Mount St Marys College - Pridwin Yearbook (Emmitsburg, MD)

Page 138 text:

REV. FRANCIS P. McNELIS Spiritual Director of the Seminary and Professor of Ascetical Theology, Homiletics, and Latin; B.A., Mount St. Mary’s College, 1928. Founder of the Blue Army on campus and a familiar speaker at Novena services, Father McNelis combined a reso- nant and moving voice with a complete and out- spoken dedication to the Blessed Virgin inspiring us to make better Mountaineers of ourselves. As dean of studies and instructor in Latin and religion before he went to the Seminary faculty, his domi- nant, yet kind manner also made wiser students. Father left the Mount faculty to serve as a Navy Chaplain during World War I. In 1946 he re- turned to help educate the men he had seen war duty with. VERY REV. JOSEPH P. O’DONNELL Rector of the Seminary and Professor of Sacred Scripture, Greek, and Hebrew; B.A., Mount St. Mary’s College, 1931; M.A., Ibid., 1935; petal 89 Bese Gregorian University, Rome, 1937; S.S.L., Pontifi- cal Biblical Institute, Rome, 1939. Smiling and cheerfully friendly to the students of the College and Seminary, Father O’Donnell was noted for his subtle sense of humor. He liked to keep the grass trimmed on the front terrace with his golf clubs, and planted flowers in the circular gardens on the front and side terraces. Father O’Donnell, who served as moderator of the St. John Berchman’s Society, was appointed rector of the seminary several weeks before we started our freshman year at the Mount. 134

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wy Ns ane AS ot Mount St. Mary’s Seminary Proportioned in stone and mortar but assuming its char- acter and identity from its inhabitants, our Seminary building provided the scene for the daily schedule of 110 students and their teachers and directors. : The continuous cycle of the seminary rule began on the upper floors where shortly after dawn the student awoke. Descending to the chapel which extends from the rear of the building, he absorbed himself in the early morning exercises of prayer, meditation, Mass, and thanksgiving. Then to the refectory, where at tables set for six, the sems were served by their fellows the three daily meals. Classrooms large and small stood prepared on the 133 ground floor to serve students’ intellectual needs for a good portion of the day. A library was also at the con- venience of the student in his efforts to write that class assignment or increase the content of his knowledge. A bookstore supplied class texts and ordered books of sup- plementary reading for the students. Two recreation halls on the basement floor provided ample space for relaxation and the geneality so character- istic of group living. Meetings, movies, lectures, chess, music, and conversation here followed in carefree balance during the periods of recreation.

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REV. EDWARD J. BEATTY was ordained on May 22 in Greensboro, N.C. for the diocese of Raleigh, N.C. Father Beatty, a resident of New York City, studied at St. Francis of Loretto and served for three years in the Army with the Signal Corps. In his last year at the Mount he taught religion in the College. REV. LEONARD V. CASEY was ordained on May 10, 1952 for the diocese of Harris- burg. Father Casey, a native of Berwick, Pa., attended Temple University for two years and served three years in the Merchant Marine before coming to the Mount. During his six years at the Mount Seminary, Father Casey was well known for his active interest in amateur theatri- cals. 135 REV. GEORGE J. BUETTNER was ordained on June 7, 1952 for the Archdiocese of Balti- more. A native of Baltimore, Md., Father Buettner served for three years in the United States Navy and studied at Loyola University. During his Seminary life Father Buettner taught religion in the College. REV. NEIL A. DURSO was ordained on June 7, 1952 for the diocese of Scranton. Hailing from Hazleton, Pa., Father Durso studied at St. Charles College before beginning his six-year stay at the Mount, during which he was director of the Schola Can- torum of the Seminary.