He is credited with devising the currently standard form of Catholic Residential Youth Work and for writing many popular hymns and prayers and leading seminars and conferences.

Damian, pioneer founder of St. Cassian’s Centre (with Joe Hendron and Dominic Green), and its first Director, a man of great talent, bright, creative, sensitive, and warm hearted, yet humble and unassuming. Having met him, you would come away feeling that here was someone who took a great interest in you and who had the gift to bring out the best in you.

His warm personality enabled him to touch hearts engage in drama, music, literature, scripture and to be at ease in company, especially in St. Cassian’s, where young people were encouraged to share community with initial strangers for several days. Much of this came out of his time as English teacher and Head of RE where he encouraged active participation in drama and key questions in life. His work in RE had national and international reputation, bringing him invitations from as far away as Australia.
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He is well known for his contribution to music for liturgy, less as a composer, more as someone with a real talent to put new words to familiar tunes. His “Walk in the light” is sung around the world. He also had the knack of telling a story within the song, especially those based on Scripture.
It was Damian’s own experience that led him to the vision of St. Cassian’s – he would readily admit that young people had helped to educate him, bring him to a new insight in how to present and pass on the Good News.

So in 1975 St. Cassian’s Retreat Centre began. It was firmly founded on the Good News and was specially immersed in the importance of experience: experience of community, of a sense of God, of positive self-image, regard and respect for others, and insight into our world.

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