HOLY CROSS, GRADE 11, 1957

As I said in a previous post, HOLY CROSS SPORTS DAY 1959, it is almost impossible to think St Patrick's without thinking Holy Cross too.  Our brothers went to Holy Cross and so did most of the boys we had our eye on way back then.  With that in mind, I am posting a picture of the Grade 11 Class of 1957.  Many of you will have brothers on this picture (I do) and you will all know someone on it, I think.  So see how many you can recognise and if you need a little help, the names are below the photograph.  Enjoy this little stroll down memory lane.

HOLY CROSS SCHOOL, GRADE 11, 1957

FRONT, L-R:  D O'Toole, K Sheehan, E Coady, J Fitzgerald, F Galgay, J Ennis, B Neville, E Parrell

2nd ROW:  N Coffey, D Murphy, B Whelan, D Ryan, G Hall,  B Gardner

3rd ROW:   P Carew, L Shortall, E Power, L Nolan, C Williams, K Finney

4th ROW:   John Whelan, F Baxtrome, C O'Leary, R Murphy, B Croke, R Sheehan

5th ROW:     F Squires, D French, E Foran, J Neville, J Dooley, G Jardine

6th ROW:    K Kerrivan, R Snow, P Hurley, D Jones, J Coady, B Fowler, M McAllister, Jim Whelan

ST PATRICK'S BASKETBALL TEAM 1955/56

Today's post is a real humdinger!  Enid (Stanford) O'Brien has sent me a photograph of the St Patrick's Basketball Team of 1955/56.  I didn't even know that we had a Basketball team way back then.   In my opinion, the Nuns were wonderful ladies but not terribly progressive when it came to clothing.  I didn't have a problem with their clothing - it was ours that was the bugbear.  The team must have had the same thought as Enid said,   

"Apparently the uniforms were not permitted to be any shorter than one inch above the knee.  As some of the other schools could wear shorts and have shorter uniforms, the girls thought they were at a disadvantage while running".  

Those long black stockings couldn't have been a big help either.

ST PATRICK'S BASKETBALL TEAM, 1955/56

Left to Right: M Sorenson, ??,  B King, J Wadden, A Hamlyn, C Whelan, M O’Brien, R Stanford, J Galway, Y Snow, B Nugent, P Silver, A Mercer, ??, S Cole, M Madden,

Centre: M English (Captain)

Two names are missing so if anyone out there knows who they are, please get in touch.

 

 

Enid said that she has  two sisters who attended St Patrick's, Joan and Rosemary.  Rosemary played on the Basketball team.  From the lineup of trophies on this picture, the team must have been pretty good, despite the length of their uniforms!

 

 

Thank you, Enid, for this wonderful picture.  It is a real treat and I look forward to some more gems from you.  

GREAT AUNTS WHO WERE REALLY GREAT AND A SCHOOL REUNION

I have had some interesting e-mails concerning this blog.  The senders have given me their permission to share them with you in a post.

The first one is from Eleanor Dalton and it concerns a post that I did on 4th April 2011, RAISING MONEY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL, (click here) and I am very pleased to post Eleanor's e-mail below.

"Hi Beth Anne

Sr M Josephine, Nellie Williams
and Sr M Agnes.  The Sisters are
Eleanor's Great Aunts and Nellie
is my dear Mother.

I enjoy this blog very much as well as interesting. Looked at a photo of your mother with Sister Agnes and Sister Josephine.  These two sisters are my GREAT AUNTS; they also had another sister (Sister Zita).  My grandmother was Margaret Hallernan and married John Sutton. My mother Bessie also had two sisters in the Mercy Order, Sister Mary Andrea and Sister Mary Edmund. I will look for some pictures I think I may have one picture with all three Sisters.

Hope to see you before you head back to the UK.

Take Care

Eleanor"

The next e-mail I received is from Mark Fardy.  Mark had some interesting comments about the post I did on 22nd April 2012, SR MARY XAVERIA FARDY, (click here).  Here is Mark's e-mail.





