Gray's Ferry Grapevine

Hope for the future of Saint Gabriel's Parish!

2012-01-11T11:57:00.002-05:00

The recent announcement that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will close almost 50 schools throughout the Archdiocese is indeed a stinging wound that hurts everyone that has had the benefit of Catholic education. I admit, the proposed closing of Saint Gabriel School distresses me because my very roots of my Catholic beliefs were instilled there by the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the generations of priests that FAITHFULLY served thousands of faithful Catholics from the parish's inception. The closing of a school, or for that matter the closing of a parish marks a life cycle that has come full term, not happening overnight but rather taking generations of a declining spiral based on many, many points and issues. First, I emphatically support efforts to keep Saint Gabriel School and Parish fully operational, not for nostalgic and sentimental reasons;but because there is a genuine need for educational and spiritual nurturing in Gray's Ferry. One of the least read writings of the late Father Karl Rahner, was Towards a Church in the 2st Century, which speculated that Catholicism would experience great difficulties in the United States in the 21st century if considerations were not made to compensate for, shifting demographics of ethnic populations, the grave immoral invention and use of the birth control pill and Catholic's rejection of the official prohibition against artificial methods of birth control, and declining numbers of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. Well, we can now say after looking into the rear view mirror, that Father Rahner was our own 20th century Nostradamus. What most of us also forget is the great industrial demise of the United States since the end of the Second World War, second and third generations of immigrant's children, living the American dream and escaping the confines of the city to the sprawling suburbs post WWII and finaly and regretfully White Flight from the urban environment. While we all lament the closure parishes and schools, how many of us would honestly return to live in the brick row homes of our youth, give up a driveway with a 2 car garage, a (dreaded) lawn that always needs to be cut, and a large home with 4 or 5 bedrooms with lots of closet space to hold as George Carlin most famously caricatured in his conceptualization of a house as just a big place to store more,"things."
Growing up in Gray's Ferry during the 1960's and 1970's marked the last vestiges of the 19th century's Industrial Revolution, and surge of Irish immigration to Philadelphia. When, we were growing up in the area, there were mills that made clothing, factories that made furniture, refineries that produced oil and gasoline to fuel the industries of the 19th and 20th centuries, DuPont Chemicals, Barrat's Chemicals, and dozens of industrial installations ran 3 shifts 24/7 to built "American Made Things", from ships at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, to clothing, military tanks and vehicles and even beer and whiskey (Ortliebs and Publickers). All of these jobs are gone, and frankly fueled the nation and the world from Gray's Ferry. The nation's first Federal Arsenal provided munitions and clothing on Gray's Ferry Avenue until its demolition in the late 1950s, the river provided hundreds of jobs for Irish immigrants in the area loading and unloading coal barges in order to keep the flames of industry and in most cases home heating burning. The birthplace of the United States Naval Academy in a building designed by William Strickland, proudly served as initially an educational institution and then a rest home for retired U.S.Navy sailors. Now that same property, has been developed into luxury condominiums and the local industries have moved offshore to places like Thailand, India and the former Eastern Block of the Soviet Union.
Saint Gabriel's Parish and School has seen all of these changes, including the painful race riots of the 1960's, the traumatic changes of Vatican II, that initiated the end of local eating establishments that supplied fish for our now cast-off tradition of abstinence on Fridays all year around.I would give anything to enjoy a dinner of fried oysters, oyster stew or a piece of flounder or a crabcake from any of the local bars( or tap rooms,as we called them) in Gray's Ferry. While my wife thinks I am ancient, there was indeed a time that there were icemen, milkmen, ragmen, itinerant window washers and street cleaners in Saint Gabriel Parish. However, that era of Americana has been in rapid decline since the Second World War, and Catholic parishes unfortunately have felt the seismic effects more directly.
Another consideration regarding Catholic education that is often forgotten are the countless men and female religious that taught in the Catholic school system, well into their 80's teaching children by the thousands for decades for a stipend of about $100.00 per month. Remember, Mother Maria Robert, who was not only principal of Saint Gabriel's Schol, but prior of the convent of Sisters. She taught, administered, cleaned, mediated and oversaw a student population of over 2000 children and perhaps 30 I.H.M. Sisters for about $100.00 per month, with room, board and meals included. The decline of female and male religious as the primary educators in Catholic Schools directly affected the cost of Catholic education because laity now were required to fill the positions of religious, that were virtually free labor to provide Catholic education. These women, had 50-60 students per class, lived in community, wore a dozen layers of religious habits and they still scrubbed floors with mechanical floor polishers, controlled 1000 kids with a "clicker" and went back to a convent every night for a community meal (the choice of which was not theirs), evening prayer, night prayer and perhaps a short respite of television watching whatever Mother Superior wanted. Wow....what a charmed life. We forget the vocational sacrifices these men and women made to spread the Gospel to the parochial school system.They even had to staff, The Children's Mass" on Sunday, making sure their classroom charges behaved through the changing liturgical results of Vatican II.
