Many more responsibilities are now on the 2nd year novice, but there is also evident much excitement about all of them! There is also the enthusiasm for the arrive of the new ‘primi’. September brings back more routine of studies and the description of yet another a new ‘job’, ‘refectorian’. September 25th letter describes a first experience of ecumenism.

IGNATIUS COLLEGE

GUELPH, ONTARIO

August 21, 1962

Dear Mum and Dad:

The last couple of weeks have been really busy here. With all the preparations being made for open house and the arrival of the ‘primi’ we novices were really kept on the run. At the moment we are getting back to normal, that is, the usual hustle and bustle of a novices life. However it is all very pleasant…..

Two week-ends ago I had quite a time. I had to give a two day retreat. That took up all of Friday and Saturday, for there were five conferences to give each day and about one hour of free time to prepare between each. I had to type out my notes and also an outline of the notes for the retreatants. The first few conferences were quite difficult for me because of my nervousness but after that I really enjoyed giving the retreat. To add to the difficulties I had to sing a high mass in a side chapel on Saturday morning. It is easy to sing a mass but this was the first time I had to sing alone, thus it was causing me to worry a little. All ended up well however. I came through the retreat and mass not any worse for wear and rich in experience…..

During the last few days before the fifteenth we were very busy cleaning up the place and practising the hymns we wished to sing at the vow mass and solemn benediction. Brother MacInnes, the flower custodian, was very busy and had no spare time to work on his flowers so he asked me to help him. I obliged and used some of the experience I hadreceived at home helping you. I made about twenty bouquets and all were not too bad. One great mistakes I made was floating the carnations in greenery on the main altar but carnations look lovely any way so it wasn’t too bad after all. I found out I will never know when I will use some of the little bits of know-how I pick up here and there.

The ‘primi’ began to arrive on the afternoon of the fourteenth. They began to arrive much later than we had the year before for when their first man entered this year, last year seven of us were in already. However by lights-out on the eve of the Assumption all were safely tucked away in their rooms, even Peter Henberry who arrived last of all. (Peter is a Campion boy)

On the fifteenth there were people to show around and many new people to meet. There were sixteen novices who entered. I met the Schuck family that day and met them a later day in parlour…. They took several pictures of me with their movie camera and box camera. I had a lovely parlour with them. They left for home last Sunday by train.

Just by chance I met a friend of mine that I had never met before. Ronald Bert, the pen pal [from Halifax] I wrote to when I was at Campion came up to Ignatius College to see one of the novices who hails from St. Mary’s, Halifax, Nova Scotia. I just happened to come to the Schuck’s parlour when I met him in the main stairwell. He recognized me immediately and I knew who he was without even thinking. I have a picture he had sent me so that is why. He was exactly the way I had pictured him to be from his letters, and excellent personality. I would have loved to talk to him for a longer period of time but that was impossible at the moment. Perhaps at some future date…..

Well, here I am in my second year novitiate and I don’t feel any different than I did in my first year. The circumstances are somewhat different though, for now we are sort of running the various activities and the other new men are learning. I suppose they feel as though we know all the ropes as we though our secundi did. However they will realized next year how short a year really is….

Please say hello to all the family. Also please remember me in your prayers.

Love,

Frank

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IGNATIUS COLLEGE

GUELPH, ONTARIO

September 10, 1962

Dear Mum and Dad

….I must comment on the pictures you sent me. On the day of your [25th] anniversary did you have a ring ceremony and all the rest of the usual wedding mass? Did Bill take most of the pictures? At last I have pictures of most of the family, tell Bill he should stop playing black-jack for it looks like he lost the hand. I liked the family picture. I could see Matt rushing in from some game just in time to get on the picture. The black and white snap of Mathew is excellent. He looks as if he belongs on Lassie or some T.V. program of that sort. Rosemary and Matt both look like angels in their confirmation picture. Her dress is very lovely and suits her. Mathew’s sponsor episode was truly amusing; he should be commended on his fine choice of names. What name did Rosemary choose and who was her sponsor?….

We have begun our Latin and Greek classes now and later in the month we will be bearing down a little more in the studies, for this year we are able to study three hours a day which I twice that we were allowed last year…. Never have I ready more than since I came here. If I counted all the book I have read they would surely total at least seventy-five. The more one reads the more one appreciates a good book. Reading sure is an education….

You asked me if I was going to be on retreat during October. This year the secundi made their yearly retreat during the month of July so we will not go on retreat with the primi during that month. So if that is the most convenient month don’t hesitate to come [to visit me].

What have I been doing lately? I lost my bell-ringing job last monthly changes and now I have another job, [Refectorian]. It is not as hard as the ‘kitchen trial’ was because there is not as much work to do. I have to serve the Fathers breakfast as they come down from saying their masses. I also server visitors in the parlours. I have other little duties such as keeping the mustard and ketchup bottles filled and washing the more fragile dishes….

Hello to all. Please remember me in your prayers.

Love,

Frank

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IGNATIUS COLLEGE

GUELPH, ONTARIO

September 25, 1962

Dear Mum and Dad;

Time has been flying by and now it is fall. The leaves are beginning to fall and the air has become very refreshing. We are harvesting the apples in full swing (Last Thursday four of us picked about sixty bushels in one afternoon). It was very enjoyable work yet in the evening just about bed-time you can feel your muscles ache. One uses energy just standing on a ladder and flicking his wrists. It is surprising when you finish picking a tree and discover that there were over thirty bushel hanging from its branches. Before I came here I could not picture apples on a tree but when you see them it is not as strange as it appears to your imagination….

Yesterday I had a very interesting experience. We invited practically all the ministers etc. of the surrounding area to dinner and a tour of the building. Of the number invited about twenty five came. After dinner we novices were allowed to show them the whole place. I showed around an Anglican priest. He was very interested in all we showed him (we spent about two hours going through the building then he had to leave)…. He was very friendly as were all the rest. I really admired their courage and I think small gestures like this will really do a lot to do away with much of the groundless misunderstanding that sort of create[s] an uncomfortable air between the Christian religion, and will even pave the way for unity….

I am really looking forward to your visit and I suppose you’re looking forward to it also. You are coming in the most beautiful time of the year….

The ‘primi’ are going on retreat on Saturday for the month of October. Please remember all of them in your prayers……

Three hours of class a day really makes the days roll by quickly. We have two classes of Greek and two cla
ses of Latin a day. A few days ago we had Father [David] Stanley, a well know scripture scholar, give us a number of classes on the Gospel of St. John. Last year he gave us classes on St. Mark and Matthew and also St. Luke. In Juniorate we will probably get them on the Acts of the Apostles. We are very fortunate to get these for in earlier days only in the future years of training did the Fathers get a back-round in Scripture. We have a head start….

Please remember me in your prayers.

Love,

Frank

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Source for photos: Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ

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