"Hello Beth Ann,

Sr M Xaveria Fardy,
Mark's Great Aunt

Your blog entry showed up in one of my Google auto-updates. Sister Xaveria was my GREAT AUNT. She also taught piano to both of my sisters (Marie and Joanne) each of whom also graduated from St. Patrick's (1978 and 1981 respectively).  My wife, Michelle Brennan, is also a grad (1977).

It was great to read your article, thanks Beth Ann.

Mark Fardy"

I also received an e-mail from Dora Reid.  Dora is interested in a School reunion.  I think many of you would be interested in a reunion so I am posting Dora's e-mail for all to read.  If you are planning a reunion or know of any that might be taking place, please let us know & we will give you all the publicity that we can.  Here is Dora's e-mail.

 

"Hello and good day!

I just viewed this website and found your e-mail address.

I was wondering if and when there will be a reunion for the students from the 80's. The principal was Sister Cecelia, Sister Regina, and all the wonderful teachers. I remember everything and everyone so well. A trip down memory lane with old friends would be fantastic, as the older teachers are getting older.

Thanks for your time, God bless

Dora Reid"

Thanks to Eleanor, Mark and Dora for these informative and interesting e-mails.  Your input is greatly valued. I appreciate all the help I can get in maintaining this blog so I welcome all photos, stories, memories, comments and e-mails.

CORPUS CHRISTI

ST CLARE AND THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

This event took place in Preston, Lancashire, England, last June.  It created a bit of a controversy but, since today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, I thought I would post the video anyway.  I think, in today's world, it took a lot of faith as well as a lot of courage to publicly proclaim in this manner the reality of Christ's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  What do you think? 

OUR LADY OF FATIMA



OUR LADY OF FATIMA, BASILICA OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST,
 ST JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND

This is a great link on the Basilica website.   It is a short video clip of that beautiful day in May 1955 when the Portuguese Fishermen carried the statue of Our Lady of Fatima through the streets of St John's.  The statue was lovingly and reverently placed in the Basilica where it still resides.  This video brought back happy memories for me.  I hope it does the same for you.  If you are too young to remember the occasion, ask you mother about it - or your grandmother even!

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/basilique-basilica/assets/year_of_joy.html

ST PATRICK'S BASKETBALL TEAM 1979

St Patrick's Basketball Team, 1979

Front Row:  S Evans, A M Walsh, C Power, M Evans, L Gallagher, S Prim.

Second Row:  Mrs S Wade (coach), D Woodford, V Hawco, J Tucker, D Fitzpatrick, C Thompson, T Moore, E Donnelley, L Hickey, T Minnett, G Evans, M Keating (manager)

Mrs Wade would never have gotten past the Nuns at Holy Heart of Mary with those boots on!  The Gym floor at H H M would not have been better protected if it had been covered in gold!  Remember girls?  No boots, no heels, no etc, etc?  I admit it - that Gym floor really did have a great finish!

MSGR JAMES DOODY

MSGR JAMES DOODY

Diamonds have many facets.  St Patrick's Convent School was one of the beautiful facets that made up that exquisite diamond that is St Patrick's Parish.  With this in mind, I direct you to St Patrick's Parish website.  Just click here & you will find yourself on the website.

I notice that long time Pastor of St Patrick's, Msgr James Doody,  has recently been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.  This is a special medal commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne.  The medal is awarded to those who have made major contributions to their communities.  This Msgr Doody has certainly done over his many years of priesthood.  So, I dedicate this post to Msgr Doody and, on behalf of all St Patrick's Convent School girls ( and boys),  I thank him for his years of dedicated service to St Patrick's Parish and congratulate him on receipt of his well merited award.  

Dear Msgr Doody, you will be missed at St Patrick's but we wish you good health and much happiness in your new home at St Patrick's Mercy Home.  Don't forget St Patrick's Parish - it won't forget you!  God bless you Msgr Doody.

Good readers of this post, don't forget to click here to read the full story of Msgr Doody's award.  You will also be able to keep up to date with all that is going on in St Patrick's Parish.  Speaking from my own experience, I think  that is especially comforting for those of us who now reside in foreign climes.

SR MARY XAVERIA FARDY

Sr M Xaveria & an unamed pupil

This is another picture from the 1979 yearbook. 

