Monsignor Sweeney was born in Sheffield on 27th September 1912 and studied for the priesthood at St Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw. He was ordained priest in Leeds on 31st March 1940.

He served as a curate in the parish of Holy Rosary, Leeds, (April – September 1940) and then completed further studies at St Edmund’s House, Cambridge (1940-1943). He joined the staff at St Bede’s Grammar School, Bradford, in September 1943 and was headmaster there between August 1946 and July 1977. The Holy Father conferred on him the title of Protonotary Apostolic in 1977. He was a member of the Diocesan Schools’ Commission between 1977 and 1986, during which time he resided at the Church of the Holy Rosary, Leeds. He retired in 1986

Funeral Arrangements are as follows:

The funeral is being held at:
St. John The Evangelist Church,
Bebington Road,
New Ferry,
Wirral,
CH62 5BJ

Thursday 12th May 7.30pm. Reception of Mgr Sweeney's body into Church
Friday 13th May 11.00am Funeral Mass presided over by Bishop Arthur Roche followed by internment in the Wirral.

Directions to St. John The Evangelist Church:

Take Junction 4 of the M53 and follow the B5153 to Clatterbridge and Bevington
Follow the brown signs for the Lady Lever Art Gallery
The Church is situated after the railway bridge close to Bebington Station

Alternatively, take mainline rail services to Liverpool Lime Street and the Underground Service to Bebington Station

A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Bede's Catholic Grammar School on Saturday, 11th June at 12 noon.  In order for us to calculate the number for refreshments, could you please contact school to let us know if you wish to attend.

Dr. James Hegarty, a former pupil of Mgr. Sweeney who later himself became headteacher of St. Bede's and a friend of Mgr. Sweeney, has written the following appreciation.

In August 1946 Fr Morgan Sweeney succeeded Mgr Charles Tindall as Headmaster of St Bede’s Grammar School, Bradford. The school had been founded in 1900 with Fr Arthur Hinsley as its first headmaster, but it was Mgr Tindall who was to really establish St Bede’s reputation as a grammar school for boys in Bradford and the surrounding districts of the West Riding. Tindall took over the school in 1913 and supervised the move from cramped accommodation in Drewton Street to Heaton Hall and its spacious green field site. It was Tindall who also masterminded the building of the new school in 1939. Tindall’s headship may have been marked by physical expansion and academic success but it was also marred by the tragic loss of so many of the school’s former pupils in the two World Wars of the twentieth century. Tindall was revered by many old boys and had been the inspiration for many of them who had proceeded to the priesthood. Sweeney, therefore, had a hard act to follow, but in the thirty-one years of his headship he too was to leave an indelible mark on the school and guide it through some momentous educational changes.

Morgan Vincent Sweeney was born in Sheffield on 27 September 1927 to Morgan Vincent and Mary Ethel Sweeney. Following his secondary education at De La Salle School, Sheffield, he entered St Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw, to train for the priesthood. He was ordained at St Anne’s Cathedral, Leeds, by Bishop Henry John Poskitt on 31 March 1940 and until October 1940 he served as a curate at the Holy Rosary Church, Leeds. He then proceeded to further studies at St Edmund’s House, Cambridge, where he was an Exhibitioner. His interest in History, his analytical approach, and his fluency in the written and spoken word were already evident and in 1943 he was the Holland Rose Prizeman in History. In September 1943 Sweeney took up a post as History teacher at St Bede’s and was to remain at the school until his retirement in 1977.

Fr Sweeney consolidated on the considerable foundations laid by his predecessor. The sons of the early students now attended the school and other old boys returned from war service to join the teaching staff. Although the catchment area of the school was geographically extensive, a family spirit had already developed, and the sense of continuity and pride in the school was strengthened even further. After the Second World War the number of students at the school grew tremendously as boys of eastern European origin were assimilated. The 1944 Education Act also brought about radical changes in the educational system and Fr Sweeney and his governors attempted to cope with increasing numbers, a broader curriculum, and the higher aspirations of boys from all socio-economic backgrounds. The school was to be developed as a secondary-technical and in 1953 Bishop John Carmel Heenan opened a new Technical Wing. Eventually, new science laboratories were provided, together with a new refectory, and a new sixth form block.

The expansion of the 1950s and 1960s and the school’s academic and sporting success gave it a formidable reputation matched only by Mgr (he had been created a Domestic Prelate in 1959) Sweeney’s strength of purpose, intellect and energy. As well as being head of St Bede’s, he was also on the Diocesan Schools Commission and was instrumental in facilitating the erection of other diocesan secondary schools within St Bede’s catchment area. Ironically, it was the building of these new schools that ended St Bede’s ability to draw on students from different backgrounds and parishes and it thus lost an essential dimension of its character. The development of comprehensive schools during the 1960s and early 1970s also signalled the end of St Bede’s as a grammar school. In Bradford the reorganization of Catholic schools and the establishment of the three tier system meant that St Bede’s became a 13-18 comprehensive school. Mgr Sweeney responded by introducing broader and vocational courses to cope with the new intake.

Mgr Sweeney’s practical experience, together with his extensive knowledge of educational law and his contact with local education authority officials, earned him a reputation as an authority on Catholic schools. He was anxious to protect Catholic aided schools from external interference and he was especially determined to preserve the terms of the school’s own Trust Deed which gave the governors almost unrivalled power and responsibility. But he never believed that St Bede’s or any other Catholic school should be isolated from the wider community of schools and because of the strength of the schools Scout Troop he was especially prominent in scouting circles.

Mgr Sweeney extended his and the school’s reputation within the community. In academic terms, in sport, in scouting, and in the proud tradition of boys pursuing a priestly vocation, he moved the school forward. He had tremendous educational vision and this, combined with a fine intellect, an encyclopaedic memory and strength of character made him a formidable operator. For this, of course, he was not always liked, but he was nevertheless respected for his views and achievements. Mgr Sweeney had a sense of humour and he was always kind, generous and supportive to those in need. He maintained his historical interests but the pressures of work and other commitments prevented him from writing more. Catholic history is the poorer for this. By the time he left St Bede’s in 1977 he had been created a Protonotary Apostolic by Pope Paul VI in recognition of his services to Catholic education. It allowed him to wear a mitre which he did at his farewell Mass at the school. He continued to work for the Diocesan Schools Commission and resided at the Holy Rosary presbytery where he had begun his priesthood. He then went to live in Cheshire with his sister, Winifred, where he was surrounded by his books. Up to quite recently he was a welcome guest at the annual dinners of the school’s Old Boys’ Association. His last visit to St Bede’s was in 1996.

May he rest in peace.

James Hagerty, Headteacher, St Bede’s Grammar School, 1987-2001.