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

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DIAMOND JUBILEE Q856 THE ERNEST MILLER MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM MAJOR SEMINARY DEPARTMENT Erected 1927 INTERIOR OF MILLER GYMNASIUM

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Qis The year 1930 was to be a trying year for St. Francis Seminary. Her faculty, for the past few years rated with the countryls best, was to suffer a loss by the death of two members, one in the prime of his career and the other in advanced old age. Besides this intimate loss to the teaching staff the great lover of the Seminary Archbishop Messmer was to be called to his eternal reward. Though the vacancies left by these men have been filled, still their deaths were a personal loss to the students, the faculty, and the Archdiocese. Time cannot efface the remembrance of the noble work they did for the Church, especially in the Milwaukee Province. On January 5, the death of Rev. Thomas M. Schmitz, professor of Natural Science, occurred. Father Schmitz was born July 14, 1889, at Waunakee, Wisconsin. He had studied with his classmate, Dr. A. J. Muench, at St. Boniface parochial school, Mil- waukee, and at St. Francis Seminary for the full course. After his ordination on June 8, 1913, he was sent to Madison as an assistant pastor. Later he was made assistant supervisor at St. Aemilianis Orphan- age. Father Schmitz came to the Seminary as pro- fessor in 1919. During his illness previous to his death, Dr. John GaEney, a layman, of Madison took up the duties of Father Schmitz. The deceased was both priest and scientist and his death is mourned by all who knew him for his learning, his zeal, and his priestly companionship. 1930 On January 29, the patron feast was again solemn- ly celebrated. The Pontifical High Mass was sung by the Right Reverend P. J Lochman, V. G., P. A., and the sermon delivered by the Right Rev. F. Rempe, V. G., P. A., of Chicago. In the afternoon the academic degrees were again conferred upon a large number of the students. The baccalaureate address was delivered by the Reverend Robert G. Condon, Ph. D., D. D., of La Crosse. The Mission Reading Room in the new gym was formally opened by the moderator of the society, Dr. Breig, on April 12. The room is furnished with a spacious reading table, chairs, and book cases, while the walls are decorated with appropriate pictures of artistic merit. The Hoot is covered with an attractive linoleum carpet, making the general appearance of the room one of beauty and comfort. Mission litera- ture of every description is available in the room for student use. On April 18, Good Friday, the Tre Ore service was held for the first time in the history of the Semi- nary. It was conducted by the Very Rev. Rector, Dr. Muench, and the Spiritual Director, the Rev. Maas. On the night of Ma 21, a fire which completely destroyed the building broke out at the St. Aemil- SAINT FRANCIS SEMINARY ianis Orphan Asylum. The seminarists aroused from their slumbers by the noises of the fire engines and cars passing through the grounds were encouraged by the Rector to hasten to the scene of the fire to see whether they could be of any assistance in trans- ferring the boys and nuns from the burning building to safety. This was done and all inmates of the institution were safely lodged in the infirmary or other rooms of the Seminary. The fire, fanned by a steady wind from the west, soon spread out throughout the entire building, and as the dawn came nothing re- mained but a few walls and a mass of smouldering ruins. Provisions were made at the Seminary for the needs of the near future. A dormitory was quickly improvised and set up in the new gymnasium. The things worth saving from the ruins were transferred by the students during the next day to the basement of the gymnasium. For the following three months the Seminary played the roles of both Seminary and Orphan Asylum, for the homeless children were not removed to their new quarters until the latter part of the vacation period. The death of the Most Reverend Archbishop Messmer, on August 4, caused universal mourning throughout the Catholic world. The Archbishop was visiting the little Alpine village of his birth when summoned to his eternal reward, and his earthly re- mains were placed in his native soil far from the land in which he so zealously and unsellishly labored. Born on August 24, 1847, Most Rev. Sebastian G. Messmer received his early education at his native village. His high school studies were made at Ror- schach on Lake Constance. In 1861 he entered the diocesan college of St. George near St. Gall. From here he went to the University of Innsbruck in Tyrol, Austria, and was ordained a priest for the American Missions on July 23, 1871. In this country he became professor of theology at Seton Hall College, South Orange, New Jersey, and seven years later was ap- pointed secretary of the Council of Baltimore. In 1885 he was appointed pastor at St. Peter,s Church in Newark. He remained here five years and was then appointed to the chair of Canon Law at the Catholic University. In 1892, the Rev. Dr. Messmer received the call to govern the destinies of the Green Bay Diocese. In 1903 he was appointed to the Metro- politan See of Milwaukee. This great Churchmank career was filled with zealous activity for the mainten- ance and spread of the faith. A scholar himself, he was intensely concerned about Christian education from the parochial schools to the Catholic Universities. During his administration the Archdiocese was devel- oped, new churches being built, new institutions founded, and old institutions enlarged and the scope of their activity broadened. That he was a lover of St. Francis Seminary is evident from his frequent visits and 1771

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SAINT FRANCIS SEMINARY mdiisl'nlknm BOWLING ALLEYS in MILLER GYMNASIUM INDOOR HANDBALL COURTS and DRIVING NET GARAGES and REAR VIEW OF PRESENT MILLER GYMNASIUM WORKMENE BUILDING