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

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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

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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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es Father Peschong and Monsignor Rainer. The students and faculty were very active in answering appeals made by organizations and the government to fur- nish relief and aid in the trying days of the war. The service Hag certainly shows that the spirit of St. Francis Seminary and its alumni is one of sacrifice for God and country. 1918 June 8, marked the close of the school year. Be- cause a great number of students were being called home to work it was decided to close the school term a week sooner than originally intended. Ordinations took place on June 16, Archbishop Messmer officiating. Those of other dioceses were ordained by their respective Bishops. The Class of 1908 held a reunion at the Semi- nary on July 17. On July 29, Monsignor J. Rainer, Fathers Riedl and Berg attended the First American Catholic Studentsi Mission Conference at Techny, Illinois. During the summer months the professors, Fathers Salbreiter, McEvoy, Haas, and Berg acted as volunteer chaplains under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. Father Salbreiter was sent to Camp Custer; Dr. McEvoy went to Camp Taylor, Ky.; Father Haas was detailed to Camp Grant, 111.; and Father Berg was stationed at Fort Sheridan, Ill. On September 10, the Seminary opened with a roster of 312 students. There were several faculty changes. Father Lederer was not successful in his physical examination to enter the army, but did not return to the Seminary. Father McEvoy was ap- pointed diocesan director of Charities and Chaplain of St. Roseis Orphanage. Father Salbreiter was com- missioned a chaplain in the Army of the U. S. Fathers J. A. Riedl, Eugene McCarthy, and Henry Riordan were appointed in their places. Father Rior- dan was destined to spend many years at the Semi- nary. On October 10, Father Salbreiter, U. 5. Army Chaplain, gave a talk to the students on his experience while attending the training school for chaplains at Camp Taylor. Father Salbreiter left for France soon after this. The retreat was given to the students October 20 to 24 by the Rev. C. M. Thuente, O. P. The patriotic spirit of the students throughout the trying days of the war gave full expression to the occasion as the Seminary with all the rest of the country celebrated Armistice day, Nov. 11, 1918, with great jubilation. The students awoke on this great day to join in happy thanksgiving with their fel- low citizens all over this country. The day was de- clared a llfree one by the Right Rev. Rector and the students proceeded to make it a memorable one in SAINT FRANCIS SEMINARY the annals of the Seminary. At 8 dclock a procession was formed of enthusiastic classics, philosophers, and theologians. Preceded by a hurriedly assembled brass band, they marched around the grounds of the Seminary, making halts here and there where speeches were called for from various professors before whose quarters they stopped. Their enthusiasm led them out of the Seminary grounds proper. First they went to St. Aemilianis Orphan Asylum where the happy little inmates met them and joined in the procession, each one of the boys carrying a Hag and singing in unison with their larger companions who made the air ring with patriotic songs. The next stop was at St. Marys Academy; the Convent was passed and on they went to Pio Nono upon whose campus the College boys had gathered. After a great deal of singing and much music by the band, interspersed with eloquent and fiery patriotic speeches that almost eclipsed Patrick Henryis famous utterances when patriotism and feeling ran so high in the uncertain and restless times of pre-revolution days, the crowd dispersed. Back to the Seminary the students came and after a closing selection played by the band the procession disbanded, everyone glowing with the pa- triotism the day inspired and joyful in the thought of the victorious peace that had come. The Seminary raised $930 as a contribution to the Milwaukee County War Fund. G. A. Monson, Vice-Chairman of the work in the suburban and out- lying districts wrote to Monsignor Rainer, 11I think this is a magnificent contribution from your Semi- nary and I trust that you will convey to those asso- ciated with your institution our appreciation of the liberal support which was rendered? On December 1, Monsignor F. C. Kelley, D. D., of Wilmette, 111., President of the Extension Society, under the auspices of the St. Philip Neri Mission Society gave a talk on missionary spirit and vocation. The usual concert was given before the Christmas vacation. Word was received that Father Julius Babst, Father Gearhard, Father Eilers, and Father OTCon- nor, alumni of the Seminary, had received military decorations for distinguished service on the battle- fields of France. Father Wm. P. O'Connor, chaplain in France, had been appointed Chief Chaplain, 32nd Division. Dr. Paul Schaffel, professor of Holy Scripture and Hebrew for the past three years, was appointed to the pastorate of St. Clements Sheboygan. The boys wished him continued success in his new-found work as a just reward for his inspiring leadership. The work of lireconstruction remained and is the subject of the succeeding period. HENRY H. SCHOLTEN, B. A. I591