The Special Bond That Comes From Parochial School...
I am so happy that we are finally having this reunion...Chris,Debbie,I, and Eva have talked about it for years but none of us really got the ball rolling until now...Isn't it funny how when we graduated 8th grade some of us went to Andrean, some to other public schools in the area and of course have maybe attended our high school reunions but the memories of Catholic school seem to haunt ones' soul and you can never forget those dear classmates who endured the suffering of going to church on a daily basis, wearing school uniforms with the initials BS (ha ha), being told to finish all on your lunch tray because there were starving children in India(and of course we were going to pack up that food and send it to them,straight away...),waiting for Father Louie to peruse your report card as he stood at the front of the classroom,and God Forbid!!! you walked out of the confessional without getting your penance...AND THE NUNS!!!!! There is a novel in those stories, isn't there?? :)
posted by Debbie Walton 1972 @ 11:17 PM
2 Comments:
Debbie, The foundations of our persona were forged for better or for worse by those days. I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of B.S., from the uncontrollable laughter to the intense fear of the wrath of Sister Mary _ _ _ _ you name her. We lived though something that resembled a mild prison/concentration camp that we got to leave around 3 o'clock but had to come back to the next day.
There was an underground world of fun co-existing with the rule of the nuns. The greater the risk of getting caught the greater the fun.
When you got caught it was bad for you but hilarious for others.
I wouldn't trade those days for
a million dollars. (2 million maybe) Jerry
Debbie, how delightful it is to be able to make contact with you after so many years. DO say hello to your parents; I am sorry indeed that I lost contact with them.
To comment on your comments:
First, many times I attempted to make the daily mass routine change for several reasons:
1) God is not served by endless and timeless chatter and prayers (see Jesus' words in Matthew 6: 5-8). I felt the experience would be more genuine for all if it was not endlessly repeated. Your words, "endured the suffering" attest to what can happen with anything overdone.
2) It was a school, and a lot of teacher and student time was taken with religious activities. They were important, but not to be excessive. Faith is built through devotion, not the quantity of time spent on trying to inculcate it.
Needless to say, the powers that ruled, rejected my appeal.
Does anyone remember the "flag rallies" held outdoors in support of the Vietnam War? This rubbed me in an extremely bad way, as a Christian school should reflect the teachings of The Prince of Peace, not a politial war. Again, the powers that ruled prompted by a very aggressive war-supporting parent, saw to it that these activities continued. Some of them, if I am not mistaken, were actually conducted in the church too.
Not being a supporter of war, I was personally offended, but I also prayed that this kind of influence did not register with my students.
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