School Story:
I was "Johnny Public" and did not transfer to MBS until the 8th grade. Spent first six school years at Longstreth Elementary at 58th & Willows. For years I had heard all of the stories about MBS and Catholic school, and found out for myself they were mostly all true! I also did two years at West Catholic before transferring to Interboro H.S. in Glenolden in 1970.
One of the priests at MBS almost threw me out of my first confession. I was told by the other kids that when I went into the confessional, the priest would be behind a dark screen and that I could only see his shadow. Well, I went in and sat down, and started telling my confession. "Bless me father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession . . . " I was so nervous. But when I looked up at the screen I couldn't see the priest's shadow, it was all dark. That made me even more nervous. So I started speaking louder and louder, wondering if the priest had stepped out for a minute to take a break. Pretty soon I was shouting, and wondering if I might be talking to nobody on the other side of the screen. That's when I saw his shadow move, and the priest hollered back, "Lower your voice, kid. They can hear you out on 56th Street!" I was so shaken that I started babbling, and the priest finally cut me off and sent me off to say some Our Fathers and Hail Marys. I said a few of these and ran from the church, wondering if it wasn't easier to be a "public" and a Protestant like so many of my cousins.
