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%u00a9Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., All Rights ReservedHOW TO LEGALLY QUOTE FROM THIS BOOK56 Jack Fritscherthe priesthood,%u201d Lock said, %u201cthey can%u2019t get at you the way they can when you%u2019re a lowly seminarian.%u201d%u201cGod,%u201d Dave said, %u201cI hope he%u2019s angry enough to tell a few alumni something%u2019s rotten here in lower Denmark.%u201d%u201cI bet you Rector Karg writes Arnie%u2019s bishop,%u201d I said, %u201cand fawns all around and says, Oh, your excellency, Father Roth came and acted uncharitably.%u201d%u201cKarg can%u2019t,%u201d Mike said. %u201cHe%u2019s got to maintain our sanctified institution%u2019s sanctified reputation with all the bishops.%u201d%u201cYessss,%u201d Dempsey%u2019s voice hissed to a perfect mime of Rector Karg, his lower jaw thrust out, looking heavier than all the rest of his head. %u201cMisericordia Seminary enjoys a prime reputation for turning out o-beedient, hard-working priests. In every diocese of the country where we have a Misericordia man stationed, the bishop is happy. Yet we must be %u2019umble, for only true %u2019umility can keep us that way.%u201dWe all laughed at his imitation of the ashen-faced rector, who was a simple man, pious, Hoch Deutsch, High German, and very nineteenth century. Two weeks of Christmas vacation out in the world had passed since we%u2019d had a good laugh together at an inside joke. Suddenly I was missing my family. The homesickness always swirled up a tornado sucking my breath away.My heart melted toward my classmates because we shared the same goal. God had talked to each one of us, even the ones like Hank who made you wonder what God was up to. I loved them and I loved being with them. My heart leapt up. Sometimes I could forget the priests had warned us particular friendships could be somehow sinful, our times together could be so good.%u201cBe %u2019umble,%u201d Dempsey mimicked and we roared again, so loud the echoes rang up and down the stairwell.Hank and John Kowalski, outside our private joke, pushed past us. They carried a length of heavy pipe. %u201cOut of the way, Ryanus,%u201d Hank said.%u201cWhat you gonna do with that?%u201d I asked. %u201cShove it up your own wry anus so you%u2019ll have a happy new year?%u201d Then I added, %u201cAsshole.%u201d Some words were more uncharitable than impure.Hank banged the pipe against the railing and turned up the next flight. %u201cWho writes Ryanus%u2019s script?%u201d he said to Kowalski. %u201cSki, baby, I remember, don%u2019t you, when sweet baby Ryanus would never have said ass much less hole.%u201d He dry-hawked spit down on us. %u201cAin%u2019t none of your damn business what we%u2019re doing.%u201d