The piano teacher is Sister Mary Xaveria.  Sister Xaveria  taught in various Presentation Schools across Newfoundland.  I am not certain of dates but I know it was the early 1950s when Sr Xaveria was a classroom teacher at St Patrick's old school. 

Some of you will remember "The Passage" connecting the Deanery Avenue School with the really old classrooms above the Auditorium.  Sr Xaveria taught Grade 10 in one of those classrooms.  Mother Berchmans taught Grade 9 up there and Sr Imelda taught the Commercial Class in one of those classrooms.  Graduates of Sr Imelda's Commercial Class were highly sought after by St John's firms.  This is all from my memory so if I err, please someone, set me straight.

Sr Xaveria's family name was Fardy.  She was an Aunt of that great St Bon's sportsman, Hugh Fardy.   In the 1970s Sister retired to St Patrick's.  I say "retired" but I don't think Nuns ever "retired".  They just kept on working until the Good Lord decided otherwise.  Anyway, Sr Xaveria then taught piano to a whole new generation of Westenders.

Unfortunately, I do not know the name of  that cute looking little piano student.  I hope someone out there will be able to help me with that.   Also, any other memories of Sr Xaveria, the old classrooms above the Auditorium, or any of the Sisters mentioned here would be appreciated.

FROM A 1920s NEWSPAPER

Here is a little item I came across in a very old scrapbook. The clipping was from a St John’s newspaper published in March 1920. It will, I hope, be of interest to all St Patrick’s girls but especially to those who were ‘Children of Mary’! I knew that the Sisters & students of St Patrick’s were leaders!

“There passed away at the Presentation Convent, St Patrick’s, on Wednesday last at 4:45 a.m. the venerable Mother M Caulfield, a well known and highly esteemed member of the Presentation Order.

The deceased, who was born in Limerick City, entered the Presentation Convent, Cathedral Square, in 1851. She made her Profession there in 1854. A few years afterwards she was sent to the recently established foundation at Riverhead, where she zealously laboured for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the many souls committed to her care during her long religious life of sixty-nine years.

In 1876 she, with Rev Dean Ryan and Sr M Patrick Kielly, was instrumental in establishing the Sodality of the Children of Mary at St Patrick’s (the first Sodality of G. de M. in this Island). In 1884 she, with Rev Father Palmer (then stationed at St Patrick’s) established the Confraternity of St Anne of which she was Directress till her death.”

The article continues with a report of the death of another Sister at St Patrick’s. (More about that at a later date.) 

The report concludes with “We have loved them in life, let us not be unmindful of them in death.”

I was unable to turn up any details of the funeral but, just by chance, I saw Sister’s headstone in the little cemetery at St Patrick’s. Also, just by chance, I had my camera with me. So, of course, I took a picture of the grave. I don’t profess to be a photographer so please make allowances for the quality of the photo and just enjoy this little bit of St Patrick’s history.

Grave of Sr M Aloysius Caulfield

A GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTION

The Mission Cross in St Patrick's Church

SR ANNE HICKEY'S GRADE 4 CLASS, 1979

ARE YOU HERE?
Sr Anne Hickey's Grade 4 Class, 1979
(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Front Row: V Butler, L Greening, L Simon, J Dray, R Hurley, K Parsley, G Rees, M Follett

Second Row: K King, J Flynn, S Butler, S King, D Tucker, J Hollahan, T Doyle, J Healey, V Christopher, Sr Anne Hickey

Third Row: G Benoit, C Delaney, C Howard, K Denine, K Mullins, L Villarosa

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

I remember learning this song for St Patrick's Day when I was in Miss Murphy's Kindergarten Class - way back in the early 50s. Do any of you remember learning it too? Anyway, since it is St Patrick's Day, a very special Day for all of us, I thought I would post the song by John McCormack.   I tried to find a version by the McNulty Family because they were the most popular , at least in our house, but I couldn't find their version. I hope you all enjoy this little bit of nostalgia anyway.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!

THREE NUNS AT THE BALL GAME

THEY AREN'T PRESENTATIONS!

This is an e-mail I had from my good friend, Carol (Brothers) Duggan.  I heard it many years ago from that great Newfoundlander, Al Clouston, but in a slightly different format.  However, this version suits this blog & I hope you will all get a laugh out of it.  Thanks, Carol, for the laugh.  It is just one of many we have shared over the years! 


