Moments: Fr. Owen Reporting Again! MGC Graduation

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Fr. Owen maintains his nom de plume, Intrepid Reporter. He reminds us of the newly-built pavilion overlooking what is today [2021] called Passionist Lake even though the buildings are now in the hands of the Christian Evangelism Fellowship (more on that at a later time).

The faculty departs—after exams are graded— to all points on the compass to become students for the summer. Even our Intrepid Reporter has received an NDEA grant to study at Central Michigan University.

The retreat house is busy with retreats and workshops, one of which featured attendance by 70 priests for the diocese west of St. Louis, Jefferson City.

There are a bunch of seniors about to enter their year of spiritual training in the novitiate, some of whom will take the place of my class in St. Paul, Kansas. Half of this group will enter their novitiate in Detroit, Michigan, at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat. It's important to note that this division occurred because of the large number of postulants that year. My class saw 21 men take their temporary vows.

Maybe it's here where the foresight of authority broke down. The Passionists were expecting these large numbers to continue and planned accommodations accordingly.

Trouble is, that didn't. Few religious orders could see what was shortly to happen to vocations. Few, not just the Passionists, anticipated the exodus that was about to begin.