Quigley Preparatory Seminary - La Petit Seminaire Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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lilll Ill Hlllllililll On January 23, 1942, the students of third, fourth, and fifth years assembled in the St. James Chapel at Quigley. The exercises of that day were conducted by Fathers Godfrey, Mohan, and Temple. It was undoubtedly a great success, and so it has become a custom at Quigley that is here to stay. After that first day of recollection, the custom was adopted of bringing priests from outside of Quigley to conduct the spiritual exercises. Pastors, mis- sionaries, and former Quigley professors have conducted these days for the past four years. Usually third, fourth, and fifth years assemble to hear these spealcers after the examinations each quarter. According to the schedule that has been adopted, the day of recollection opens with the Mass Then follows a series of conferences punctuated with visits to chapel and recesses These continue throughout the day until it closes with a Holy Hour and confessions The purpose of the day of recollection is to impress upon semrnarians the necessity of cultivating a love of prayer Asa future Christ the seminarian must follow the example of Christ who passed the whole night in the prayer of God and ever lives to malce intercession for us The The priest is truly the intercessor of humanity before God He occupies a place midway between God and man offering man s prayers to God and lavishmg God s blessings on man A seminarian before talcing on this duty must have G love of PYOYEY

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Once a weelf and on Frrst Frrdays each class attends a holy hour In the St ames chapel wrth Benedrctron ot the Blessed Sacrament Talfrng trme out from classes thus impresses the semrnarran with h purpose rn the semrnary and lceeps hm from regardrng the semrnary as an ordr nary hrgh school The holy hour consrsts rn the srngrng of the hymns O Salutarrs ostra and Tantum Ergo wr a sermon by one of the professors varrous prayers and frnally the blessrng and conclusron Benedrctron probably orrgrnated shortly after the rntroductron of the elevatron at Mass for rt gradually became rmpressed on the popular mmd that there was special vrrtue and merrt attached to adorrng the Blessed Sacrament Formerly a closed crborrum was used for exposrtron of the were added above the rrm to malce the host vrsuble Soon this developed rnto a glass cylrnder into whrch the host could be mounted Ornaments of varrous lands were added and the srze ot the glass was cut down to ht the host Thus developed our monstrance ln Benedrctron of the Blessed Sacrament we see another of the solemn powers of the prrest ln Benedrctron we get a chance to turn our prayers from the ordinary form of petrtron to the lofty Ideal of adoratron As the smolce of the burning Incense rrses upon the altar so do our prayers ruse before God Upon the altar for the future prrest to behold adore love and prarse lres the God of Mercy about Whom that very semlnarran must center hrs entire life For rt rs He Whom the semrnarran must rmrtate rn every act of hrs time of earth It rs He Whom the prrest the teacher of eternal errtres rs to offer to the Faithful as the only true norm of morality rt rs He Whom the prrest wrll drspense to the body of the tarthtul rn the Sacrament of the Eucharrst Truly rt rs about this God of Mercy that the semrnarrans every actron must revolve . . I . J . . . . . r I i H ' 'th Blessed Sacrament. Gradually glass sides V , . I . I I

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-hh' 'tn-F' 5.Il-l.? . ., Sl The First Friday Devotion had always been an inspiring service. ln the life of a seminarian worlcing for the priesthood, it is a most important one. The modern world which the seminarian will some day face as a priest will be one which will need his priestly aid. Not only will the priest need to use his physical and mental powers, but also that one power that has no second on this earth. This is the power of mediation between God and man. The priest is the great reparator. Reparation is the whole idea in baclf of the First Friday Devotion. There is no doubt that the seminarian is concerned with reparation for his own faults. But his concern extends to those unfortunate souls who do no reparation. Countless people on this troubled earth must repair the damage done to God caused by their sins. However, they do nothing. ln such cases the priest uses his faculties. He is the official mediator, he is the official sacrificer and the official reparator. Through his office and prayers, he does repara- tion for others. So we can realize the great mission ahead ofthe seminarian. Even now, on the First Friday of each month, the seminarian does reparation for himself and for others. The First Friday Adoration begins at morning Mass in the Saint James chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the high altar. All through the day, vigils are lcept before our Lord in the monstrance by the students and professors. All classes have special services and the entire student body joins in a Holy Hour at the close of the day. HHSI HHHHY