St Francis Minor Seminary - Via Yearbook (Milwaukee, WI)

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SAINT FRANCIS SEMINARY Q$s theologians gymnasium. At this convention $6,200 were pledged for this purpose. 1916-1917 On Sept. 12, 1916, there was registered the largest number of students BZSJ in the history of the Semi- nary. During the summer Father Peschong had worked hard to get the buildings in good shape and when the students returned a freshly painted house, inside and outside, awaited them. The Theologians, rooms were equipped with running water, both hot and cold. Dr. Thomas Fitzgibbon, who had been attending physician of the Seminary some twenty years, died in St. Joseph,s Home adjoining the Convent on Sep- tember 16. His funeral took place from the Convent and he was buried in the cemetery of the 9Chapel-in- the-Woods at the Seminary. The students joined in the funeral procession. Dr. Fitzgibbon was a generous benefactor of the institutions at St. Francis. Father John Mueller of Columbus, Neb., while paying the Seminary one of his welcome visits; fell and broke his arm. The grim reaper, death, is never idle and thus it is necessary that we take notice of deaths again which took place at this time. George Naber, a stu- dent of Second Philosophy, died in Chicago, Sep- tember 14. The funeral was at Waterford, Wis. All his classmates attended. Dr. McEvoy of the Semi- nary sang the Solemn Requiem Funeral Mass, and Monsignor Rainer preached the sermon. John Stod- den of Mapleton, 1a., a student of the First Latin class, died in the inhrmary of diphtheria. The Rev. James J. Heidegger of Sioux Falls, S. D., was buried in the cemetery of the 1iChapeI-in-the-VVoods,1. He was not an alumnus of the Seminary . The Albertus Society directed by Father Lederer very successfully presented uDer Standhafte Prinz by Calderon. Sienkiewicis iiQuo Vadish, dramatized by the Rev. S. J. Gorski, C. S. C., was enacted under the direction of the Rev. J. Korczyk by the St. Stanis- laus Society. The pre-election days presented a lively aspect at the Seminary. For almost a week political meetings were held in the gymnasium occasionally accompanied by torchlight processions. All parties were represented. On December 21, a Christmas Concert under the auspices of the Seminary orchestra was enjoyed by all. The Rev. M. J. Wenta of St. HedwigJS, Mil- waukee, addressed the members of the Total Abstin- ence Society at a meeting at which 34 new members were enrolled. On January 8, Father Reges, a Mexican priest, addressed the students on conditions in his native country. Archbishop Messmer celebrated his Silver Jubilee as at Bishop on April 10. It was observed at St. Johtfs Cathedral with services of particular beauty, attended by hundreds of clergy from all parts of the province, by members of many religious orders and by a large number of the laity. The Cathedral choristers and a male chorus of eighty voices furnished the singing. His Grace sang a Pontifical High Mass, and the Right Rev. Monsignor Rainer preached an eloquent sermon. On Low Sunday, there was observed for the first time a 11Mission Sunday under the auspices of the St. Philip Neri Missionary Society. Monsignor Rainer celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at which the Most Rev. Archbishop assisted in the sanctuary. The Rev. M. M. Gerend, Rector of St. John,s Institute, de- livered a very practical and eloquent sermon on mis- sions and missionaries. In the evening, the Rev. Fred- eric Lynch, 5. V. D., gave an illustrated lecture on the labors and journeys of the Apostle, St. Paul. William Wintefs adaptation of 11King Lear,,, di- rected by Father Haas, and JiElmarm a dramatiza- tion by Dr. Joseph Faust, directed by the Rev. Jos. Lederer were presented by the St. Thomas and St. Boniface Societies respectively. The students of the Classical Department com- memorated the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, April 19, by raising a flag which was to How there- after over the campus near the gymnasium. The Rev. Joseph W. Berg of the Seminary cele- brated his silver jubilee as a priest at St. Maryis Church at Saukville, Wis, where his brother was pastor. From May 8 to 10, the noted authority on Spirit- ism, Sir Godfrey Raupert, K. S. G., delivered three lectures on Spiritism before the students and faculty of the Seminary. The Archbishop and many neigh- boring priests also attended. On Pentecost Sunday the Very Rev. Clement Thuente, O. P., addressed the students on the nature and aims of the Society of the Holy Name. All the students present joined the Society. In the evening of this same day the annual meeting of the Confraternity of the Holy Ghost was held in the Seminary Hall. The Rector, Monsignor Rainer, Father Schulze and several students spoke. The Douglas Contest was held on June 4. The Corpus Christi procession was postponed, because of threatening weather, to the Sunday within the Octave. The students of Milwaukee Diocese received Holy Orders on June 17. Two retreats were given for the clergy at the Seminary by the Very Rev. C. Theunte, O. P., in the month July. Sept. 4, 1917, the Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee of the Right Rev. Protonotary Joseph Rainer, V: G., i571

