As the Seminary’s Preparatory Yearis now well into its third year, itseems reasonable to give our

readers a reportregarding its pro-gress. Our regularreaders may recalla past articlewhich announcedthat another yearof studies wasbeing added to theSeminary curricu-lum. This addition-al year is dedicat-ed to completing(or at least patch-ing) the seminarians’educationin the field of Humanities. Theactual courses which have beenintegrated into this new yearand the reasons why those par-ticular subjects were chosen,can be found in VERBUM#76,so the present article intends toconsider not so much the aca-demic angle as the variety ofother benefits that thePreparatory Year offers to thework of priestly formation.

The Seminarians them-selves who have passed throughthe year say that one of its chiefadvantages is the opportunityand time to settle into Seminarylife before the Year of Spirituality, the“real” first year. As upper-years can testi-fy, the Year of Spirituality often does notbear as much fruit as one could wish. Thereason? A lot of time is spent in simplytrying to accustom oneself to the new

mode of life. Although thisholds true for a “freshman”year at any institution, it isespecially true of theSeminary which differsnoticeably from the life mostare used to: no television, noradio, no pop-machines, nocoming and going as onepleases, mandatory studytime, mandatory meals, evenmandatory recreation. Notthat, in themselves, any of theduties imposed or privilegestaken away are exceptionally burdensome,but the burden comes from the fact thatpersonal freedom, or personal whim to bemore precise, is obliged to give way toobedience in every aspect of a seminari-an’s life. Not that a seminarian’s life is, oris meant to be, miserable, but his life isand must be regulated, for as a priest hecannot afford to let himself be governedby the whim of the moment.

The relatively undisciplined and dis-sipated attitude with which most youngmen today will enter the Seminary isfreely admitted by most of our newcom-ers. “I think that entering the Seminary

ISSUE No. 84

Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary

Stockton Hill

WINTER, 2002

Winona, Minnesota

55987 U.S.A.

Easing Young Men into the SeminaryProgress Report on Winona’s Preparatory Year

now is a biggersacrifice than itwas in the past,”says one seminari-an, “not justbecause of thedepravity andmaterialism sur-rounding us, butbecause mentoday generally

lack the self-disciplinerequired forthis kind oflife.” TheYear ofHumanitiesgives potentialseminarianstime to putsome orderinto their ram-bling mindsand hearts sothat they canattack theYear ofSpiritualitywith the seri-ousness andzeal it

deserves.Classes which are well appreciated

are those of music and literature, to whichvery few have been exposed. Or even if insome cases they do have some back-ground in these subjects, it is often worsethan if they did not, since the interpreta-tions of the great works of history, espe-cially in literature, are usually twistedbeyond recognition just so that they willcoincide with modern propaganda. Thegratitude at finally being able to hear theCatholic perspective on such subjects isuniversal, and those who have passedthrough the Year of Humanities, such as

second-year seminarian Steven Brown,say that the main problem with this yearis that there isn’t time for more.

The benefits of the Year of Humani-ties redound also upon the rest of theSeminary. As those in this PreparatoryYear spend two hours in manual laboreach day, they are able to assist a greatdeal in the upkeep of the house. Beforethis, seminarians simply had to do muchof the work during their study time.

Seminary professors are on the wholepleased with the results of the Year ofHumanities. Yet it is only a year.Discipline of the mind is much harder toachieve than the discipline of the body. Asone professor said, “If parents truly hopeto have vocations from their families, theymust do more than hope for it. They mustdiscipline their children consistently froma young age; it must be moderated with

Responsibility and punctuality are needed to keep theSeminary’s wood boiler at peak performance. Here some new

arrivals learn the ins and outs of “Woody’s” maintenance.

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A sacristan’s work is never done!First-year seminarian FrankRiccomini scrubs away at hispolishing work in preparationfor the Christmas ceremonies.

“No worries, mate!”Australian seminarian DavidLangguth, pictured here two

years ago in his ownHumanities Year, learns wherecentral heating comes from as

he loads wood outside theSeminary woodshed.

▲

The mandatory two-hour “study hall” sessionson weekday evenings ensure that new seminarians

develop the study habits so necessary for to the priestly life.

Under the careful supervision ofBr. Marcel, Humanities seminarian

Michael Sestak applies the final layer offiberglass to the latest batch of statues.

▲

Humanities seminarian AnnraoiBuckley makes use of his six-year

college degree in chemistry to regulatethe butter rations for the evening

meal competently.

