The A.M.D.G. (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam) at the top of the September 22nd letter perhaps signals two things, the novice’s return to studying Latin for the priesthood (a requirement at that time) and also the growing sensitivity to the spirituality of St. Ignatius (“For the greater glory of God”) perhaps evoked by the novena to the Canadian Martyrs experience. The September 26/27 letter focuses the impending ‘long retreat’.

A.M.D.G.

Ignatius College Guelph Ontario

Sept 22, 1961

Dear Mum and Dad,

It hardly seems possible but another week has come and gone. But I look at the calendar and I see September whizzing by…. I have started to take Latin once again. We are learning it in a much different system than I have taken before. The first thing we do is memorize a lot of Latin to get down the sounds and to practice our ear to Latin. We do not learn the meaning exactly or even try to translate it. We learn it just as we did English when we began to talk in childhood. Our instructor says that we must learn to recognize the Latin construction just as in an English sentence we can tell the nominative, direct object and verb even though we don’t know the meaning. I believe it is a very good idea and that it should be effective. The trouble is, though, to forget that you do not have to know the meaning and stop trying to translate!

We are in the midst of a Novena to the Jesuit Martyrs of Canada. You are probably familiar with some of them whether through a history course or lives of the saints. (e.g. St. John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, Gabriel Lalemont, etc.) As the Novena goes on I read the life of one of them each day….. The Canadian Martyrs shrine is about 90 miles out of Toronto. It is built at the grave of St. John de Brebeuf…. As novices we will probably get to it next year. I am looking forward to it! (Many cures have taken place there, so I am anxious to see the place where the hand of God has worked.)

…I said I would tell you about visitors rules. Well there are supposed to be no visitors for the first three months here, during Lent, or during our retreat. (Usually our retreats are in October). People may visit in the afternoon of the other days….

It is funny really talking to you through a letter. There is usually a lot I would say but by the time I sit down to write, I don’t remember what it was. I guess it is because I am not used to writing letters even though I was at Campion for two years. I was able to talk to you every week and so did not practice….

May God Bless you all!

Love, Frank

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Ignatius College

Guelph Ontario

Sept 26, 1961

Dear Mum, Dad, and all.

Well here it is the last letter for one month, but you keep writing, if possible, so that I have some letters to read after the long retreat. 

Enclosed you will find a picture of all the novices who came at the same time as I did. They hail from Prince Edward Island to Saskatchewan, which includes Nova Scotia (Halifax), Ottawa, Toronto in Ontario, Montreal in Quebec, Winnipeg in Manitoba, and of course, Davin, Davidson, and Regina in Saskatchewan. I was the shortist so I had to stand in the front.

Tom Bonic, the boy from Davidson is on the far left, second person from the bottom. Bob Sauve from Regina is the boy standing behind the left shoulder of the boy behind my left shoulder.

Enclosed also is a fall maple leaf. It is not a very good specimen but I will find better later. I had pressed a green one but it was too big for the envelope so I will press a smaller one….

Just imagine seeing a whole tree with leaves all that colour. They are not changed altogether yet

just in spots on some trees…..

Our retreat begins on Friday evening and ends on October 30. I am not able to write letters during that time so you will probably get the next letter from me around November 3….

If possible pray extra hard for me this month that I am able to make the best retreat possible. I shall not mail this letter until Thursday so don’t wonder about the slow mail service.

September 27, 1961

Yesterday was a first class feast….of the Canadian Jesuit Martyrs. We novices were very happy for we could have music. (We only have music on first class feasts.) Among us there are two very good pianists, a tremendous accordionist, a guitar player. We also were able to talk to the Juniors….

I guess I will sign off now as you will hear from me in one month.

Love, Frank

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Source of all photos: Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ

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