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Author Topic: Ex-Seminarian stories  (Read 133099 times)

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Offline Plenus Venter

Re: Ex-Seminarian stories
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2025, 08:40:42 PM »
Quote from: AGeorge on January 29, 2025, 05:51:09 PM
He knew I was a musician and that he and I shared a love of Beethoven, and the piano..(He, on occasion,  had me perform some excerpts for the class a fee excerpts of a Beethoven Sonata; and he himself performed the 2nd movement of the Pathetique Sonata once)
He took the opportunity, on this particular evening, to ask me if I "wanted to listen to a bit of music..."
Of course I replied in the affirmative...
He comically proceeded to "tiptoe" (as it was after Compline,) over to his cabinet to retrieve
A DVD...it was a DVD of a Van Cliburn competition of piano concerti, featuring Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, and, my favorite, Rachmaninov.
He then led the way up to music room, and we watched the performances late into the night. His commentary was priceless...
You might enjoy listening to his Lordship's recent interview with James Delingpole where he talks a bit about music and the composers, although you have no doubt heard it all before - it starts around 48:30:
https://www.cathinfo.com/the-sacred-catholic-liturgy-chant-prayers/bishop-williamson-interview-with-james-delingpole/msg970949/?topicseen#msg970949
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Offline Ubi Caritas

Re: Ex-Seminarian stories
« Reply #16 on: January 31, 2025, 10:03:58 PM »
I came to the seminary very late. His Excellency had me come to his office. I was very intimidated - he was a bishop, and I was nobody. So he utters my last name and swishes it around in his mouth a few moments and nails my ancestry. Then he comes out and asks what kind of composers I enjoy. The first thing that comes into my mind is "The Barber of Seville", so I just blurt Rossini. +W sits back and closes his eyes: "Beethoven said that Rossini could have been a great composer, if his teacher had bothered spanking him enough." Then he asked if I liked Beethoven. I replied yes and he puts on Beethoven and starts head-banging. I'm trapped in this office with this mighty man and he's just thrashing. And I am so twilight zone at this point, I just don't know how to react. And that's how he tested and teased you.

We used to call him HEBRW (His Excellency Bishop Richard Williamson). I think he got a kick out of that.
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Offline Ubi Caritas

Re: Ex-Seminarian stories
« Reply #17 on: January 31, 2025, 10:53:55 PM »
Two more episodes come to mind. 

In the summer, the seminary would host retreats for lay people. We seminarians and staff all had to eat in a back room, behind the kitchen (where Scott ruled supreme!). It was a pretty tight space. So His Excellency is across from me and we're going through the thesaurus about the food ("No young man - it is not 'vittles', it is a 'repast'). So +W is done and wishes to leave, but Father Iscara is anchoring the table (other end is tight to the wall). So the Bishop looks down at Father and sends those crazy eyerbrows of his wriggling. Father Iscara, who'd shuffled in late, barely looks at him but assumes the lip curl contra benignitam. So Father sighs and starts to rise and Bishop Williamson dives under the table. Father Iscara is up and looks and is dumbfounded as the bishop has disappeared. Hs Excellency surfaces somewhere on my right and climbs up the seat. Father Iscara is standing, holding the table, watching this with his lidded eyes and he's just not impressed. Very unimpressed. And with his smirk, Bishop Williamson escapes.

+W liked to dabble in hot sauce. One time, a seminarian had gotten him something special, and he ended up getting some in his eye during lunch. He flailed about and the whole dining hall went stone silent as he worked through that one. He was spry though - you could see that.

He could thunder and he could play. He was an experience to listen to and be around.


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Offline AMDGJMJ

Re: Ex-Seminarian stories
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2025, 05:42:53 AM »
Quote from: Ubi Caritas on January 31, 2025, 10:53:55 PM
Two more episodes come to mind.

In the summer, the seminary would host retreats for lay people. We seminarians and staff all had to eat in a back room, behind the kitchen (where Scott ruled supreme!). It was a pretty tight space. So His Excellency is across from me and we're going through the thesaurus about the food ("No young man - it is not 'vittles', it is a 'repast'). So +W is done and wishes to leave, but Father Iscara is anchoring the table (other end is tight to the wall). So the Bishop looks down at Father and sends those crazy eyerbrows of his wriggling. Father Iscara, who'd shuffled in late, barely looks at him but assumes the lip curl contra benignitam. So Father sighs and starts to rise and Bishop Williamson dives under the table. Father Iscara is up and looks and is dumbfounded as the bishop has disappeared. Hs Excellency surfaces somewhere on my right and climbs up the seat. Father Iscara is standing, holding the table, watching this with his lidded eyes and he's just not impressed. Very unimpressed. And with his smirk, Bishop Williamson escapes.

+W liked to dabble in hot sauce. One time, a seminarian had gotten him something special, and he ended up getting some in his eye during lunch. He flailed about and the whole dining hall went stone silent as he worked through that one. He was spry though - you could see that.

He could thunder and he could play. He was an experience to listen to and be around.

Great stories!  Thank you for sharing!  :cowboy:
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Offline Minnesota

Re: Ex-Seminarian stories
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2025, 08:17:28 AM »
Quote from: Ubi Caritas on January 31, 2025, 10:53:55 PM
Two more episodes come to mind.

In the summer, the seminary would host retreats for lay people. We seminarians and staff all had to eat in a back room, behind the kitchen (where Scott ruled supreme!). It was a pretty tight space. So His Excellency is across from me and we're going through the thesaurus about the food ("No young man - it is not 'vittles', it is a 'repast'). So +W is done and wishes to leave, but Father Iscara is anchoring the table (other end is tight to the wall). So the Bishop looks down at Father and sends those crazy eyerbrows of his wriggling. Father Iscara, who'd shuffled in late, barely looks at him but assumes the lip curl contra benignitam. So Father sighs and starts to rise and Bishop Williamson dives under the table. Father Iscara is up and looks and is dumbfounded as the bishop has disappeared. Hs Excellency surfaces somewhere on my right and climbs up the seat. Father Iscara is standing, holding the table, watching this with his lidded eyes and he's just not impressed. Very unimpressed. And with his smirk, Bishop Williamson escapes.

+W liked to dabble in hot sauce. One time, a seminarian had gotten him something special, and he ended up getting some in his eye during lunch. He flailed about and the whole dining hall went stone silent as he worked through that one. He was spry though - you could see that.

He could thunder and he could play. He was an experience to listen to and be around.

The funniest thing here is that an Englishman liked hot sauce. Usually they wince after eating anything spicier than ketchup.
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