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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 30, 2007 - 3 At home in church By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF I f Oakville's founder Col. William Chisholm were to visit here today -- 150 years after the town's incorporation -- the only building he would recognize would be St. Andrew's Church. It was Chisholm, a Presbyterian, who made the original grant of land for the building of St. Andrew's, which was built in 1840. At the helm of the downtown Reynolds Street church, Chisholm would find Father Peter Coughlin, who is celebrating his own milestone this year -- 40 years in the priesthood. He has come full circle as current pastor of St. Andrew's, since it was there that he worked for the summer as a deacon before being ordained. Not bad for a man who at one time sought a spiritual boost as he watched peers leave the calling. Coughlin's official celebration was orchestrated by none other than Global Television's investigative/consumer reporter Sean O'Shea, a longtime resident of Oakville. O'Shea organized a dinner of nearly 250 people at the Ontario Racquet Club, where Coughlin was presented with framed greetings from the prime minister, premier, lieutenant governor and governor general. For Rev. Dr. Peter B. Coughlin, there's never been a question of being a priest. "It's who I am," he said. Coughlin was born in Hamilton on Oct. 11, 1941. He was the oldest of five children born to Sarah (McNally) and Jack Coughlin. Today his mom is 89 years old and all his brothers and sisters are still living -- Rose, 63, Jackolynn, 58, Larry, 56 and Paul, 55. His dad, however, died at the young age of 35, leaving his mother a widow who, Coughlin said, worked as housekeeper to the bishop. As a youth, Coughlin had plans to be a veterinarian -- until he attended a retreat during Grade 12. "Within two weeks I had decided to study for the priesthood even though I'd planned to be a veterinarian and had been planning that for seven years," said Coughlin who explained he'd worked for a vet at age 10 and was enamoured with the field. "I just sensed a calling," said Coughlin, who admitted he went on to fail Grade 12, but caught up the next year and then headed into study for the priesthood. Coughlin also remembers his devotion to religion, even at a young age. He recalled how one Sunday morning his father took him fishing, but it caused him to miss mass. He said he refused to do so again if it meant missing mass. Though Coughlin said he worked nights at a drive-in restaurant for nearly a decade after turning 15, he considers himself an average youth. He remembers how he took up smoking at age nine after his dad had asked him to extinguish a cigarette under a tap and Coughlin "took a drag" before doing so. The priest also recalled his first experience with God, during a field trip to a nearby monastery where he said he sensed the real presence of God, and became faint while entering the chapel. "It startled me out, but from that time on I never had a doubt about God and his presence," said Coughlin. Coughlin graduated Cathedral Boys High School in Hamilton and then earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology at St. Augustine's Seminary in Scarborough. Today, Coughlin holds a Master of Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and a Doctor of Ministry, which he earned in Indiana. "I finished school at age 61," said the priest who recalled he failed chemistry two years in a row and needed that to become a vet. "That was definitely a sign that I was not called to be a vet," laughed Coughlin. After his ordination he went to St. Basil's in Brantford and then served at six parishes throughout Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton as parish LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER CELEBRATING 40 YEARS: Father Peter Coughlin, pastor at St. Andrew's Church in downtown Oakville, is celebrating 40 years in the priesthood and is now at the parish where he worked for the summer before being ordained. See Faith page 5 Save 60% Now $ Save 75% Now $ 9 .99 9 .99 Save 40% 1. Solar pagoda style light, 6-pk. 52-3099-4. Reg 49.99. 5-piece sprinkler and nozzle set. Includes 2 nozzles, oscillating sprinkler and quickconnect couplings. 59-3188-8. Reg 26.9 4-piece wrench & pliers set. Micro chrome finish prevents rust for longer life. 58-4787-8. Reg 39.99 Set 29.99 2. Solar lamp post. 52-4141-6. Reg 82.99 49.79 DUNDAS & TRAFALGAR ROAD 400 Dundas St. East · 257-TIRE STORE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm Sat. 8:00am-7:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm OAKTOWN SHOPPING PLAZA 550 Kerr Street · 844-0202 STORE HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:00am-9:00pm Sat. 8:00am-7:00pm Sun. 9:00am-6:00pm Sale prices in effect until Friday July 6. While quantities last.