How many were in entering classes when we were there? Something like 20? And only a few were actually ordained.

So, I found it here.  I entered in Fall 1989, so the ordination class of 1995.  Four priests were ordained (out of the 21 original).


Of the 4, of course, one was the infamous Eric Ensey.  I don't think Ensey was part of the original 1989 entering class, but transferred in somehow (not sure of where he came from).

In the following year's class, you had 7, but Robert Neville is now an SV bishop, Marshall Roberts, well, we know about him, Father Chazal of course has gone Resistance.  Father Angelo Van der Putten (brother of the infamous Benedict) went FSSP in 2004.  Father John Peek passed away in 2009.  Father Allan Mullan left SSPX in 2003 and is married somewhere (don't know the details).  So, of the 7 ordained the following year, in 1996, only 1 remains, Father John Fullerton.

Who is who in that photo?  Any CathInfo folks?

In any case, as a result of Steve's complaints, he was consigned to a year at St. Mary's, and he had such a terrible experience there, and also felt like they were giving him the runaround and got the impression they'd never ordain him, but just use him to work at St. Mary's as long as they could get away with it ... and so he left, dejected.

They either turn right (sedevacantism/sedeprivationism) or left (FSSP/Indult/Diocese) or laicised to get married or moral allegations.

I think the story was that there were 2-3 seminarians per room in Winona I don't know if that was really the case. Some may get along well like that, but I imagine many people seeking to become a priest would prefer their own room for the silence and lack of distraction. I thought the new building would have 120 seminarian rooms because it is the limit placed on the max number of seminarians under one rector, but I don't think there's 120, barely 100 at best.

The 2 ordained this year entered at around the time that the move took place. The move was too early, so there was much work to finish making the place livable while they were living there. That would have been hard on some seminarians causing them to either take a year or 2 off, or wait to enter, or otherwise not persevere in that vocation.

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Oh, well Heaven forbid those training for the priesthood train uncomfortably!

Of course, given the fact that we now have many cradle Trads growing up and going through places like St. Mary's, one would certainly have expected a large increase in vocations ... but it's just not happening, leading one to question what the SSPX are actually doing.  Back in our day, seminarians were coming randomly from here, there, and the other place.  Now, from what I understand, the vast majority are coming from St. Mary's, but the total numbers have simply not increased that much from when I was there going on 35 years ago now.  Perhaps part of the numbers were offset by the FSSP option, and some additional SV options.