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Engagements in the Society of St. Pius XThis last December 8th, on an

unseasonably warm Saturdaymorning, nine Winona seminarians

made their first engagements in theSociety of St. Pius X during the PontificalMass celebrated at the Seminary in honorof Our Lady’sImmaculateConception. Inthese days,when the recentnegotiationsbetween theSociety andRome havebrought morethan usual tothe forefrontthe nature andstructure of theSociety, let us examine what it is thatseminarians do when they make aformal oblation of themselves to Godat the Seminary.

Firstly, what is the Society? It is notjust a haven for those whose “rightfulaspirations” include previous liturgicaland disciplinary forms, nor is it a citadel

for hard-line cowboys. It is not a popularlay movement, nor a religious order, northe champion of the down-trodden ortho-dox. It is instead a simple union of clericswho, following the direction ofArchbishop Lefebvre and with the per-mission of the Bishop of Lausanne,Switzerland, bind themselves together ina common life without vows. “Given theurgent necessity for the formation of zeal-ous and generous priests...we, FrançoisCharriere, decree that the International

Priestly Society of St. Pius X is erected inour diocese as a pious union.” In the sim-plicity of this union, however, ArchbishopLefebvre wished to realize the profoundgoal of forming holy priests. “Withoutany spirit of rebellion, bitterness or

resentment, wepursue our workof formingpriests, withthe timelessMagisterium asour guide. We arepersuaded thatwe can render nogreater service tothe Holy CatholicChurch, to thesovereign Pontiffand to posterity.”

Bishop Charriere expressed the same sen-timent in his Decree of Erection – “Weimplore the blessings of God on thisPriestly Society in order that it may attainto its principal purpose which is the for-mation of holy priests.”

Secondly, who are the members ofthe Society? As the Society is a union of

clerics, it does not include indiscriminate-ly all those who support the work ofpriestly formation but only those who for-mally engage themselves in the piousunion. This was the engagement whichthe nine seminarians made for the firsttime at Winona on December 8th andwhich many others renewed on the sameday. By binding themselves to theSociety, clerics attach themselves to thetree of the Church and partake of thegraces that flow up from its roots. Those

clerics who are not so bound tothe Church’s structure aretermed “vagrants” and are con-demned by Canon Law as non-fruitful aberrations. The essenceof the engagement to the Churchthrough the Society is a totaloffering of self to Christ, withChrist concretely represented bythe superiors of the Society.“Lord, in the simplicity of myheart, I offer myself to Theetoday as a servant forever, for aservice and sacrifice of eternalpraise. Forgive me, O God, for-give me all my sins on accountof Thy Holy Name. I commendmyself to Thy Mercy. I offer toThee also all that belongs to me,however little and imperfect, that

You may improve and sanctify it andalways draw it to the better. I offer toThee also the needs of my parents,friends, brothers, sisters, and all thosedear to me… In a spirit of humility andwith a contrite heart, may Ibe acceptable to Thee, OLord, and may the sacrifice Ioffer today so appear in Thysight as to please Thee, OLord God.”

Lastly, why are theengagements into the Societyalways made on December8th? The ImmaculateConception is the pre-eminentMarian feast and the sourceof all the Blessed Mother’sother privileges, which arecelebrated throughout theyear. The liturgy of this daytells us much about the digni-ty of the Mother of God andthe high calling of thosestriving to follow in Christ’sfootsteps. Mary was pre-served from Original Sin because she wasto be the Mother of Christ and as such,

united in a special wayto God. As a finitecreature, the BlessedVirgin was pre-ordained to live at aparticular point in time,and yet the readings forthe feast tell us that shewas in the mind of Godbefore all other crea-tures were made. “TheLord possessed me inthe beginning of Hisways, before He madeanything from thebeginning. I was set upfrom eternity and of oldbefore the earth wasmade” (Prov. VIII, 22-23). As the prophetJeremiah reminds us,the cleric too has beenmarked out by Godfrom the beginning (Jer.I, 5), encompassed bythat Wisdom whichorders all things sweet-ly. The Collect of the

Mass gives the moral explanation of themystery. Mary was preserved from sinbecause she was to be the dwelling placeof the Most Holy – as is the cleric who istotally focused on Christ.

In conclusion, the Society of St. PiusX is a branch of the sempiternal Church,

kept always fresh and young by thelimpid flow of simple truth which, eager-ly sought, courses through its veins.Archbishop Lefebvre knew that the onlyattitude of fidelity to the Church was

acceptance of and obedience to the eter-nal truths of the Faith. “By [this obedi-ence], with the grace of God and the helpof the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that ofSt. Joseph and St. Pius X, we are assuredof remaining faithful to the RomanCatholic Church and to all the successorsof Peter, and of being the ‘faithful dis-pensers of the mysteries of Our LordJesus Christ in the Holy Ghost.’”

