Passionist Student Life in the Forties
by Columkille Regan, C. P.
In this article Columkille Regan describes his experiences as a Passionist student in the 1940s. It is part of an ongoing series about Passionist history which encourages individuals, Passionists and non-Passionists, to describe how the Congregation has influenced them in a personal way. We invite any of our readers to do the same.
—Editor
Our liturgical life was rich. We observed all the various feasts of the church with their varying degrees of solemnity. For example, first class feasts had the greatest solemnity which meant the Office was sung instead of chanted; oftentimes a first class feast meant that we had the day off from study and class and a festive meal. Second class feasts received less solemnity and meant only one half a day off from class and a festive meal. During the 1940s, we used the Promptuarium. It contained all the propers for the feast days; it had just been written by Fr. Christopher Berlo, C.P. Learning and singing of Gregorian Chant, polyphony, etc., was presumed to be the job or responsibility in each house.
This was another key aspect of this cloistered life. Speaking was never permitted in the refectory where the religious ate. Instead during most of the noon and evening meals, the Passionists listened to religious or pious readings. In the morning we stood in the "coffee room" eating bread and coffee. Three days a week we would abstain from meat. Once a week we would make public penance or "culpa"—this meant prostrating on the floor outside of the refectory to ask forgiveness. As another means of penance we would eat on the floor one day and observe days of total silence during the various Novenas. We would sleep in our religious habit on a straw mattress. There was no socializing or conversation permitted between students and professed Passionists or "seculars" except in the line of work. For example, sacristans could talk to altar boys, etc. There were no radio, no TV, no outside movies, few magazines and no newspapers. This insured that the "world" would be kept out!
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