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| Faculty at Holy Name Seminary in Madison are pictured with Bishop William P. O’Connor, front row, and Msgr. George O. Wirz, rector, at his right. Priests made up most of the faculty. Paul Stauffacher, second from left in the second row, and William Walker, third from left in the back row, were the first lay faculty members. (Catholic Herald file photo) |
Eleventh in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Holy Name Seminary in Madison was completed by 1965. The $4 million structure was dedicated on June 10, 1965.
In its second full year in Madison, the student body included four years of high school and two years of college. The seminarians found a modern building with a special concept in learning.
Unit system
The building was planned on a unit system, a concept whereby the student body is broken up into small groups, each under the direct supervision of a priest or unit moderator who lives at the end of his unit’s corridor.
Group dormitories and study halls were purposely omitted. Every student had his own private room in one of the 11 residential units which surrounded the chapel. Each of these “private-home” units had its own parlor and other facilities, along with local rules and customs.
The private rooms served to develop self-reliance and independence, explained Msgr. George O. Wirz, rector, in an article in the Catholic Herald Citizen. At the same time, the units enabled the young men to relate to others spiritually and emotionally.
The rector noted that the unit moderator was able to get to know each young man more thoroughly and be able to evaluate more accurately his strong and weak points and make recommendations for his development.
Collaboration with college
In 1967, Holy Name Seminary began a collaboration of the college students with Madison’s Edgewood College. Seminarians took courses in psychology, sociology, and philosophy at the Edgewood campus.
In addition, inter-faculty collaboration was initiated. Sr. Marie Stephen Reges, chairman of Edgewood’s theology department, taught a course in catechetics at Holy Name, and Fr. Thomas Schroeder of Holy Name taught philosophy at Edgewood.
Holy Name Seminary graduated its first four-year class of 53 students on June 10, 1967.
More on the later years of the seminary will be included in future articles.
Paul Stauffacher comes full circle from seminary faculty to living at converted building
Paul Stauffacher began his work at Holy Name Seminary in 1965. He was the second lay faculty member hired, the first being the late William Walker.
Stauffacher taught English and served as English department head, and he also coached football, basketball, and track.
“My mother told me about the opening of the seminary in Madison,” said Stauffacher in an interview. He had been teaching in a public school and contacted Msgr. George Wirz, rector, about a teaching position at the seminary.
What might have helped Stauffacher get the position was the four years of high school and one year of college he spent as a student at St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary. “I had the experience of being in a seminary and could draw on that experience at Holy Name,” he said.
Monsignor Wirz told Stauffacher, “You are an answer to my prayers.”
Stauffacher enjoyed teaching at the all-boys school. “It allows you a certain freedom,” he said. “In English classes, I could deal with issues freely. It was a great teaching experience.”
He admired Monsignor Wirz, who later became auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Madison. “He was one of the holiest men I’ve known and one of the most humble.”
Monsignor Wirz was a native Swiss from Monroe, Wis., and both Paul and his wife Kate are Swiss. “He and Kate enjoyed speaking the Swiss language together,” said Stauffacher.
One of Stauffacher’s favorite coaching memories was playing a football game against Queen of Apostles High School in Madison, where his older brother John coached. “We beat them,” said Stauffacher, and it became the talk of many family get-togethers.
Stauffacher grew up on a farm outside of Darlington, and one of his brothers became a Chicago Bears and Cubs fan. Stauffacher followed in his brother’s footsteps.
When Bishop Cletus O’Donnell became the Bishop of Madison in 1967, he decided to live at Holy Name Seminary. He, too, was a Bears and Cubs fan, so the new bishop and Stauffacher liked talking sports together. “I enjoyed him immensely,” said Stauffacher of Bishop O’Donnell.
Stauffacher eventually became principal at Holy Name, succeeding Fr. Dale Grubba. Stauffacher left Holy Name in 1993 and went on to become principal at Waukesha Catholic Memorial High School.
Paul and his wife Kate have been married almost 60 years with four children and 13 grandchildren. They are members of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cross Plains.
In his retirement, Stauffacher had a serious accident and couldn’t do yardwork any longer.
“We decided to sell our house. We heard about the new apartments at Holy Name Heights (created in the former seminary building, which closed in 1995), and we went to look at them. We liked what they did and decided to live there.”
The Stauffachers have lived at Holy Name Heights for about five years. “What they did with the place is marvelous,” he said. “We like it very much, and the daily Mass [at 12 noon weekdays] is a bonus.”
Sources: Building Our Future in Faith: Commemorative History of the Catholic Diocese of Madison (1996); archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper.
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.