It is Saturday afternoon and I have been sitting here at my desk waiting to say the 5:30pm Mass. I wrote something last night but it seems to have dis-appeared. (the Friday the 13th curse??). I was going to “update” it but now I think I’ll just start an update and when it is time for me to go up for Mass; I’ll just stop and save a draft and then pick up after Mass over in the rectory.
Let’s see
I last wrote on Friday night from Cincinatti. I had driven down on Thursday to Lexington. I had hoped to see Jeff and Beth Healander and their three darling daughters but I discovered I had no phone numbers for them and so I just headed to Cincinatti and went to bed early. I had driven 400 miles.
On Saturday, I went to Mt Notre Dame for the 11am Mass. It is a beautiful complex of schools and nursing and retirement living for the Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. My kindergarten and first grade teacher, Sister Natalie (formerly Sister Ann Christine) moved there about a month ago from Villa Julie near Baltimore. She has lived there for the last few years but after a fall, it was decided she needed the care of this facility.
She didn’t come to Mass and Sister Betty told me that she had stayed upstairs “off her feet”. We went up to a community room and I was a big surprise to Sister. She said, “What are you doing here?” then she introduced me as her best kindergarten and first grade student. I don’t think she knew my name but as we sat there, she kept encouraging me to tell stories – “Like the time you kissed Dottie McBride on the playground” etc. Once I started, she would join in and correct me. The other sisters loved it. There were four others who were Notre Dame and three who were Ursalines. I have pictures but I still don’t know how to put them into this but I will learn. I also went and visited Sister Marguerite in his room. She was provincial and was always nice to me when I saw her. I brought her greetings from many old friends.
Then I left and drove to Chicago. I stayed at Pat Berry’s beautiful condo on the 35th floor in downtown. What a great view! We went out to supper at a restaurant where Al Capone use to have dinner. It was a Victorian house and the food was very good. I was ready for bed as it was a long ride (I think about 290 miles)
On Sunday, Pat and I drove to Indiana and participated – no, we sat through a beautiful service at St. Simon Serbian Orthodox church. It is the church of “Z” who is the manager of the condo and whom I’ve met a number of times. She invited us and so we went. The choir was excellent and we had books with Serbian on one side and English on the other to help us know what was happening. The altar area is closed off by a beautiful wall of Icons. The women were on the left and men on the right. Most stand for the service but old Monsignors and their friend can sit in the choir stalls (which we did). The service ran over two hours and again the music just made you feel “holy and prayful”. I’m glad we went.
Later in the day, Pat and I saw the musical “The Book of Mormon”. It is kind of irreverent because the authors are from the TV show South Park; but it was real Broadway, with lots of singing and dancing (good tap numbers) and we enjoyed it.
On Monday, we met a friend, Jose for breakfast and then Pat and I drove up to Milwaukee. It was only about 60 miles and we checked into the Intercontinental Hotel downtown. It’s a very nice hotel and within walking distance to a lot. (The guys walked a lot, I took cabs)
Pat and I, Dave and Kathy Haas, and Dwight Birket and John Bohrer all stayed at the hotel and so we got together in the lobby a lot. That first evening we went to Mader’s, a very famous German restaurant and had a great meal (and beer!). We laughed and talked all through the meal.
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After I wrote about Wednesday, I realized that I hadn’t said why we were here in Wisconsin. Sorry!! In September 1963, 40 of us young men from all over the country, arrived at St. Nazianz’s seminary. We were between 17 and 30 years of age and all came to study Latin because we had not had it in high school. We lived in a seperate building from the seminary and were called “Specials”. We went to class 6 days a week (with Wednesday and Saturday afternoons “off”) The rest of the time, was regulated and monitored. But we loved it and after a year, many of us went down to Waukesha and while still studying Latin, we also did the first two years of college. After that, some of us went off to other seminaries to study Philosophy and then Theology. Some stayed at Mount St. Paul in Waukesha and got their degrees there.
A few months ago, someone suggested we have a reunion of those who started off together in September 1963 and that’s why we are here celebrating 50 years of friendship. Now maybe some of what I write will make more sense!!
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On Tuesday, we got up early and drove to the Alexian Village. It is in northern Milwaukee and is a community with about 400 residents. There are many types of living situations for adult 55 of years and older. The Salvatorians have about 17 of their men there. Some live in apartments, others in assisted living, and some in nursing care. We had Mass at 11am and then went to the dining room. There was a table set for about 15. Fr. Aquinas Novak was our host and asked that we go around and tell about ourselves. It took awhile but it was enjoyable to hear about some of the men who have spent years in Africa, and those who have worked in various ministries of education and social work. The provincial of the order, Fr. Joe joined us and welcomed us as alumni. One of the Salvatorians started with us at St. Nazianz 50 years ago but many of us had not seen him in over 40 years. It was so good to see him. We had a great time.
Then we drove to the Mount in Waukesha. It is now part of the social service and criminal justice system of Waukesha. A very nice lady took us through the buildings but there is nothing left of what we had in 64 – except for the “Room with a Heart”. It was a door to the dorm room at the top of the stairs. It had a heart shaped pattern in the center – and some very kind people who lived there.
The grounds are still beautiful but it isn’t our home anymore.
We drove back to Milwaukee and I took a nap (I think the others went walking). We went to the 2nd most famous German restaurant in Milwaukee (Karl Ralzsch’s) for a great dinner. Mike and Lisa Witte, who live nearby, came and joined us. We had a great time.
On Thursday, we got up very early and drove the 75 miles to St. Nazianz’s. Jim and Audrey Alt, who live up in Green Bay joined us that day. It is no longer a seminary but a very welcoming Christian group has taken it over and is trying to restore it (It was damaged by a tournado and time).
It was amazing to go into the church, where we gathered three or four times a day and where we went to pray when the tolling bell told us that President Kennedy had died. It is a place of many memories.
We walked through the cemetery and “visited” so many special men like Romauld, Claude, Barry, Eric, and Chanel, who had helped us grow up. Then we had Mass, which Dwight presided at and preached a great “dialogue” homily. It was the perfect setting and it was still home.
We drove back and for our “ultima cena” decided to go to a Brazilian restaurant. All kinds of meats are brought around to the table and you can sit for hours and eat and eat. We did that but we also laughed and just enjoyed being together.
On Thursday, John flew back to New Jersey; Dave and Kathy took the ferry back across Lake Michigan, Dwight starting driving back to Kansas, and Pat and I headed to Chicago where I dropped him off and headed off to Toledo, Ohio. I spent the night there. The weather was great to us and even was cool at night.
On Friday, I headed home. I only had to drive 400 miles and I was home by supper time. It rained a little in Ohio but then the sky was clear and blue the rest of the way home. Both John and Dwight called me to let me know they were home and safe – and to say what a good time they had. I went to bed early.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this long missive, it’s Saturday. I got up early and went and got my haircut and my beard trimmed. I had wanted to do that before the trip but didn’t have time.
So looking cleaned up, I had a baptism at 1pm. Please keep Eric Xavier and his family in your prayers. I had baptized his older brother, Luke, two years ago and officiated at his parent’s wedding two years before that. I had taught the dad, Dominque at Good Counsel. My life is really blessed and it began in a special way in September 1949 when I started kindergarten at met Sister Ann Christine, SND and again on September 8, 1963, where I met some very special men in a place far, far away.
Ah, how Good is the Good God.
You cram more into a week than most people do in a month…nay, year! I didn’t know Marguerite was at Mt Notre Dame. Nice to hear she was nice to YOU! 🙂