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DITAMOND in Michigan. The funeral was held from St. Stanis- laus, Church, of which he was pastor, on August 16. Archbishop Messmer oHiciated and Bishop Rhode preached the sermon. The Right Rev. Cunningham, Bishop of Con- cordia, Kansas, observed the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination on August 8. Bishop Rhode received a very enthusiastic welcome when he came to his new See, Green Bay. The Seminary united in congratu- lations. In the summer the Class of 1905 held a success- ful reunion and the Alumni Association met at the Seminary. Two hundred and ninety-two students reported for registration at the Seminary on Sept. 14, 1915. Dr. Matthew McEvoy was in charge of discipline in the classical department instead of the Rev. Dominic Szopinski. Father Joseph Lederer continued as dis- ciplinarian in the theological department. The Rev. Francis J Haas took up his duties as professor of English in place of the Rev. J. F. Ryan. Two plays were given by the students this first semester, both of which entertained appreciative audi- ences. The Albertus Society ithe Rev. Lederer, Mod- eratorJ presented iiDer Wunderbare Zaubererii tThe Wonderful MagicianJ by Calderon. The St. Stanis- laus Kostka Society staged iiIridionK a drama by the great Polish poet, Sigismund Krasinski. The play was directed by the Rev. Szopinski, president of this society. Bishop Rhode of Green Bay attended the performance. Priesthood was conferred on Joseph Brasky on All Saints Day and seven students received Confirm- ation. Eight Students of the Green Bay Diocese re- ceived Minor Orders from Bishop Rhode at Green Bay on December 24. The Right Rev. Salvator Walleser, O. M. Cap, Titular Bishop of Tanagrae and Prefect Apostolic in the Caroline and Marianne Islands, gave an inter- esting talk about these islands to the students on December 9. Missionaries were always welcome at the Seminary and their lectures were very attentively heard. Very often the particular topic of the lecture was a source of much conversation among the students. The Right Rev. Bishop Stariha, late Bishop of Lead, 5. 13., died at his home, Laibach, Austria, November 28. He studied the classics and philosophy in his native land and theology at St. Francis Semi- nary. He was ordained in 1869 by Bishop Mrak of Marquette, Mich. He went to the Diocese of St. Paul in 1871 and was consecrated Bishop of Lead on Oct. 28, 1902. America welcomed the new year of 1916 with some timidity for what the year might bring. A great part of the world had been at war for some time JUBILEE ?Er; and in the light of the status of international affairs it was almost inevitable that the United States would be drawn into this great conflict. This left the country in a state of unrest and uncertainty. It also affec- ted the spirit of the Seminary as one can easily con- clude, but the same steadfast determination to do its work in education that had characterized this insti- tution in the past carried it safely through all the difficulties of these times. The feast of St. Francis de Sales was celebrated in the traditional manner. Monsignor Rainer offered a Pontifical High Mass and Archbishop Messmer assisted at the throne. The Rev. Stephen Klopfer of St. John,s Institute and Mr. J. Imhof of Milwaukee addressed the students on the nature and the work of St. Vincent de Paul. All the members of the third and the fourth course of theology joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The Right Rev. Monsignor Rainer was the spiritual director. On February 17, Father R. Roche addressed the students in the Seminary Hall on the subject of total abstinence. Forty students took the pledge. The St. James Literary Society presented iiIn the Foolis Baubleh, directed by the Rev. George C. Eilers. On Shrove Tuesday a delightful entertainment was offered under the auspices of the St. Vincent de Paul Conference. It consisted of a German play, a song recital by Mr. J. Nemetz, and an English play. The Most Rev. Archbishop with his Chancellor, Father Traudt, and his secretary, Father Radandt, attended and enjoyed the program. 1915-1916 The usual ordinations were held at Passiontide. After the Easter holidays the St. Thomas Liter- ary and Debating Society gave a most satisfactory presentation of iiHamleW under the direction of Father Francis J. Haas. On Arbor Day, May 5, the students enjoyed a half holiday. The Douglas Elo- cution Contest took place May 23, at two oiclock, in the Seminary Hall. Ordinations to the priesthood were held by Arch- bishop Messmer in April and in June. The students of other Dioceses were ordained by their respective bishops. On May 30, an interesting game of baseball was played between a student nine and the Rev. Alumni. The Alumni lost by a score of 12-16. The Alumni players were overweight and out of practice. The funeral of Mr. James Keough, a workman at the Seminary, took place on June 10. He had spent almost forty years of faithful service at the Seminary. During vacation time the classes of 1906 and 1896 held very successful and pleasant class reunions at their Alma Mater. In July the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin at their convention at Oshkosh decided to raise funds with which the Seminary should build a 1:561

