Much of the material edited out of these letters home are questions and comments about what is happening at home in Saskatchewan. But even these letters contain some of the delight about any contact with home. The beginning of the November 24th letter particularly reflects that! Also present in these two letters is some anxiety about not being home for Christmas.
Ignatius College
Guelph Ontario
November 24, 1961
Dear Mum, Dad,
I guess I should start by wishing you a happy birthday, mum. I hope this letter arrives before the day. You will be my first intention in all my prayers on the twenty eighth….
Was it a pleasant surprise to open that parcel! I guess you probably thought it funny that I asked for boots for your letter had told me you were sending some. The reason it happened was, I had just sent away my letter when I received yours. That parka is beautiful (and is it ever nice and warm and yet it is so light). I like the large zipper. The mitts you knitted for me are lovely and I realize how lucky I am to have a mother who can knit and do practically everything so well! Those needles and darning thread will be very useful…..
I’m a two cassock family now. I have a new cassock for Sundays and good wear and one for every day. We got our new ones just in time for our patron saint (Saint Stanislaus Koska). The primi (first year novices) were to tell what they thought of Saint Stanislaus. The results were some very fine poems and interesting talks. It is strange to follow the liturgy this way now (I mean celebrating the saints and feast days). It is just like you have read about in books of people in a previous century….
The weather down here is very unpredictable, I think. A few days ago it snowed again. I was sure winter had come then last night it began to rain and it has rained all day. (We novices sure wish it would freeze hard enough so we can get out to skate soon.)
Last week I was “Guardian Angel” to a retreatant. (I guess I should explain.) People usually come here for retreats on weekends. The “Guardian Angel”, who in this case was me, accompanies him to mass, benediction, etc. takes him to and from his meals, serves his breakfast, and talks with him during his recreation periods. This was some experience, but I enjoyed it very much. (In short, I was to see that he was at the right place at the right time thus they call it being a “Guardian Angel”)….
On Sundays we are now to give “set” sermons to practice our speaking. Later we will make our own. We give them to the rest of the novices and they suggest improvements. This should prove very interesting when I get up to give mine. (You know my little experience in speaking.) But it is an absolute necessity in this vocation….
Christmas is coming closer isn’t it? I guess at school the pupils are starting to look for material for their concert. (They are having one, aren’t they?) Rosemary, you or Mathew tell me all about it okay?
It is going to be different to spend Christmas almost two thousand miles from home but I suppose if we remember the true meaning of Christmas it won’t matter…. I was accepted into the choir and we had our first practice on the feast of St. Cecilia (same day as Rosemary’s birthday) who is patron of music….
I forgot to tell you before that the boots fit very well and so does the coat and the Simpson’s sweatshirt. The dark grey one has a bit shorter arms than the light one but it is fine.
Please pray for one of my fellow novices who is ill.
You will hear from me in about two weeks. Hi, to all the family.
Love,
Frank
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Ignatius College
Guelph Ontario
Dec 8, 1961
Dear Mum and Dad;
It is remarkable but already it is December. Yesterday we had some snow and it is still snowing lightly today. I feel that this time it might stay. All the evergreens and the trees look lovely with the snow on their branches.
I am as busy as ever these days. During any free time there is a catechism class to prepare or tidying up, ironing, washing (socks), practising tones, thinking up ideas for decorating for Christmas…. it is great.
I am in the middle of constructing a peek box for my class (catechism). It is of the nativity. I divided the shoe box in half and cut a large door at the divider. I had found some blue plastic type cellophane on the way to villa one week, this served as a sky…I am putting the kings camels against the back wall so just their outline will be visible. The cave-like front of the box will contain the nativity scene (cut outs from old Christmas cards)…. I hope I get the effect I want. We are teaching our class how to sing. So the classes now are a breeze (almost).
We have permission to send out ten Christmas cards. Then the problem … your list must be cut down to ten. I am still undecided … what I shall do.
It struck me the other day how strangely time changes things. For instance, at this time last year George Picray, Alan Hustak and I were all back at Campion with our plans for the coming year certainly not definite. Yet now all of us are at least one thousand miles apart.
We trudged into Guelph today to attend mass at Our Lady’s Cathedral. I got a better look at downtown Guelph… [I]t is an old city with all stone and brick buildings. There are numerous hills in the city, so the streets go up and down, here and there. However I was impressed by the Cathedral. It is a huge massive building…. you can hear slight echoes of the pipe organ or priest’s voice. The biggest pipe of the organ is thirty two feet high. The doors are very old as are the benches. There are many stained glass windows…. It would take ages to examine them all. The inside is almost cluttered with things eg statues, candles, etc. but everything is so interesting. You have to see it yourself to really appreciate it, so when you come down east you must look at it.
Well we are about in the middle of Advent. It is remarkable how the proper of the mass on these four Sundays can create the atmosphere of expectation. It is great to live the liturgy here because the whole place has exactly the same spirit as the time of year….
You mentioned that the Flu was going around there. The whole community here got shots that should protect us against flu and colds.
We do write letters during lent and advent. You see there is a rule that states that we must write home at least once a month….
Thank you Rosemary for the lovely letter. You’ll have to tell me more about your concert.
The next letter will be at Christmas. Don’t forget me in your prayers. (Sorry I forgot your name’s day, mum).
Love,
Frank
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Source for photos: Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ
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