Barrow and replaced by rather dour Fr John Baron who took on the newly built church and with it considerable debt, and this understandably seemed to preoccupy his mind. Youth policies went to the wall. At school there were stories of a charismatic priest at St Cuthbert's church, South Shore, who ran the CBA in the premises adjacent to Martins wood yard and undertakers business in Bagot Street. This was a 'Coronation Street' of Accrington red brick houses and who would believe the stimulation that came from there?

There were tall tales of the activities there with indoor games, of trips to the sand hills in the summer and best of all for me boxing classes, for then Ronnie Clayton, a featherweight who later became British Empire Champion, was a Blackpool lad who often fought at the Tower and was one of my heroes. I joined the CBA and this required a rapid reappraisal of my lifestyle for my pocket money wouldn't run to two trips a week by tram from Cleveleys to South Shore plus the extras for the weekly subscription and the inevitable pop and chips for afters. The problem was solved. On my 11th birthday I gave up being an altar boy at St Teresa's and financed my trips to St Cuthbert's by starting a newspaper round, much to Father Baron's chagrin. He thought I might want to go to Upholland seminary. Another change followed quickly for I got a scholarship to St Joseph's and Monday night boxing classes went to the wall.

Club Nights.
The CBA club night was Wednesday for all the club members and we met downstairs in a large room with a stage at one end, beneath which were kept all sorts of equipment. We were divided into teams of Greeks and Romans and played competitive games which involved much racing about, British bulldogs or fighting with pillows or boxing gloves on sticks and after about 90 minutes, up the stairs went tired little (and some big) boys. Then, a short prayer and Father P gave us a homily for about 20 minutes or so whilst we ate Smith's crisps and drank pop. Thereafter, a quiet time with snooker, billiards and board games or just talking. Then home with a stop at the chip shop or Purdy's pie shop.

The driving force was Father P, dressed in a rugby shirt and taking part in the rough and tumble. Most boys were from St Cuthbert's parish but the club attracted boys from a wide area, even as far as Thornton Gate, though relatively few from St John Vianney's parish where there was an active Catholic boy scout troop who were nominally our rivals. We regarded ourselves as 'anarchic' freebooters rather than DYB DYB or DOB DOB, uniformed scouts.

Ambleside Camps
The highlight of the year was a two week camp in Ambleside (see obituary notice of Fr Atkinson). We lived in the old corrugated iron hut which had served as the initial Catholic church in Wansfell Road and about 30, a coach load, of us went each year. We slept on camp beds with rough army blankets, (did we have sheets?) and the cooking was done by a mother who accompanied us, I seem to remember Mrs Purcell from Cavendish Road. There was a roster for fag duties: sweeping and kitchen chores and also for 'bog' duty which meant emptying the chemical latrines into a deep hole.

Then, it was war time there were relatively few tourists and the Lake District was still rather a simple place and quite unlike the Golden Mile and the Wakes weeks activities we were accustomed to in Blackpool. There were 'exotics' like trusty Italian POWs who lived and worked near Windermere and easily recognised by large circular patches worn on the back of their jackets. But fag duty done, we were in a safe environment free to roam Ambleside, boat on Windermere, swim in the Rothay and Brathay or play football or cricket in Borrans Park.

The new activity for most of us was the introduction to mountains with organised trips up Loughrigg and Wansfell initially and longer days on Hellvellyn, Scafell Pike, the Langdale Pikes or Skiddaw. Most of us had only rudimentary hill kit unlike today and many boys made their first ascents in hobnailed boots or shoes. Plimsolls were not allowed on the hill but were our universal footwear about Ambleside. Jerkins served as cagoules and WD rain capes kept us dry. Discipline on the hill was good and the older boys looked after the younger.

Big Lads
For some time, with increasing responsibilities, and especially after he became Bishop of Sinda and auxiliary to the Bishop of Lancaster, the CBA was in charge of Father Teddy Shields and Father Boyle. It continued but perhaps lost its sparkle and in about 1949, Bishop P resumed control. By that time I was a 'big lad' for whom there was a second club night after Benediction on Sunday nights, much quieter and without the violent (but enjoyable) Wednesday games. There was an added bonus for those of us who had been away climbing with the Bishop, and he ran seminars for us in his presbytery. We practiced knots and rope techniques round his study. He read to us from Whymper's The Ascent of the Matterhorn, from Geoffrey Winthrop Young's Mountain Craft and from Achille Ratti's account of his climbs in the Alps before he became Pope Pius XI. We began as a group of about 6, but it eventually boiled down to 3 of us from St Joseph's, Tom Walsh, Jim Bottomley and myself, all of whom remained hill committed throughout life. But the Bishops feet weren't always on the ground. He envisaged a scheme in 1949 for a group of us to go and climb the Matterhorn. The cost was to be about £50, at a time when working men's wages were about £6 per week. It failed. It provoked my only major quarrel with my Dad, when he said I couldn't go because we couldn't afford it.

Bishop Pearson introduced the three of us to climbing courses run by the Achille Ratti Climbing Club (ARCC), mainly due to the efforts of Brother Joseph (Salesian Brothers?) of Clapham College and his young men. For one of us (GS) mountains have been a lifetime and continuing interest and I am a life member of ARCC.

Bishop Pearson had a major effect on the lives of many boys and young men. It continues today in the wider context of the Achille Ratti Climbing Club.

CBA --- Ad Altiora