|
Alumni Interview - January 2004
Thanks to this website, we've been contacted by some past alumni of St. Mary's. Gregory Leonardo, class of 1972, and Dr. Pedro Martinez, class of 1970, recently agreed to answer some of our questions.
Now that the original building is in ruins, what would you like to see done with the site?
Dr. Pedro Martinez: Whatever use of the land and site could help the area economically. I don't
consider the site to be in perpetuity for any religious purposes. Otherwise, it should have been kept by the Redemptorists for that purpose. Running such institutions is not cost-effective and there has been a different approach to train young men interested in the priesthood that is more cost-efficient. It's just part of catching up with the times.
Gregory Leonardo: I'm not sure there is enough left to do anything with it other than make it safe -- or close it off. It is in private hands anyway.
From a historical perspective, what sort of influence do you think St. Mary's had?
PM: St. Mary's was part of a "religious training" that provided the opportunity and the conditions for men interested in the priesthood. It was part of an institutionalized program that slowly gave way to other approaches, for religious training. I compared it to the "associate degree" in religious life. An introduction and an internship to participating in a religious order. It was more of a period marked by a degree of a threshold, a passage from secular life to religious training. It was part of the ritual to exercise a spiritual commitment and to adhere to a different way of life apart from secularism. It worked for those in the system, it provided a filter for those who wanted to make the commitment to religious life and for those who were serious about the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as well as a selective process controlled by the Redemptorist Order to see if their candidates could adhere to those expectations. It was a time of training as well as a time for living up to those expectations.
GL: I think that it had a great influence on the United States -- many Redemptorist priests were trained there over the years. In the early years it was the actual seminary. Classes were held and priests were sent all over the United States to Redemptorist parishes. These were primarily German-speaking immigrants that were served -- later Irish and in recent years Hispanic, African American and Portugese. In addition, these priests were sent overseas to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Brazil and Paraguay.
While it was still operational, what sort of role did St. Mary's play in
the local community?
PM: During my time, little did we play in the area of the community unless we participated in assisting to provide masses in nearby convents and churches. That is probably why there exist so many stories about the place; we were isolated from the "world". On a few occasions, we received visitors from the
nearby parishes in Baltimore, and the guests were able to use the facilities for recreational purposes. I remember that I and some other colleagues pulled one or two small adventurous children from the pool who could not swim and had sneaked away from the watchful eyes of their parents.
GL: Since it was a novitiate, there was not much involvement. Novitiate is a year "away from the world". We did help out at an Episcopal children's home in Catonsville and also went into St. James and John Parish in East Baltimore (now defunct) to sing at the sunday Masses. An interesting story though -- during the 1972 flood from Hurricane Agnes (I think it was Agnes) we housed two workers from the paper factory for a few hours who had fled up the hill when the waters came. We were without electricity for a few days and the lower road had washed out.
If the building were to be rebuilt, would you like to see it turned
into a seminary again or an historical site?
PM: Again, I have no preference. I hope that it can bring vitality to the region. If not, that at least a marker could be made, maybe a small religious shrine with a plaque containing information that marks the existence of the College and what it stood for in the historical context of how "religious training" was conducted.
GL: Gone are the days of big seminaries -- the building is very old -- maybe a home for the Howard County Historical Society.
A few years back, the land was purchased by a man seeking to turn it
into a non-denominational "spiritual center". How do you feel about this?
PM: It would have been quite appropriate since the land and the environment lends itself to that kind of venue.
GL: No feeling on this one.
Over the years, a number of silly rumors have spread about what went on
at St. Mary's. Have you heard any? What are some of your favorites?
PM: I could imagine that when people were not aware of what the place was, that haunted and other labels were used. The imagination could run wild... I do recall playing a joke one night when a group of teenagers came over. I dressed in a black cassock and opened the door just as they were approaching the front entrance. This was about midnight -- they ran as fast as they could, quite sacred and screaming, I thought they had been trained in a marathon. The next day, some of my classmates had a laugh when we shared the story.
GL: I've been out of the area [so I] have not heard any.
Do you have any memories of your time at St. Mary's that you'd like to
share?
PM: My best memories were Spring and Summer, when the woods came alive. The scenery totally changed. We had so many trees that the canopy provided a permanent shade. I often walked through the silent woods to meditate or just to enjoy the day. I used to recall one of Robert Frost's poems: Guess which one? No, not "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening"! rather "The Road Not Taken". It is personal; I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had made it to the priesthood.
GL: St Mary's was a nice place -- old but nice. Supposedly the old German priests who bought the property did so because the hills reminded them of Bavaria. It had a great sense of history because all of the Redemptorist priests and brothers in the East at the time had lived there. That gave a commonality to people from 18 years old to people in their 90's. There was a cemetery halfway up the hill between the house and the "heights". Many of the priests, brothers and seminarians from the early years were buried there -- that has since been moved out.
I remember that the summer was unbearably hot -- the humidity was awful. You were on that hill with bigger hills all around, like a green fishbowl. Nothing was air conditioned but the chapel; I guess they wanted us to pray well. I was a cook and the kitchen was unbearable. What made it bearable was that it was only for a year.
We had a Brother Norbert Schreufer there -- he was from Baltimore -- he was a baker so we had fresh-baked bread and cakes every day and the most wonderful jelly donuts on Sundays. There was a full bakery located under the chapel
We had spiritualily classes in the morning as well as prayers, Mass etc. The afternoon was a work period. All the work was done by us. There were no hired people. So the grounds, painting, etc were all done by the novices. There was even a greenhouse there which one of the old priests maintained.
Another interesting fact -- the fifth floor was added to the building much later, I believe in the 1930's. They needed more room and had a choice of buying the property up on Ilchester Road where Trinity is or adding the 5th floor -- they added the 5th floor. As a result the heat was pumped UP there and in the rest of the building the heat came DOWN, not up!
The smell from the box factory was awful!!!
We watched the river go down after the hurricane in June 72 -- it had taken semi-trailers and tossed them all over the place. One foolish young man from the area rode a raft down the swelled river. As the river receded and went down, his body was stuck on the railroad bridge.
There were the relics of a Saint under one of the altars in the chapel -- St. Sergius. That was removed before the Redemptorists left.
We finished up there in August 1972 took our vows, received the habit of the Redemptorist Order and went on to St. Alphonsus College in Suffield, Ct. -- a much newer building built in the 1960's but now also closed.
Nowadays, when people visit the site, they often say afterwards that
they "felt something" when they were up there. Do you believe this?
PM: Just their imagination. I don't believe in ghosts, apparitions and UFO's. The human mind trying to provide a reality to something that they have never seen or heard.
GL: 120 years of formation and prayer happened on those grounds. I'm sure it is a very blessed place. Maybe some of the old Redemptorists watch over the place.
If you're an alumnus of St. Mary's and would like to share your opinions and stories, please feel free to contact us -- we'd love to do more interviews.
Click here to return to the front page.
(The photograph used on this page is of the 1902 faculty, from the Ilchester Memories book.)
| 