Because he loved to laugh & because he spread laughter like sunshine,  I dedicate this post to my dear brother, Shannon, who would have been 66 years old today.  Rest in Peace, Shannon.

THREE NUNS WERE AT A BALL GAME.  THREE MEN WERE SITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND THEM.  BECAUSE THEIR HABITS WERE PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE VIEW, THE MEN DECIDED TO BADGER THE NUNS, HOPING THEY'D GET ANNOYED ENOUGH TO MOVE TO ANOTHER AREA.

IN A VERY LOUD VOICE, THE FIRST GUY SAID, "I THINK I'M GOING TO MOVE TO UTAH . THERE ARE ONLY 100 NUNS LIVING THERE."

NOT TO BE OUTDONE, THE SECOND GUY YELLED, "I WANT TO MOVE TO MONTANA. THERE ARE ONLY 5O NUNS LIVING THERE."

THE THIRD GUY YELLED, "I WANT TO GO TO IDAHO. THERE ARE ONLY 25 NUNS LIVING THERE."

THE MOTHER SUPERIOR TURNED AROUND, LOOKED AT THE MEN, AND IN A VERY SWEET AND CALM VOICE SAID,

"WHY DON'T YOU GO TO HELL.  THERE AREN'T ANY NUNS THERE!"

MOTHER BERNARD KIRWAN'S GALWAY CONVENT

My good friend, Ed O'Neill, is an artist of the first water.  His videos of various parts of the beautiful Southern Shore are a delight and ensure a great feeling of homesickness & pride in all of us exiles.  Anyway, Ed, being the generous man that he is, has given me permission to post this video on our St Patrick's blog.

As you are aware, Mother Bernard Kirwan was the Superior of the little band of Presentation Sisters who came out to Newfoundland from Galway in 1833 to establish the first Presentation Convent outside Ireland.  Mother Bernard is therefore the foundress of the Presentation Congregation in Newfoundland.

Mother Bernard now rests in the peaceful soil of Port Kirwan, Fermeuse.  Her grave is lovingly tended by the kind and generous people of that beautiful community. 

Port Kirwan was formerly known as 'Admiral's Cove'.  In his article 'Early Years' in the Port Kirwan Book, 'Kind Hearts and Gentle People' Ed tells us; 

"Father Thomas J Moakler was behind the new name for Admiral's Cove, a change that took place during his tenure as our parish priest (1958-1963)."    Ed goes on to quote Fr Moakler.  "I renamed Admiral's Cove when the Federal Post Office complained there were too many 'Admirals this and that' all over Newfoundland and Labrador, and we would have to get a new name or lose our post office in the Cove.  The community was renamed in honour of Sister Bernard Kirwan, who founded the convent in Admiral's Cove in 1853, the third convent of the Order in Newfoundland."

Now have a look at Ed's great video and see the heritage that, as St Patrick's girls, is ours.    You would also be doing yourself a great favour if you took a trip up the Shore and paid a visit to Mother Bernard's grave.  There is no spot on God's good earth more beautiful that Port Kirwan, Fermeuse.

Once again, Ed, many thanks for your generosity.

HOLY CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOIR

In 1977, Holy Cross Primary School Choir recorded a Long playing album.  We used to say "an L P" way back then! The Title was "Merrily We Sing".  As so many of the children went on to St Patrick's Convent School, I thought I'd post a little about it.  Until recently, I was the proud owner of a copy of this wonderful recording.  (The record has gone to a very good home, so don't feel sad!)

This is what the 1977 Long Playing Record  looked like

The record had some great songs on it, including "Jack Was Every Inch A Sailor" and, of course, "Holy Cross School Song". 

Some of the songs on the L P

The choir was a mixed one, boys and girls.  I have taken the picture of the little songbirds directly from the album so I hope it will be clear enough.  If you or someone you know is in this picture, please let me know.



The gorgeous little songbirds.  Where are they now?

I will try to publish the names of the children in the picture but, hopefully, someone out there will be able to supply me with a name or two.

(IF YOU CLICK ON THE PICTURES THEY WILL ENLARGE)