The newly-engaged (front row) with the alreadyengaged show their appreciation for the gracesreceived on the feast of Our Lady Immaculate.

Bishop Williamson gives the “Pax” to eachof the newly-engaged members of the Society.

▲Each newly-engaged

member receives a medalof St. Pius X.

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Those makingtheir engagement forthe first time kneel in

the sanctuary as BishopWilliamson reads the

admonition of the dutiesthat it entails.

▲

On November 10, 2001, the semi-narians learned the rudiments ofan explosive and destructive

alphabet. In lieu of a typical evening’sstudy time, a special conference on mod-ern warfare was given by former navalofficer and nuclearspecialist Mr.Dale Ormond. Mr.Ormond pre-sented a two-hour“101” course in Atomic,Biological and Chemicalwarfare techniques, whichconstituted the a-b-c of thisone-of-a-kind conference.

Seminarians were given a briefChemistry and Physics review before Mr.Ormond explained some of the finerpoints pertaining to: (A) the theory ofnuclear physics, fission and fusion, shock-

Christmas Vacation, 2001-2002

Fr. Jean Morel (third from right) led vacationingseminarians on a holiday tour through Chicago. Herethey pause at the shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

▲Seminary Chef Mr. Scott Johnsrud, whose excellent

cooking has sustained many seminarians andretreatants, turned 50 this fall. Seminarians showedtheir appreciation and esteem for Mr. Johnsrud by

presenting him with a birthday card and a gift.

The ABC of

It takes a lot of applesauce to keep 55 mouths fullfor a whole year. Several generous parishioners

come each fall to help ensure the supply.

Oodles of Apples!

As the world’s moral avalanchecrashes and crushes more day byday, so Traditional Catholics do

their best simply to cling to their Faithand, at the same time, keep up hope whenthere is seemingly no relief in sight.While anticipating the “crash,” we rejoiceto see small signs of God’s grace workingin a world programmed to deny it. Forseminarians, just being at the Seminary isone such sign!

We have recently had the joy, howev-er, of thanking God for another evidentwork of His grace in the coming ofFathers Peter Otto and Vidko Podrzaj(Poh-drah-ZHAI) to the Seminary. Bothpriests have fled the errors of the NovusOrdo to fight for Tradition and theCatholic Church. VERBUMwishes topresent their stories in order to encouragereaders and to strengthen their resolve tocontinue the fight.

Fr. PeterOttoFr. Peter Otto entered Sacred Heart minorseminary in Detroit, MI, in 1964, wherehe was quickly put on “personality proba-tion” for reading the works of AdolpheTanquerey, a long-respected author ofmany books on ascetical, moral and dog-matic theology. Following his graduation,he began studies at St. Lawrence inMount Calvary, WI, under the Capuchinsin 1968. He spent a second year withthem at St. Mary’s Seminary in CrownPoint, IN. He tried the novitiate the fol-

lowing year, but was thrown out for beingtoo “conservative.” He relocated to anoth-er St. Mary’s in Orchard Lake, MI, fromwhich he graduated summa cum laudefour years later. After getting aMaster’s degree at the Universityof Detroit in 1975, he set out foran apostolate in the diocese ofAmarillo, TX, where he wasordained in 1977.

Father quickly encounteredthe moral and political turmoil,and personal ambition in the hier-archy, which have been part andparcel of the problems in the ConciliarChurch. After eight years in Amarillo, hebecame a U.S. Air Force chaplain in 1983.This gave him the opportunity to travelaround the world ministering to souls.Much of his time was spent in the MiddleEast. Fr. Otto opted for early retirement in1999, being disgusted with the Conciliarhierarchy’s love of money and power atthe expense of doctrine and the salvationof souls.

He then went back to Texas that year,experiencing more “harassment from theBishop and the liberal clergy.” He wrote aletter to the Ordinary, in which he citedthe problems in the diocese and asked toleave. The permission being granted,Father soon thereafter contacted theSociety’s U.S. District Superior. At Fr.Scott’s suggestion, Fr. Otto came to St.Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Septemberof this year. He now says the Traditional

Latin Mass exclusively and has fullyadjusted to the Seminary’s communitylife. As Father says, “It’s the wholeCatholic Faith that’s involved here...”

