Past Principals and Presidents

Fr. Wilfred was born in Bruno, Saskatchewan and in 1924 he was the second priest from St. Peter's Colony to be ordained.  Fr. Wilfred served as rector of St. Peter's College from 1924 to 1931. During his term as rector, Fr. Wilfred negotiated affiliation with the University of Saskatchewan. 

Fr. Wilfred served as editor of the Praire Messenger from 1931 to 1955.

Fr. Matthew was born December 7, 1896 in St. Paul Minnesota.  He received his doctorate in the philosophy of education from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in 1931, making him the first monk of St. Peter's Abbey to study for and obtain his doctorate.  In 1921 he started parish work and was one of the first teachers at the College.  Fr. Matthew  served as principal of St. Peter's College from 1931 to 1935 when he returned to parish work.  His last parish was Carmel in 1972, the same parish where he started his work as a parish priest.

Fr. Matthew's pioneering work in the area of rural electrification in the 1940s led to him being cited as "the father of rural electrification" in the Saskatchewan legislature.

Fr. Matthew died January 22, 1994 at the age of 97.

Fr. Xavier Benning was born in Arcadia, Wisconsin in 1901.  He joined the teaching staff of the College in 1924 and continued to teach for the next 44 years, being particularly well-known for his teaching of Latin.  He served as principal of the College from 1936 to 1960 and was responsible for the introduction of evening university classes in 1959.

Some of his many contributions to the Abbey were work on the the complex of evergreens, flower beds, the orchard and the bee yard on the Abbey grounds.  Even at the age of 90 he cared for the bees, collected crab apples, and drove his "mini" tractor to cultivate between the tall evergreens.

Fr. Xavier died on January 11, 1992.

Fr. Albert was born in Gull Lake Saskatchewan.  He was prefect in the College for 12 years, principal from 1960 to 1966, and dean of Arts after 1966.  He was known as "the bear", a persona that was gruff but covered a sympathetic and caring teacher who seldom--if ever--failed to explain the intricacies of mathematics to anyone willing to work.  Over the years he collected an assortment of bears large and small donated primarily by appreciative students. 

In 1979, Fr. Albert received a placque "in recognition for excellent leadership in the field of mathematics education," and in 1985 he was awarded an honourary Saskatchewan Math Teachers Society life membership.

The Bear passed away on October 25, 2006.

Fr. Vincent Morrison served as principal of St. Peter's College from 1966 to 1972.  He was a student at St. Peter's College from 1941 to 1946.  Fr. Vincent taught at the College and also served as prefect and alumni chaplain. 

Anton Murray Britz was born in Lake Lenore on March 12, 1940.  He was ordained in 1966 and served as principal of St. Peter's College in 1972 and again from 1976 to 1983.  In 1979 he established the St. Peter's Adult Religious Studies (SPARS) program for the ongoing religious formation and education of adults.  Fr. Andrew also was editor of the Prairie Messenger for 21 years (1983-2004) until health reasons necessitated his retirement. 

His most recent project is a book Truth to Power, a selection of editorials written during his long tenure as editor of the PM.

Raymond Weber was born at Watson, Saskatchewan, on September 13, 1934.  He was ordained in 1961 at St. Peter's Cathedral in Muenster and joined the teaching staff of the College until 1964.  He then attended the University of St. Louis where in 1967 he received ihs masters of science degree in chemistry.  He resumed teaching at St. Peter's College and also taught at the Ursuline Academy at Bruno from 1921 until 1976. 

Fr. Maurice served as principal of the College from 1972 to 1976, when he went to Rome to study theology and monastic history and spirituality at the Benedictine College of Saint' Anselma, where he received his licentiate in theology in 1978.  He returned to the principalship of the College from 1983 to 1989 and continued to teach first-year chemistry until illness forced him to retire.  He continued to be available to students as part-time chaplain. 

Fr. Maurice died May 27, 1990.

Anthony Saretsky was born in Humboldt on September 19, 1929 and grew up in Richlea.  Tony became a respected Catholic eductor and he was principal of Humboldt Collegiate Institute from 1971 to 1986.  He became the first lay principal of St. Peter's College in 1989 and held this position until 1993.

Tony was inducted into the Humboldt Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 for his work with Special Olympics.

Tony passed away on July 15, 2006.

In 1993 the position of president was created at St. Peter's College.  Together with Barry Popowich, Wendy Schissel became co-president of St. Peter's College from 1993 to 1998.  The co-presidents had similar backgrounds in that both were sessional lecturers at the University of Saskatchewan and St. Peter's College, both received doctoral degrees in English, and both came from farm backgrounds.

Dr. Schissel was raised in Alberta and received her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta.  She went on to receive her masters in 1982 and her doctorate in 1991 at the University of Calgary.  In 1992 Dr. Schissel was awarded the University of Saskatchewan alumni excellence award. 

Dr. Schissel is currently Dean at Mount Hood Community College in Portland, Oregon, USA.

In 1993 the position of president was created at St. Peter's College. Together with Wendy Schissel, Barry Popowich became co-president of St. Peter's College from 1993 to 1998. The co-presidents had similar backgrounds in that both were sessional lecturers at the University of Saskatchewan and St. Peter's College, both received doctoral degrees in English, and both came from farm backgrounds. Dr. Popowich came from Kamsack, Saskatchewan. He left a 10 year banking position in 1983 to take a two-year Master of Theological Studies degree from St. Andrew's College. He then entered a masters program in English at the U of S and proceeded to doctoral studies in English, completing his PhD in 1992.

Currently, besides sessional duties with the Department of English at the U of S, he is a Continuing Lecturer at Saint Thomas More College, and for Gabriel Dumont Institute (SUNTEP) in Prince Albert. He is also an educational consultant, and owns the Oxford Learning Centre in Saskatoon and the Calgary Crowfoot centre, serving on the Advisory Council for Oxford Learning Centres, Inc. of London, Ontario.

Colleen Fitzgerald was president of St. Peter's College from 1998 to 2004.  She received her BA (1979),  MA (1989) and PhD (1996) in history from the University of Saskatchewan.

In 2003, her book Begin a Good Work--about the monks of St. Peter's Abbey--was published. 

After leaving St. Peter's, Dr. Fitzgerald became director of the Division of Media and Technology at the U of S.  She is currently on leave from this position.

After former president Colleen Fitzgerald resigned her position in early 2005, Interim President Glen Kobussen oversaw the organizational restructuring of St. Peter's College.  He continued as advisor to the president and Board of Governors after the installation of the new president, Rob Harasymchuk, later in 2005.

Rob Harasymchuk is originally from Saskatoon.  He became president of St. Peter's College in summer 2005.  Previously, he spent four years working with the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Council of Canada.  He has two bachelor degrees--finance and economics--and an MBA, all from the University of Saskatchewan. 

Mr. Harasymchuk continues to work in the administration of St. Peter's College as vice president and provost.

Glen Kobussen became president of St. Peter's College in 2010.  He has taught business courses at both St. Peter's and the U of S.  He received an L.S.C., B.A.C., B. Comm. and M.B.A. from the U of S.