Mothers, I guess, are mothers. 55 years ago I set out on my pilgrimage to become a Jesuit. I graduated from Campion High School in Regina on June 28, 1961 and on Friday August 11 boarded a train heading to Ontario to the Jesuit Novitiate in Guelph. I had turned 18 in March. I knew I probably would not see my family again for at least a year.
This was pre electronic days. Telephone was for dire emergency contact. Travel was primarily by bus, train and car. Letters were the mode of communication. During the course of the next six years I wrote 130 letters home. My mother kept every one of them. She gave them to me in 1997, a year after Dad died, when she down sized from her home in Balgonie, SK to an apartment in Regina.
Those letters sat on my shelf a few years! I finally sorted them by date and let them sit some more, perhaps reticent to meet my young self of more than 50 years ago. Science fiction foretells dire consequences for those meeting themselves when travelling into the past. Summoning up my courage I decided to scan the letters. Only then did I begin to read.
It was curious to read objectively the thoughts and experiences of my eighteen year old self heading into the unknown in 1961. This I share with you in nineteen blogs, The Journey: Letters home, 1961- 1963, the edited letters home of that boy as he journeys through the Jesuit two year’s noviceship starting from his departure from Regina, SK and ending at his pronouncing perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Jesuit on August 15, 1963.
(An editing note: A raft of periods indicate where text has been excised; Square brackets [ ] indicate additions to the text.)
The trip to the Novitiate in Guelph and first impressions:
Ignatius College
August 15, 1961
Dear Mum and Dad, Rosemary and Mathew.
I shall begin with the trip east for I must start from some place. After the train left Regina I began to converse with an old gentleman… The further east we travelled the greener the crops and taller. We arrived at Winnipeg at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening I spent two hours wandering about the streets near the train station. I bought a sleeper from Winnipeg to Toronto and… met a very friendly woman and her two children who were about the same ages as Rosemary and Mathew…. on their way home to Toronto from Edmonton….
However, most of the time was spent sight seeing either from the dome car or from the sleeper car windows. I woke up in Fort William (at 5:00 a.m. Saturday) to see all the terminals and ate breakfast in Port Arthur. The scenery around Lake Superior is simply magnificent. The many lakes on the edge of the lake and the many trees set in the extremely rocky hills contribute to the immense charm of the lake. I missed completely Lake Huron for we passed it on Saturday night.
The farms in Ontario for the most part seem extremely small, however the grass and crops look splendid and it can be readily seen how a living can be made even though the acreage is minute.
Toronto followed the sun closely on Sunday morning and I was very surprised to see the expanse of the city. To give you an idea of this we reach Weston, a station on the edge of Toronto at 7:00 a.m., but reached Union Station, at the heart of the city, at 8:00 a.m. and we were travelling at a fair speed most of the way. Mr. Dodge [a Jesuit studying theology in Toronto] and a friend of his met me at the station and took me to the address Father Sitter had given me.
Here I went to Mass and had breakfast and later in the morning Father Harris, a priest I met at 226 St. George Street, showed us High Park, Castle Loma, and the exhibition grounds, downtown Toronto and many other sights of the city. In the afternoon a couple and their children, friends of Mr. Dodge, showed us more of the city (The new Jesuit Seminary [Regis College in Willowdale] and St. Joseph’s nunnery). Later they took us to their home and gave us a lovely steak dinner.
I caught the train at 6:50 p.m. E.S.T. and arrived by CNR to Guelph at about 8:00 p.m. I almost missed my station for I fell asleep but fortunately I woke up in time. Father Farrell [the rector of Ignatius College] met me at the station and drove me out to the college which I believe is set in the most beautiful spot in Ontario. The Fathers have a lovely farm which contains many cattle (pure bred) for both dairy and beef and orchards of apples. They grow many other fruits and vegetables and everything is simply beautiful.
I have met many wonderful brothers (which is the name given to all in the novitiate, e.g., I am called Brother Obrigewitsch.) from all over Canada. There are about 20 this year. I was fifth to arrive.