Father sees thelack of Faith itselfas the central prob-lem in the post-Vatican II Church.Many Novus Ordoprelates suffer from“careerism, love ofpower, evenhumanism,” and forthem Tradition istheenemy. Fathersays that the hierar-chy “will steal youblind,” referring tothe betrayal and fallof the Society of St.Peter. They are “assmooth as silk.” With Traditionalists, “It’s‘Search and destroy’, not ‘Live and letlive’,” a striking departure from the cur-rent attitude towards false religions.

Fr. Vidko PodrzajFr. Vidko Podrzaj, a native of Slovenia, asmall country east of the northeast borderof Italy, decided to pursue his vocation byentering the Seminary in Ljubljana (Loo-blee-AH-nah), Slovenia’s capital, in 1980.He left in 1981, but returned nine yearslater. While at the Seminary in 1991, heread a conservative bulletin named “TheCall of God’s Love,” where he foundTraditional connections. After his ordina-tion in 1994, he spent two years as achaplain and then assumed the duties of aparish priest in Draga, Croatia. In 1999, atraditional priest invited him to Phoenix,AZ, for a 14-day series of conferences,which he attended in September of thatyear. He there began to learn how to cele-brate the Latin Mass.

While there, Father also found aleaflet concerning the Society in a book-store and contacted Bishop Bernard

Fellay, Superior General of the Society.He met with Father Franz Schmidberger,the Society’s First Assistant, in Jaidhof,Austria, where he continued to learn the

Traditional Roman Rite. Fr.Schmidberger then went to Fr.Podrzaj’s parish and, whilethere, gave a conference andsaid two Masses. Fr.Schmidberger encouraged Fr.Podrzaj to “heighten aware-ness” of Tradition amongst hisflock in Slovenia. After twoyears, Fr. Podrzaj decided tojoin the Society. He left hisparish and went to theSeminary in America for oneacademic year, at the advice ofBishop Fellay. He plans to

return to Slovenia soon topreach to his fellow country-men the Gospel as handed

down in the Church for 2,000 years.Slovenia gained its independence in

1991 with the dissolution of Yugoslavia.Father says that Slovenia was a Catholicnation before World War II, and it waseven consecrated to Our Lady. But in thetroubled years following the War and thenthe Second Vatican Council, the evil ofCommunism changed Slovenia’s people,and they slowly drifted away from theFaith. Now under the guise of a liberalgovernment, the Communists have, as Fr.Podrzaj says, “changed their names andtheir colors,” but the same sort of mindsstill run the government.

Today, Slovenia is a pale, liberalshadow of its former Catholic self, as thebureaucrats continually suppress theChurch at every opportunity.Nevertheless, Father believes thatSlovenia has “very rich potential” for aTraditional harvest and thinks thatLjubljana will be a good place to start.

He will remain at the Seminary untilJune and will then attend Ecône’s 2002Ordinations, visit the Seminary inZaitzkofen, Germany, and finally spendsome time in Jaidhof. From there, Fatherwill return to Slovenia to establish rootsof Tradition in his homeland.

During Fr. Francis Ockerse’s recentvisit, he and second-year seminarian

Dominic May shared photos ofMay’s native Alberta, Canada, where

Fr. Ockerse is currently assigned.

Fr. Peter Otto, himselfan avid photographer,is here caught on film.

Fr. Vidko Podrzaj

Miss Emily Stafki sparesa smile for our photographer

while encouraging her brother,third-year seminarianMark

Stafki, in his carpentry skills.

▲

Raymond Lillis smilespleasantly despite his long hoursof work during the Christmasvacation retreat. A new Seminaryrecord was set when 48 men lefttheir families for five days tofollow the Spiritual Exercisesat the Seminary.

▲

A four-hour journey duringthe Christmas holidays landedFr. Brendan Dardis on frozenBig Dardis Lake in Wisconsin.His contented smile indicates

that he is not disappointedthat it is just another block

of ice and snow!

waves, electromagnetic pulses, and differ-ent types of radiation; (B) the infamous

anthrax spores which may be used inwarfare termed “biological” since live

bacteria are the active agentsinvolved; and finally (C) chemicalweaponry which, like biologicalwarfare, is localized in its capacity

to affect a given area. Both biologicaland chemical warfare serve better to

terrorize than to attack on any large scaleas could be seen, for instance, in the caseof the recent postal scares.

Seminarians absorbed some of thesebasic alpha’s and beta’s of modern war-fare with an underlying pastoral objective.

