ST. PETER'S COLLEGE

Compiled by Phyllis K. Thompson

No history of St. Peter's College would be complete without acknowledging the work done by Fr. Peter Windschiegl, OSB in his Fifty Golden Years, the 1953 book he researched and composed to honor the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Benedictines and other pioneers in the Muenster area.

Background

Thus these first Benedictines in Canada continued what had been part of their service to young men for over 1,400 years. In the Prologue to the Rule, St. Benedict says, "We intend to establish a school for the Lord's service"; so education, ministry and worship were immediately linked. And from its earliest days there were young boys at St. Benedict's monastery being educated in academic subjects, in life skills and in spiritual Practices.

As far back as 1906, Prior Bruno Doerfler indicated in letters to Abbot Peter Engel at St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minn., that the idea of a college was surfacing in his mind. Further letters indicated that "we'll start teaching Latin" (1907) and that "we started a little college course with four boys" (1917). By 1918, there were "six students in our college." This small group had their classes in the monastery east of the cathedral.By 1919, Abbot Michael Ott, OSB, in his first speech as leader of the monastic community, indicated that during his tenure the monks should operate a college (high school) for the boys of the colony, so that the colony could have "a first class institution of higher learning." The monks hoped to educate not only those young men who might wish to enter the community, but also those who wished to enter other vocations and careers.

Abbot Michael also felt a fund raising drive should begin so a proper building could exist for the school. With the first sod turned over in June 1920, and the cornerstone laid in June 1921, the building was ready for occupancy in November.

The University Link

For the first five years the college was in operation, the traditional high school subjects from Grade 9 up were taught; and the years were not easy. One hurdle that had to be surmounted was meeting the requirements that would link the college to the University of Saskatchewan as a properly affiliated junior college. Then it was agreed, after an on site review was done by the university, that classes in "Latin, French, German, History, English and Economics would be suitable for recognition" for second year arts credit. Most of the students were boarders, residing on the fourth floor of Michael Hall; some were day students who commuted from the Muenster area. Whether boarder or day student, each young man would have had a great deal of contact with members of the monastic community.

Many young men entered the Benedictine community when they had completed their education at the college. Others went into the diocesan priesthood or into other religious orders.

Expansion

By the mid '50s, enrollment at the college was such that expansion was necessary; new buildings were needed to accommodate various student activities, but more importantly to house the students. Thus, in 1959, a second fund raising drive was held so the college could build a new dormitory for the students and a gym for the college. By 1961, the students moved into the new residence named after Abbot Severin Gertken, OSB. Severin Hall had one section reserved for the arts students (individual rooms for two students each) and three open dorms for students in Grades 10, 11 and 12. With these buildings on site, Michael Hall was no longer a residence: the boys moved to Severin Hall in 1961. The monks moved to a new abbey wing in 1963. Thereafter, massive changes occurred to the school building, particularly to the third and fourth floors. Changes occurred again after the high school closed in 1972. Early in the 1960s, education in the province became more centralized: Grade 12 was offered throughout the system, standards for each grade were set, and high schools began appearing in most small communities.

As the decade progressed, and even though the tuition and boarding fees at St. Peter's were not high, people in the Muenster Diocese realized it was more convenient and less costly to have their children attend their local schools. Declining enrollments witnessed to this. By the end of the 1963 -64 year, Grade 9 was dropped because at only 13.5 per cent of the student body numbers had been diminishing steadily over the previous five years. By July 1970, Grade 10 was also dropped because it comprised only 20 per cent of the total student body. The class size in 1970 -71 dropped 35 per cent from the previous year, and only 51 students were registered in the final 1971- 72 term; and both years, these were students only in Grades 11 and 12.

In the latter half of the 1960s there were changes in the lifestyle of young people: some had cars and, although boarders at the college, they were able to get home more often. This created a shift in what had been a very stable seven day schedule for both monks and students. Students still enrolled from places outside the abbacy, but as these percentages increased over the decade, the previous, close knit homogeneity of the student body and monastic community began to break apart. Cultural influences from outside the abbacy area also had an impact on the lifestyle of both the high school and college students; discipline became more of an interesting component in the day to day workings of the school, as did the divergent reactions the students had to religion and religious practices. A 1969- 70 survey brought this out.

Simultaneous Occurrences

Shortly before the 1969 -70 survey and reports were done, the college itself was incorporated. In March 1968, the provincial legislative assembly assented to this, and the document echoes many of the phrases pertaining to the Order's educational apostolate as exist in the 1904 document. A 1970 document issuing from the university senate confirmed that the junior college could continue, allowing for the teaching of senior classes; it also stated that once an instructor's credentials were approved by the university, the instructor was free to set and mark final exams rather than this occurring centrally at the university as had been the case before. One future possibility was mentioned that has only come to pass in the last two years: it was suggested that the college could become a centre for the study of rural life offering non credit, but essential, instruction particularly in the area of agricultural science. The college has linked university instructors, from both Saskatoon and Regina, and students as they work together in a 15 week, summer ecology program, a blend of classroom study and work on the land.

In 1996, the course took place for the third time. It must be noted that the largest percentage of faculty commuted then, and still commutes, from Saskatoon. Many of them taught on the university's main campus and were from all over Canada and other countries; this is still so. Again, this contributes to a breakdown of the ethnic homogeneity of prior eras; but it also witnesses to a diversity and catholicity that are beneficial for both students and faculty especially in a small college setting because it presents a challenge: one of openness, growth, and mutual respect.

As mentioned earlier, the SRC was disbanded when the high school closed, but student government continued as a college activity . . . from the mid 1970s right up to the present. Yearbooks from the 1970s note the presence of various team sports: badminton, volleyball and football were quite popular. Other games, like chess and pool, presented students with more individualized challenges. Wiener roasts, toboggan and Hallowe'en parties were popular social activities through these years.

Enrollment in the 1980s and 1990s of both full time and part time university students has continued to increase; it was especially high those years when there was a quota on enrolment in the College of Arts and Science on Saskatoon's main campus. But, even with that quota now removed, enrollment at St. Peter's continues to be stable.

New Associations

Mentioned earlier were various changes to Michael Hall once the high school closed. In 1973, community colleges were first established in the province. As of 1978, St. Peter's provided space in Michael Hall for the office education program that was sponsored by the regional college and the Palliser campus. This program occupied half of the college's third floor until June 1994. In the summer of 1993, the governing structure of the college underwent some changes: a board of governors, an administrative council and a consultative council were created. Each has varied responsibilities with mutual accountability. The board, chaired by the chancellor (the abbot), is made up primarily of Benedictines and the college's senior administrative officers; it is the senior governing body of the college.

On an historic note, it is worth mentioning that in September 1991, University of Saskatchewan president, Dr. J.W. George Ivany, in a letter to Saskatchewan's then deputy minister of education, not only reaffirmed St. Peter's status as a junior college, but indicated that given its historical background it "can be appropriately considered an 'historic' Junior College." He further noted that, according to the statutes of the university's senate, St. Peter's College exists "for the purpose of promoting the general advancement of higher education" and, as such, still continues to "fulfill the expressed purpose of affiliation" with the university.