The first sentence of the November 24th letter refers to the first visit he had with his parents in over a year and then to the new responsibility given him as Sub-Admonitor. Curiously his Christmas letter is missing its final page. Apparently his letters made the rounds with the family and relatives. Missing one page of the 130 letters is not surprising. The January letter describes the extravagant decorations in the Novice’s library/recreation room and the many activities through the Christmas season, which despite being his second one away from home,he comments: “This Christmas was such a happy one for me”, and concludes with his book metaphor for the unity he experiences with his brother novices.
IGNATIUS COLLEGE
GUELPH, ONTARIO
November 24, 1962
Dear Mum and Dad:
It seems like yesterday that we had our last visit yet my calendar says it is almost two weeks. Much has happened in that short space and I have been kept so busy that time is still flying and I don’t know how I am going to stop it.
If you remember I told you about the Admonitor and Sub-Admonitor changes were coming up the day after your departure. (I said they were Joe-jobs). Well to my great surprise I was given the Joe-job of Sub-Admonitor. This job consists in seeing that the Novitiate section [of the building] is clean and in good order. On our villa day it is my job to see all that is necessary is taken to the villa. I also supply the novices with a few smaller necessities. My greatest difficulties with this job will be the organizing of Christmas decorating. Brother Schner [Joe!], a Winnipeg man, is the new Admonitor. This is one of the longer trials for they last until March next year….
Enclosed is that picture that I told you about when you were here. As you can see we all look quite the ‘characters’. I wrote the names of all the comrades on the back…..
We had our first catechism class this week at that school I was telling you about [Puslinch]. I have grades seven and eight and the years look quite promising. It will be quite a change to teach this group compared to the first communion group I had last year but at this age one can interest the students easier and one does not have to get down to such a low speaking level to get some ideas across. The walk of ten miles every Tuesday will become easier as the winter progresses (I hope). Most of us enjoyteaching so much that we would walk it twice a week if we could teach that often.
Happy birthday mum. This is the third time but this letter should reach home just in time for it. As I mentioned in my last letter you will be remembered in my mass, communion and beads on your day. I hope Rosemary had a happy birthday and lots of presents.
Love,
Frank
P.S. Christmas is only one month away and the six inches of snow we had last night really brought this fact home. But winter is very beautiful here.
I just received your letter this afternoon and was glad that your trip home was pleasant. Thank you very much for the leaflets of music and words to those German hymns [from an old German beaten up hymn book from grandfather]. Please don’t destroy the rest of the book but save it for I could probably make use of it later.
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IGNATIUS COLLEGE
GUELPH, ONTARIO
December 16, 1962
Dear Mum, Dad, and all;
Since this is my Christmas letter it should be longer and better than usual but that remains to be seen….
The weather we are having here now is putting us all into the winter spirit and is making us look forward to Christmas. In the past few days we have had a lot of snow and a lot of cold weather. It was lovely walking home from Puslinch last Tuesday (our catechism classes are there). Just as we started for home a cloud came along and snow began to fall quite heavily. I was warmly dressed so for me it was very enjoyable but for a couple of my companions it was not so lovely for the wind was a little chilly. However it stopped snowing in a short while and so it wasn’t too bad for them. As I write the snow is falling again. That means after dinner we will have to shovel off the hockey rink. Just three days ago did we get cold enough weather to flood the rink so now we are all practicing for another season of hockey….
Last Thursday we began to make Christmas wreathes and this coming Thursday we will have to go full swing if we are going to get enough made to decorate the whole house. That is one thing about the east there are so many evergreen trees that for decorating purposes they are very handy and easy to use….
There are probably many people this year who will spend a Christmas in material poverty. But you know we all have our crosses to bear and poverty is not evil but even to be desired at times. And being poor in the standards of the world doesn’t mean one is spiritually poor, in fact those with wealth are sometimes poorer in that regard and if we examine the reason we are on this earth we can readily see which is most important. We can also look to scripture for an example….
Mary and Joseph obedient to the lawful authority of the country go to Bethlehem, a town about ninety miles away. They had to go by donkey and in the winter. (Winter in the Holy land is a rainy season so we can imagine they were well soaked by the time the three day journey was over. Just think of how Joseph must have felt having to take his wife who was expecting a child. What a trust in God that holy couple had!)
When they reached Bethlehem another set-back. Joseph was unable to find shelter in the inns. The town was crowded with people who had come there for the same census. At last someone tells them of a shepherds’ cave in the hill near the town. They accept and find the place. Joseph must have had to clean the barn for this cave probably was used by many shepherds and so none would take the time to clean it. He makes it as comfortable as possible and Christ, the King of kings is born! These lines from a [Christmas] carol show the poverty He chose: ‘He lies with the beasts of the stall, who is Lord and Redeemer of All’….
[The last page of the letter is missing!]
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IGNATIUS COLLEGE
GUELPH, ONTARIO
January 2, 1963
Dear mum, dad and family:
….I will begin at the beginning for there is so much to tell. We decorated the place on the twenty-second and twenty-fourth and all the decorations turned out beautifully….
In the novices library we really went all out. We made the place look like a cabin you might have found in Fort St. Marie many, many years ago. We covered all the book shelves with paper that had been painted to look like stones and used cardboard to look like beams. On the roof we had hung a framework of logs hanging on a slant to give room for the cabin effect. Over these we threw branches of evergreen. In the center of the room we put a huge double fireplace (constructed out of cardboard) made by Brother Bonic, our genius constructor. We used logs and lamps plus red cellophane for the fire…Brother Bonic made small pin -wheels of tin foil…which spun around by the rising heat [of the bulbs]…and gave the effect of a burning fire….
On Christmas Eve everyone went to Father Master’s room and picked up two parcels. (He had been collecting them for quite awhile and there were many)…. How surprised I was to receive three parcels!
…. This Christmas was such a happy one for me! Thank you very much. I think that you are too good to me.
We went to bed quite early on Christmas Night because of mid-night Mass (e.g. 8:00). At ten to twelve one the brothers sang the Martyrology which announced the birth of Christ. This piece of music is extremely well written and enough to stir the heart. Mid-night Mass was simply out of this world. The choir (of which I am a member ) sang the best they have in a long time. (Oh yes, Brother Schner and I sang “Schonstes Kindlein” and a Polish carol at the concert we gave at the hospital for patients there.) After the solemn high Mass we had a low mass then a small lunch and to bed.
We attended a third Mass in the morning here at the college then went out to the Ontario Reformatory with Father Carrol to sing hymns during Mass. (It was a funny ride we had out to the place. We went out in a paddy-wagon. So you can see that joke in the book Marlene was reading [I’ll Die Laughing] is quite true, but a lot of fun.) One carol we sang was “Mary had a Baby.’ You have probably heard it. It is beautiful….
We got home about 11:00 and spent the rest of the morning just talking. Our Christmas dinner was scrumptious. In the afternoon the Juniors played hockey against the Novices and won five to two, but on New Years we won five to two.
Our holidays flew by for there was always something to do, or we were so tired from our vigorous game of hockey in the afternoon that we just sat around our fireplace and chatted while we listened to music. We had a very lovely time on Christmas evening. All we did was sing carols all evening. So you see what we do is not very much but we enjoy these little things. That is also the blessing of being in an Order [Jesuits] like this, everyone has a common interest and love for the Order and this works like glue in the binding of a book. Every page is different and so are the personalities, and temperaments of all my brothers but they are all loveable and as I said, all are bound together….
God Bless all of you and may He keep you in His grace always!
Love,
Frank
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Source for photos: Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ
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