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DIAMOND Rector of the Seminary, was celebrated with solemn- ity. Monsignor Rainer offered a Pontifical High Mass and Bishop Tihen of Lincoln, Neb., preached the sermon which was a masterpiece of eloquence on the Catholic Priesthood. The singing was rendered by Alumni who during their Seminary days had been members of the choir. A banquet was served in a huge tent to all those present. This tent was erected between the main building of the Seminary and the Infirmary. Bishops and priests to the number of almost 400 were present and were delighted in doing honor to their former Rector and Professor. In con- nection with this celebration a meeting of the Alumni Association was also held. On Sept. 11, 1917, the students enrolled for another scholastic year at St. Francis Seminary. The total number attending the hrst day was 315; some could not be accepted because of lack of room. This year we note more than the previous year the effects of the Great World War in which our country had entered. There were patriotic programs and meetings, several professors and many of the Alumni joined the Army as Chaplains, and finally the schedule of the year was somewhat altered because of the necessity of having laborers on the farms and in industry the last month of the school year. Father Riedl of St. AemilianTs substituted for Father Eilers, who had been appointed Chaplain of the 5th Infantry, Wis. National Guard Cater 32nd Divisiony Father Eilers as First Lieutenant, U. S. A., gave an interesting talk to the students on the routine life at Camp Douglas, stressing especially the religi- ous conditions and practices. On October 17 and 18, the students celebrated in honor of Monsignor Raineris Golden Jubilee as a priest. At seven olclock on the evening of the seven- teenth the students and faculty gathered in the Hall for a delightful program. A jubilee song by Messrs. Young and Gehl was sung by the students and a varied program by the orchestra was presented. Mr. Wm. Bronner, the house prefect, gave the address. Monsignor Rainer responded saying that it was his joy to work with the students as long as God willed him to do so. The following morning the Jubilarian offered a Pontihcal High Mass. The Rev. Joseph Berg preached a fitting eulogy. Monsignor Rainer presented each student with a souvenir holy card with the studentls name written on it in Father Raineris own hand. A great man, a great priest was already in the evening of life, and what a life of faithful work to present to the Great Judge when the call should come. The love of the students and the alumni for Father Rainer, as he loved to be called, was beyond expres- Sion. A uLiberty Day Progranfl was enthusiastically presented on October 24. JUBILEE aEsE The Rev. Gavan Dquy of Pondihery, India, gave an interesting talk on Missionary work and life in India. Father Philip Gordon, himself a Chippewa Indian, addressed the students on peculatities of the Indians and the best way of working with them. The St. Stanislaus Society presented Shakes- peareis 11Henry VIII on November 15, directed by Rev. J. Korczyk. A week later the Albertus Society offered iiMeclea , a tragedy in five acts by Grillparzer, and directed by the Rev. Jos. Lederer. Forty members were enrolled in the B. V. M. Sodality on Decem- ber 8. The Seminary orchestra and the various singing societies of the Seminary presented a musical pro- gram on the eve of the Christmas vacation. On November 28, the Right Rev. J. H. Tihen, D. 13., Bishop of Lincoln, Neb., was installed as third Bishop of Denver. The Right Rev. Daniel M. Gor- man, Prot. Ap., and President of Dubuque College, was appointed, according to press reports, to the See of Boise City. On Jan. 5, 1918, the students returned to the Seminary from their Christmas vacation just in time to escape the delay and inconvenience of a great snow fall. St. Francis Day was appropriately cele- brated with solemnity befitting the day. Ordinations and Confirmation took place at the Seminary on March 17, 18 and 19, Bishop Rhode oHiciating. On March 18, the Right Rev. Rector was congratulated on his nameday; a program was given in his honor. At Easter time many of the students who lived in the vicinity spent their vacation at home. 1917-1918 Word was received at the Seminary that the Rev. George Eilers, a chaplain in the army, formerly pro- fessor of English at the Seminary, had arrived safe in France. The St. Thomas Society, directed by the Rev. Fran- cis Haas, presented ilMacbeth7 and the St. James Society, directed by the Rev. McEvoy, Ph. D., pre- sented i1The Monks Pardon? The Douglas Elo- cution Contest was held on May 23. On May 17, a rousing farewell celebration was tendered the Rev. Joseph Lederer by the student body. Father Lederer had received his commission as Chap- lain in the U. S. Army and was ordered to report at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, June 1. Father Lederer was the second member of the faculty to become an army chaplain. The Rev. George Eilers was already with Pershingls forces in France. On June 7, a service flag with thirty stars, em- blematic of the thirty alumni of the Seminary en- gaged as chaplains in Uncle Samis service, was raised over the main entrance of the Seminary. The en- trance was colorfully decorated and fitting speeches of a religious and patriotic nature were given by 11581