Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary - Culture and Traditions

Culture and Traditions

• Beadle—during the Days of the Giants, the student in a Latin classroom designated by the professor to exact discipline and to pass back graded papers, usually the student with the second highest grades in a marking period, but sometimes a student creatively chosen by the professor to motivate the student or the class.
• Beadsmen—an organization of Quigley students who prayed the Rosary in the chapel together and did service projects. Quigley students up until the 1970s were required to pray the Rosary daily.
• Big Brother Little Brother Program- For a period of time, Quigley would pair a member of the senior class with an incoming freshman in order for them to become familiar with the school.
• Candle—the Quigley, and after 1961, the Quigley North student newspaper
• Cards—See "Give me your card." Said to a group of students committing some disciplinary infraction, such as smoking. The prof would hold out his hand, and simply say to the students, "Cards," or "Cards, please," and the offending students would hand over their demerit cards.
• Cathedral Choristers—the boys' choir of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral populated by Quigley and later Quigley North students during the Days of the Giants. Each entering Bennie was screened at orientation for singing ability, and if he could sing and his voice had not yet changed, his membership in the Cathedral Choristers was mandatory. If his voice had fully changed, he was assigned to the Schola or Glee Club. Founded originally as the St. George Choral Society in 1918, they became the Cardinal's Cathedral Choristers in 1931. The Choristers recorded "Carols of the Nations," which was a Christmas program performed at the Cathedral and at Quigley until the Choristers were disbanded in 1980.
• Chapel—often referring to daily Mass, morning prayer, and afternoon prayer at Archbishop Quigley.
• Christmas Wreath Toss—During the traditional QN/AQ faculty tree trimming party, usually the first week of Advent, faculty members would take turns in tossing a wreath onto the arm of the statue of John Cardinal Newman in the faculty lounge (aka Tutor Room). If the wreath lands on Cardinal Newman's head or hangs off his finger, the toss is invalid. Often, it will take up to 4-5 rounds before wreath is properly rested on Cardinal Newman's arm.
• The Crow's Nest—located on the 3½ floor northeast staircase of Quigley, the highest office in altitude at 103 E. Chestnut. Fr. William Sheridan long resided in that office. His own name is carved on the wood of the door. The entrance to Memorial Hall is found through this office. During the 1960s this room served as the Le Petite Seminaire yearbook office, and was for a time called "Gilligan's Island" after Rev. John Gilligan, the yearbook moderator.
• Daily Mass—attendance at daily Mass in the early morning hours at one's home parish was required of Quigley students up until the 1970s.
• Days of the Giants—an expression by older Quigley graduates about a past Golden Age in which the school's discipline and performance standards were higher, thus making the students of that era smarter, tougher, holier, better than any given present cohort of students, based upon a Scriptural reference to Genesis 6:4, "At that time the Nephilim (giants) appeared on earth (as well as later), after the sons of heaven had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown."
• Day off—Traditionally, if the bishop came to visit Quigley for Mass, students could receive the rest of the day off of school, according to his personal prerogative. In latter years of the institution Auxiliary Bishop Jakubowski (an alumnus), particularly, liked to uphold this tradition by announcing at the end of Mass his grant of a "day off" of school (to be given at some later date as determined by the rector.) This practice earned him great affection from students who would, then, beg every other bishop visiting Quigley (including all auxiliaries who might pass through, the cardinal archbishop of Chicago, and visiting prelates from other dioceses) for the same, usually without success. Cardinal George did also eventually offer this privilege to students, at least on one occasion
• Demerit—25 demerits in a semester lead to a student's expulsion, 60 in a year likewise.
• Demerit Card—A card which totes 25 spots, 5 of which lead to a JUG, 25 of which lead to an expulsion. Often referred to in Monopoly terms such as 'Go to Jail' on 25, and Free Parking at 15 (a suspension).
• Lenten Lob—during the season of Lent at Archbishop Quigley, tournaments were held to raise money for the Catholic Missions. Two key events are the Money Jars and the Lob. For the money jars, each class including faculty would have their own jar to collect/add money. At the end of Lent, the class with the most money wins; however, only quarters at to your amount while any other currency deducts from your total. The Lob is when students & faculty have to "lob" balls from different parts of the gymnasium balcony to a bucket on the floor of the gym. Depending on the location and the type of ball used, each class (plus faculty) gains points. At the end of Lent, the points and the money jar are added together to determine the winner.
• Lenten Tournament—an intramural basketball tournament held both at Quigley and at off-site locations, such as the former Chicago Fire Department gymnasium at Navy Pier, during the Days of the Giants.
• Memorial Hall—the east attic where students and faculty sneaked up and signed their names and class year. Earliest records indicates students from the class of 1918 and 1919, all four initials etched in stone. The rest have been signed in chalk with last name and graduation year. Memorial Hall can be accessed through the Crow's Nest.
• Mission Party—a festive after-school event, usually on a Wednesday when Thursday was a free day, with card games, open gym and pool, movies, and refreshments, with funds raised going to benefit the Catholic Missions.
• Mission Walk—The mission walk was to raise money for the Catholic missions, where students walk from Quigley to Mundelein Seminary, a total of approx 55 miles (89 km). Students are to fund raise money for each mile they walk. From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, the mission walk was a two day event where students departed from Quigley on Friday morning and walk north to Mundelien. It is often tradition for the students who participate to stop by the Cardinal's residence before continuing on. The walk ended in the afternoon on Saturday. It is often tradition that the last mile the participants ran. After 2003, the mission walk was limited to Wrigley Field.
• No girls—Quigley students were forbidden up to the point of expulsion from the seminary to date or to participate in clubs with girls without prior approval until 1966.
• Pastor's signature—during the Days of the Giants, a pastor's letter of recommendation was required for a student to enter Quigley, and pastors as well as parents during the Days of the Giants were required to sign the student's report card at final marking periods. The report card included both grades and demerit totals, so obtaining the pastor's actual signature was a moment of reckoning.
• Schola, or Schola Cantorum—a small group of Quigley students with mature voices trained in Gregorian Chant, who would sing at Quigley or at Holy Name Cathedral during the Days of the Giants.
• Sparks—The official newspaper of Quigley North in its later years. Supposedly stems from an underground newspaper of the 70's called "Sparks from the Candle".
• The Talon—The official student newspaper of Archbishop Quigley from 1990 to the present.
• Thursday off, Saturday on—Quigley students went to school on Saturdays and had Thursday off up until 1966. On Thursdays, Quigley students would often go together to the nearest parish gym, which would sometimes be opened for their exclusive use. Parish priests would often also take Thursdays off, and sometimes join the seminarians in recreation.