Mr. Ormond gave practical directives toseminarians regarding what they could doas future pastors in the event of such war-fare. For example, Mr. Ormond stated thatnon-hybrid seeds would become a neces-sity to ensure the success of farm produc-tion if soil were ever contaminated byradiation. Heavy metals, Mr. Ormond alsoexplained, would provide the best protec-tion against radiation exposure; thuscanned goods would be safe to eat(although music with a heavy metalliccontent will still do more harm thangood). Overall, seminarians learned a lotabout a new alphabet which may one dayconcern everyone’s future.

Modern WarfareMr. Ormond explained that high-radiation environmentsmake organ-meats dangerous for consumption. Since thiswould eliminate their monthly ration of liver, atomic attack

took on a new meaning for the seminarians.

Survivals & New Arrivals

Fall VolleyballGrizzly weather was the hallmark for thisseason's volleyball tournament. Most teamsin the SVL(Seminary Volley-ball League) werestruggling to loseso they wouldn't berequired to go outday after day toface the rain and30 mile-per-hourwinds.

However, the sun came out and tem-peratures soared once the playoffs hadended, so that those who had disgracedthemselves the least during the season werechosen as proud members of the "All-star"

teams. Here the stars "showtheir stuff" (or have a goodtime trying to do so)beneath the November sun.[Collector's cards are avail-able for $5.99 each.]

Turkey Bowl XXIFor many, Thanksgiving Day signi-

fies a festive gathering of familyand friends where turkey, dressing

and pecan pie are devoured in excessiveportions. But for seminarians,Thanksgiving is not about food – it’sabout flag-football.The Turkey Bowl,the Seminary’s leg-endary sportingevent, erupted tolife for its 21st con-secutive year on agorgeous Thursdayafternoon.

Unlike previ-ous games, thisyear’s event wasplayed without snow. The absence ofa slippery turf diminished the players’hope of an exciting game, but their

minds were set at ease after theaction commenced.

At the onset of the first half,Paul Robinson and ThaddeusRogalla collided head-on, thusdemonstrating that keeping one’s

eyes open dur-ing a play isadvisable.Robinsonclaimed thatthe blow mo-mentarilyknocked him senseless,but few are convincedthe effects were momen-tary. Sean Johnson’svaliant attempts to break

through the offensive line were met withstiff resistance from Rev. Mr. Burfitt. Inone of their many collisions, Burfitt’s

incisors found their way intoJohnson’s flailing hand, draw-ing a small amount of blood,but neither party was seriouslyinjured. However, Seanwatched over his jugular veinthroughout the rest of the gamein case Burfitt made a second

attack.By half-time, Rev. Mr.

MacPherson’s team (Gold) hadtaken the lead by two touchdowns.Isaac Moats, captain of the opposingteam (Red), was not concerned withhis team’s failure to score. Instead,he placed his confidence in a newly-developed method of attack integratingwhat he referred to as a “strategy.”Moats’s tactical approach in the secondhalf proved to be the missing link for histeam. Within onehour, the Red Teamscored five touch-downs, defeating theGold Team 49-35.

Rev. Mr.MacPherson humblyaccepted the defeat,but commented tohis teammates, “Wewould have won ifyou guys had passedme the ball moreoften!” This gamemarked the third

Seminarians occasionally counter-balance the weight of their philosophicaland theological studies by engaging inmore trivial pursuits, such as – Trivial

Pursuit! Peering in on this game isFr. John Jenkins (far left), visiting

from Switzerland.

Both teams are beaming before the game…possibly because they still have all their teeth.

As the quarterback “pocket” breaks down,Thaddeus Rogalla looks to pass.

In an unprecedented move, Rev. Mr. MacPhersondecides to punt for the opening kick-off.

Gabriel Magañacourageouslywithstands theoffensive rushand clawsfrantically forthe gold flag,while MichaelSestak tries tobreak away.

ThaddeusRogalla stealsthe show – andthe ball – as hetears up the turfin a mad dashto the end-zone.

▲

Mere words cannot begin todescribe “what in the wild, wild

world of sports is going on here.”

Matthew Heidtstands victorious overthe conquered tree,

grinning proudly atopthe huge stump.

▲

This massive willow tree has decorated theSeminary for over 50 years, yet it toppled to theearth in a matter of seconds after its base wassevered. It had become so diseased that it was

in danger of coming down on its own.

▲

The continual upkeep of the Seminary’s fleetsometimes leaves seminarian mechanics feeling

as if they are being swallowed whole.

straight defeat for Stephen Arabadjis,Prefect of Sports. When this statistic wasbrought to his attention, his eyes dartedshiftily from side to side as he whispered,“It’s a conspiracy....”