You Remembered: Sacred Heart

Where to even start to write of my memories of growing up in Sacred Heart parish?

My family, the Mulherin, O’Gorman, O’Connor families, grew up across the street from Sacred Heart School on the 1200 block of Ellis Street.

My grandmother, Julia Mulherin O’Gorman, graduated from Sacred Heart School about 1891. She was an accomplished organist and played the organ at the consecration of the Church. She lived with us (or we with her) and attended daily Mass at SHC until her death in 1958.

All five of us O’Connor children, as well as our mother, attended Sacred Heart School taught by the Sisters of Mercy.

Mother and all my sisters and I were married at SHC, our brother having defected to marry his wife in Yankeeland.

The Dorises lived “catty-corner” to the church and two of their sons entered the priesthood and said many masses at SHC.

The church was a vital part of our student life at Sacred Heart School.

There were May processions with the crowning of the Blessed Mother each May in which all the children as well as “wee ones” carried fresh flowers and wore white dresses to the festive occasion.

picture: http://www.queenieaustralia.com/semi-formal-dresses

Many of the Jesuit priests who served Sacred Heart for so many years would come over to the school and play basketball with the students at lunchtime or after school. Weekends we might be seen up high on the altar cleaning the statues.

Weekends there was a “teen club” in the basement of the rectory where we would all congregate. We had a TV room, a dance room and pool room (mostly for the boys). I remember Father Kearney was always going to report Judy Pinnell, Anne Schweers and I to the Jesuit Provincial for ringing the doorbell at the rectory and just letting ourselves in and prancing to the dining room and helping ourselves to the cookie jar!

Father Kearney would let us know this was not acceptable and dear Father Peter F.O’Donnell, the pastor, would just laugh at him!

I loved...