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-tfb- Mazenod Hall — Gym at "St. Hank's"
for special claim upon the intercession of their heavenly Patroness. And though the grace of God was abundantly evident in all their undertakings, there were no miraculous events to set the pace of growth far above the ordinary. This was the depression era, students at the seminary were at a premium and the fathers along with the rest of the nation were constantly harried by financial difficulties. But with further reliance on and abandonment to the Providence of God, they set their works in motion and in 1932 erected a school and hospital for the Sioux Indians in Sisseton, So. Dak. This was done under the provincial administration of Father Aloys Rosenthal who had been appointed in 1931.
Another problem of expansion, and perhaps the greatest one, was that of vocations. In 1932 there were only twenty-six fathers in the Vice-Province, most of whom were advanced in years. Two were over sixty; fourteen over fifty; eight over forty and only three between thirty and forty. Not all were in good health and the infant province found itself faced with this problem: How fill the void between the young and old? Recruiting of new vocations could proceed only slowly because of a lack of space. True, there was a minor seminary but a contract had been made with the bishop and it was to serve also as the diocesan house of formation. Oblate juniors could be received at the same time but only sixty-five students could be handled and the most the Oblates could hope to have would be a mere handful of students. Nevertheless, in 1932
Rudolph Morris
Biloxi, Miss.
St. Michael s Church
Biloxi, Miss.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Novitiate, La Vista—basic training for the religious life.
there were five scholastics studying at De Mazenod Scholasticate in San Antonio, Texas. The problem of vocations was not to be solved for several years.
During the early years progress was slow due to scarcity of finances and workers. Only the dedicated and determined service of the fathers, a service God could not fail to bless, sustained the high aspiration of the beginnings. In concluding his report to the General Chapter of 1932 Father Rosenthal had this to say: “The progress made by this province during its first six years is perhaps not as brilliant as that of other provinces, but when one considers that it had to begin without a house and without money, with such a small number of fathers, it must be admitted that it has given proofs of its right to existence. ... It required great courage and extraordinary optimism to undertake this task and we must thank God for having placed at the head of the province a man of indomitable courage who would not allow himself to be discouraged by difficulties of whatever sort. Assured, as we are, of the good will and generous co-operation of the fathers, blessing from on high cannot be lacking and, granted that the immediate future is not very promising, it is far from disquieting. The Vice-Province is going to continue to develope itself slowly but surely because it is the work of God.”
In 1934 Father Francis Huellweg, O.M.I., was appointed as
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