The college itself is lovely. I have a room called a cubicle (because the walls are not right to the ceiling) but the necessary privacy is thus provided. There is a curtain door and the cubicle is furnished with a large desk, bed, closet, washstand, and chair. There is a light directly above the cubicle and one on the desk. I was pleased to discover electric razors could be used because there are adequate plug-ins (one in each cubicle)….
The College is very well built with a beautiful chapel and all the necessary rooms a school should have. I think I shall like it very much here. Every one is so friendly and the place itself has an atmosphere that makes you happy as though God (as He must have) had blest it especially. Well this is developing into a lengthy letter! ….
I should really sign off and get this letter into the mail so say “hi!” to all the kids [nieces
and nephews] and ask them to remember me in their prayers (Rosemary and Matt too).
I will write again in a week or so.
Love
Frank
P.S. I believe I shall be very fat when you see me next for the food here is delicious (It almost compares with your cooking, mum!)
The strenuous schedule for the first week kept the novices active even though much of it was physical recreation:
Ignatius College
August 21, 1961
Dear Mum, Dad and all,
…. Well the days here, believe it or not, are passing quickly, tonight I shall celebrate one week’s endurance. (It was not difficult.) During the day we are kept busy. We arise now at 5:55 a.m. (that is 3:55 your time) although this whole week we have been getting up at 6:30. Then there is meditation, then Mass, then breakfast. We then make our beds and do other necessary things until 8:45 conference. We then do about a half hour spiritual reading and make a short visit to the chapel.
Then comes recreation. In recreation there are many things to do, play handball (my favourite), tennis, basketball, soccer, touch football and others. I am suffering the results of a soccer game yesterday…. (It is a very strenuous game).
At 11:00 a.m. there is spiritual reading and then another conference at 11:30. There is a fifteen minute break and then a fifteen minute time to pray. Dinner is at 12:30 and then we recreate again. At 2:15 we can have a siesta for almost an hour then we can go off to the pool and have a swim. The pool is a river that has been dammed up. At places it is quite deep in other places shallower but it is verynice to swim every day. The water is a bit green and is very buoyant compared to water in Sask. After the swim there is coffee (at 4:30) and lunch. (It is a life saver too for after all the activity of the afternoon you feel practically starved.)
At 5:00 there is another visit and then some spiritual reading. Then there is another conference. Supper is at 6:30 then recreation until 7:55. At 8:00 there is spiritual reading, prayer at 9:00 Litanies. 9:15 is time for bed. This is the schedule for every day except Thursdays and Sundays.
Thursday is usually “villa day”. We all arise and go to this abandoned farm that has a huge house on it. The house has been converted into a miniature refectory and chapel. The surroundings there are beautiful with a creek for swimming, a volleyball court, horseshoes, and basketball. We had a whale of a time last Thursday. In the afternoon we played a game of “flags”. This is a game that is a miniature war. Each side has five flags which they hide in the area assigned to them (usually a 1/4 mile square). The other side does the same in their area. The idea is to creep stealthily through their area, find the flags and hide them back in your section without being tagged in their area, for if he tags you, into jail you go until someone breaks you out. It is a very strenuous game….
Sunday is usually filled with recreation too…. As you can see I am getting very much exercise and eat as though I am starved. I am thinking that if I don’t watch I will become a glutton.
How is everything at home, how is everybody? By the way, just write to the address above. I must have forgotten to tell you last week. After the long retreat in November (and during it) I will only be able to write once every two weeks. Letters in are limited also (not from home) for we are supposed to be more or less isolated and free of the world problems and from other distractions (e.g., radio, TV) and other things. If you haven’t already, write soon for I would like to hear from you….
A bee sat on my head yesterday and stung me when I was on my way to play soccer, so today the area around my right eye [is swollen]. Needless to say I don’t care for bees any more. I guess I shall sign off until next week. Remember me in your prayers please
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The source for all photos in the series is Frank Obrigewitch, SJ