Brother Laurentius (Vincent Shanahan)
7 September 1898 - 14 April 1934

Br Laurentius was a committed and devoted Brother; he was the first Director of the school at Campbelltown, founded in 1926. Tragically, he was to die young. We recall his story here, using mainly his entry in the Province’s Necrology.

Vincent Shanahan was born at Branxton in the Hunter Valley and is best known as the first Director of the new school at Campbelltown; (Brother Felix was the Director for three only months, as he had to return to St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill during the influenza epidemic).

Br Laurentius taught at St Patrick’s Marist College (The Rocks), but when he collapsed over his desk from the tuberculosis that was to cause his death, he was sent to Campbelltown, in the hope that the drier climate would improve his health.

The Thomas Donovan scheme (1) having failed, Brother Laurentius opened St Gregory’s boarding school in 1926. Constantly suffering from ill-health, he battled courageously under very adverse conditions to teach the few primary and secondary boys and supervise the farm. Though generous Brothers came from Sydney schools to help in vacation time, the burden soon proved too heavy for Brother Laurentius.

Photos above: St Greg’s as Br Laurentius would have known it.

“Br Laurentius, as a young man at only 27 years old, suffered from ill-health and carried the burden of pioneering a new school without mains electricity or a reliable supply of water. Although enrolments had climbed to around 50 students, the effects of the Great Depression saw enrolments tumble to ten students and sadly, Br Laurentius passed away after a long illness. The College was threatened with closure during the devastating Depression years. It was he who introduced school uniforms, the college crest and began negotiations to have the school registered as the first Catholic agricultural college in New South Wales.” (2)

He died at the age of 35 and was buried in the Field of Mars Cemetery.

His name was perpetuated by one of his 1926 students, Frank McLaughlin (brother of Brother Claude), who, as Brother Laurentius, taught in several schools before entering the priesthood.

Footnotes:
(1) and (2) Heritage - St Gregory's College

Br Michael Flanagan
Province Archivist