Photo Credits: St Paul’s High School

In June 2024, the St. Paul’s community unfortunately had to bid farewell to Father Michel Boutilier. For over 40 years, he was the cornerstone of all that pertained to the Jesuits and the Catholic faith in schools across the country. “Boots,” as he is fondly called by the community, left to become chaplain of Brebeuf College School in Toronto. As Fr. Boutilier departed St. Paul’s to embark on a new journey, Father Conlin Mulvihill stepped into his place as chaplain. He has been a wonderful addition to the school community.

Fr. Con Mulvihill was born to a Catholic family in Arnprior, Ontario and grew up near his home parish. In Ontario, Father attended Arnprior District High School where he experienced some interior drift from faith, but never outright doubted it. Upon high school graduation, Fr. Mulvihill took undergraduate religious studies courses at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. Fr. Mulvihill had felt a sense of attraction to the priesthood ever since he was in grade school, but the idea of becoming a priest in his youth became a calling in university. In his final semester of his undergraduate degree, Father took a course on the works of English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins who was a a 19th century Jesuit priest. This sparked Fr. Mulvihill’s interest in the Society of Jesus; he desired more information on the Spiritual Exercises and the formation of the Jesuits. He later discovered that the professor of this course was a knowledgeable former Jesuit himself.
When Fr. Mulvihill formally began the process of becoming a Jesuit priest, he spent two years as a novitiate, then two years studying philosophy at St. Michael’s College and Loyola University in Chicago. After, there were two years of teaching, followed by four years of theology studies in Toronto: all that needed to be completed prior to ordination. This long process required to become a Jesuit was one to remember; Fr. Mulvihill said the experiences and people who guided the discernment of this special vocation were remarkable and life-changing. He reflects, “I have never met anyone who left the Jesuits before ordination who didn’t leave with some sense of gratitude for the formation he received.” After his ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Mulvihill served at Loyola High School in Montreal, St John’s College in Kingston, Jamaica, and at St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg. He also was the university chaplain of St. Mary’s in Halifax, a member of the Jesuit formation in theology studies in Toronto, and, most recently, the Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius Parish in Winnipeg.

Now, Fr. Mulvihill is the residing Chaplain of St. Paul’s High School. He is continually growing every day, living out the spirituality of St. Ignatius. This particular fondness of Catholic spirituality has allowed him to live more gracefully and to deal with moral shortcomings. Fr. Mulvihill offers many services to the school, including daily Mass in the Martyrs’ Chapel at 8:00am and counseling Grade 12 students in the Spiritual Exercises. Moreover, he will soon be offering the opportunity for students to go to confession.

Finally, he has spiritual advice for the students of St. Paul’s this year. “It would be a good idea to start by honouring the religious background of your family, if this is available to you. Be honest and open yourself to the mystery of being religious. It is almost impossible to find this path on your own, and don’t forget to ask for the help of others when you need it.”

So, the next time you see the friendly smile of Fr. Mulvihill brighten the halls, say “hello”, share a conversation, and be grateful that another extraordinary Chaplain graces the St. Paul’s community.