In this forum, I am asking you to post that one aspect of St. Mary's that comes to mind if you were asked to answer the question:  What is your one memory that epitomizes St. Mary's?  (In your mind's-eye, what do you see, experience that is your touchstone to St. Mary's Catholic School?)

For me that one thing would be the sound of rosary beads swishing, clicking as Sister Rosemary Elephant came down the halls.  I especially remember our biology class where Mary Ann Villadsen's job as first chair on the first row by the door........... was to listen for the unique sound.  She would then alert our class that "The Sheriff was in town!"

I would have to say going to Mass every day, and then gathering on the slab for the pledge and singing My country Tis of thee. And, getting in trouble when we had to go to confession every Friday! I think I made up sins just so I would have something to confess! It got more interesting when lay teachers came to teach; we could get away with a lot more with them, and some of them are my all time favorite teachers.

I forgot all about "My Country Tis of Thee".  I have since learned that the melody is that of an English drinking / pub song. 

well then, the dear nuns are rolling over in their graves about that! and I forgot about doing square dancing in the gym of the old white school. Kind of strange what we remember about those days. And being able to buy lunch on Fridays from the little store across the street, I always got a fish plate and a grape drink.

When I think about surviving Catholic school, the first thing that comes to mind is the influence of the nuns.  I remember in the early years thinking that whatever "sister said" was like listening to the voice of God.  Eighth grade with Sister Leona pretty much turned the tides on that belief!

Who remembers Candle Fest?  Anyone interested in hearing about an incident our Freshman year during that event?  Better yet..........can anyone remember said incident?

We went to Catholic school? What's a candle fest?

I would like to know what a Candle Fest is, too. Can't seem to remember anything even like it.

CANDLE FEST:

I remember standing out in front of the school (with many others) holding one of those pencil-thin White candles.  We were all playing with the wax.  But I don't remember why we were doing that.... Obviously it wasn't as important as Fr. Joe's BD 

I was being sarcastic.  We always had candle fests when it was cold.  I used it to stay warm. Suzy, if you really wanted to be a hussy you could have gotten rid of everything under that coat...lol

I remember our home room teacher Sister Theodosius had a piggy bank on her desk that would talk if you put a coin into it.  Sister seemed to delight in this, but we all found it a little strange.  Also Sister Thaddeus, the typing teacher was very tiny...one day before she arrived to class, the boys[can't remember who] put books under the legs of her desk, which of course made it higher, and when Sister sat down, the desk surface came up to her nose, leaving her eyes peering out over the top.  I really think that was the first time I saw a smile on her face.  I also remeber candle fest, and it seems to me that Suzy you were the Virgin Mary once???{using that term loosely of course!

I guess every class must have pulled that trick on Sister Thaddeus.  lol  And yes, Mary, I was Virgin Mary for Candlefest my senior year.  The rest of the time I was virgin Suzy!

The logic is irrefutable, Suzy was a 'hussy a a young age' AND Sister Edward Marie desired one of our classmates to wear a coat and a smile (nothing else) to the candle fest.  Remember the song 'Little Egypt - I think she was one of the angles at the candle fest.

I went and bought myself a ticket and
I sat down in the very first row, wo wo.
They pulled the curtain but then when
they turned the spotlight way down low, wo wo,
Little Egypt came out strutting,
wearing nothing but a button and a bow, wo wo,
singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah''.

She had a ruby on her tummy and
a diamond big as Texas on her toe, wo wo.
She let her hair down and
she did the hoochie koochie real slow, wo wo,
When she did her special number on a zebra skin,
I thought she'd stop the show, wo wo,
singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah!".

She did a triple somersault and when she hit the ground,
she winked at the audience and then she turned around.
She had a picture of a cowboy tattooed on her spine,
saying Phoenix, Arizona, nineteen forty-nine.

Yeah, but let me tell you people,
Little Egypt doesn't dance there anymore, wo wo.
She's too busy mopping and
a taking care of shopping at the store, wo wo.
'Cause we got seven kids and
all day long they crawl around the floor, wo wo,
singing, "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah!

I hope I have pushed all the right buttons so that this comes up in the right place!  You know I thought I had forgotten everything about St Mary's until all of you began sharing.  I must have blocked it all out. lol

Mrs. McBride comes to my mind as a strong memory!  I remember the day she made me kneel on raw rice in the back of the room because she said I was talking in her class.  Can you imagine?  Now all of you know there was NO way I was talking in her class--I never talked in class.  Well maybe in Coach Donnie Carroll's class.  He was such a hunk (in a 16 year olds eyes) but of course we were not allowed to think about those things.  Back to MM-the worst thing about it was there was no possible vendication, had I told A.D. and Elda I would have gotten worse at home.

Another item about Mrs. Mc, was the day one of our classmates asked to go to the rest room right after recess.  Now you all know that was a NO NO.  That should have already been taken care of.  She was immediately admonished to "take position" for our daily decade of the rosary.  When she did, she landed in the middle of the front of the class.  Half way during prayer time, she could no longer withstand the pressure and blessed MM's homeroom in a way she had not planned on.  For the record that was not me. 

Shall I continue...

One of the funniest things I remember happened freshman year.  Sister Genevieve was homeroom teacher for the freshman boys.  One day there was a large box in our room and Tom McKenna hid inside of it.  Most of you probably remember that Tom could talk like Donald Duck.  Frank Bailey's desk was not far from the box and Frank would move his lips and Tom would talk like Donald Duck.  Sister Genevieve went on and on about how remarkable it was that Frank could throw his voice and what a talent it was.  The look on her face when Tom stepped out of that box was absolutely priceless.  I never laughed so hard.

I remember one day I was in charge of bring the absent slips to the office.Our principal was Sr. Cecilia.

She was about to have us say a prayer over the intercom together when the song came on cecilia through everyroom! Her face froze and a crack of a smile was showned a half a second...of couse there was laughter in the halls of St. Mary's!!

OH Man.  I also received double payout.  When, not if, I got in trouble at school, I got a second helping at home.  Truth be told, my second helping was always more harsh than what the nuns could dole out.

The last part of our 8th grade I switched to Carr Jr. High.  When you got in trouble the coaches dealt out the swats - Son of Ditch those HURT !!  Even with all my descriptions, Leo believed he needed to impress upon me ONE MORE TIME.......

I remember being in the gym and someone had one of the Beatles records playing over the PA system.  It stayed on for about 1 minute.  Also, I guess I was a freshman...some of the football players had their hair shaved like Mohawks.  Can't remember who.

Jerry Lauzon wrote:

OK, I hate to "bust bubbles" but "My contry 'Tis of Thee" is the British National Anthem, "God save the King/Queen" depending on the gender to the current monarch.