Priests in the parish of course had life quite different. They called the shots, they had cars and they made all of the real decisions about the school, church convent and rectory, without having to be in a classroom all day will hundreds of sugar hyped children that really couldn't care about the right angle of a triangle, or the proper Palmer Method of using a cartridge pen (This author is living proof of the failure of the Palmer Method, I recently reviewed my 6th grade report card and noticed my grade for handwriting was a meager 75)! However, the priests of the parish did not have permanent deacons, extraordinary ministers of communion, lay teachers, outreach assistants and CCD offices. They celebrated all of the Sacraments, said Mass daily, including funerals and grave services, visited and took communion to the sick and infirmed, heard confessions on Saturdays from 2-5 and during the week for the school children and even like Father now Msgr.Shoemaker gave out the report cards quarterly in either a cassock or a priest's rabat and suitcoat. Report card day was often dreaded because Fr. Shoemaker looked over each report card and offered words of encouragement to each relieved student. In those days, Saint Gabriel had an actie parish life, a Sodality of the B.V.M., the Men's League of Prayer, C.Y.O., Block Collections, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday afternoons, Catholic league grade school sporting events, basketball, football, bowling. The parish priest drew the winning tickets at the weekly 50/50 raffle that offset the parish's high school tax paid to the diocese. Priests also, like Msgr. Joseph Waldron( while puffing a cigar) sat in the rectory basement and counted the collection with the men of the Holy Name Society and got it ready for afternoon pickup on Sunday by armored car for deposit to the bank. Priests at Saint Gabriel and all of the other parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia rotated weeks of "on call" which meant they fielded the phone calls, requests to write Mass cards, hear confessions and oversee the nightly running of the parish rectory on alternating weeks. Often called out to administer Extreme Unction, or what is now the Anointing of the Sick to those dying and sometimes those that were perpetually dying over 40 years, but just wanted to call out the priest for a chat.
Weekly Mass began at 5:30 am until the High Mass, with a full male choir at 12:15pm. Today, Catholic parishes are forced to endure a cadre of evangelical/Protestant music, usually with a strumming Sally and no real appreciation of the liturgical and theological importance of music in the Liturgy, and a disdain for anything that contains Latin or polyphonic chant as old fashioned or out of touch with the modern Church. And of course, every parish has the Evita like, arms waiving leader of song, that provides a Mitch Miller touch to the Sacred Liturgy and leads the community in songs that have been stripped of any references to gender, in concession to political correctness, despite the fact that the phrase, Sons of God is intended to be inclusive of all women as well.
I also need to respond to the allegations that Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is and continues to be a breeding ground for pedophiles and sex offenders that eventually become Catholic priests. As a Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary graduate, I speak for myself, non-ordained and the ordained alike that lead morally upright lives as priests , married men and some even still celibate men of faith. I have known hundreds of Seminary companions since 1978 and am proud to have been associated with them as men , as priests and as fellow graduates. To condemn the entire population and educational purpose of the institution because of the actions of a small percentage of the thousands of men that have called Saint Charles , Borromeo Seminary their home and alma mater for over 175 years is an gross exaggeration of implied complicity that implies all of us( myself included) were pedophiles in training. Such ignorance and exaggeration is not only reflective of a Catholic population that is unable to comprehend the widespread effects of the clergy sex scandal, but also neglects to understand and appreciate the fact that without priests, there is no Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Because some priests were not faithful to their promises of celibacy and obedience does not indite all graduates of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary both ordained, non-ordained, and those legitimately released from their priestly, or deacon obligations as pedophiles and sex offenders. There are those that proclaim this on places like FaceBook and Twitter that hold this opinion, some even the siblings of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary graduates that perpetuate this erroneous understanding of priestly formation. I have known hundreds of priests, deacons and seminarians since grade school and have a great respect for all of them and continue to pray for those that might have erred as part of my Catholic obligation to fulfill the priestly prayer of Jesus, "That they may be one." The task of being a priest in today's agnostic or often atheistic society is to put it mildly, stressful and lonely at best.
Returning to the potential closure of Saint Gabriel's School...perhaps and regretfully the time has come to reinvent and reinvigorate the parochial system of education as we have known it over the past 100 years. If indeed one really wants to save Saint Gabriel School, move back into Gray's Ferry, enroll your children in the parish, attend weekly Mass, relearn to parallel park and put currency other than coinage into the collection basket and resurrect a neighborhood that has been subjected to multiple injustices, some self inflicted that have caused the current situation to exist. Most importantly return to celebrating Catholicism, by not only endorsing Catholic education, but by attending Mass, contributing appropriately and becoming active participants in the parish family.
While many will read this article and disagree with me, you have that right. I personally would love to return to a nostalgic Saint Gabriel Parish of times gone bye, but the reality is quite different than the memories. Rising costs of operations, teacher's salaries, the lack of active Catholics despite the inflated real estate prices in the neighborhood still does not indicate an area of sustainable economic or Catholic growth. If 200 former families of Saint Gabriel Parish would move back to Gray's Ferry and once again call it home, and actively participate in the fiscal, spiritual and temporal life of the school, parish and neighborhood....count me in....and I will see you at Dean's for a round. However, without people, revenue and youth population, coupled with the opportunities for viable employment Saint Gabriel and 48 other parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia need to envision a new model of Catholicism for the 2st century, that is rooted in a grass roots faith, anchored by a Catholic family, following Catholic traditions and contributing to the support of a parish complex before there will be a reversal of closures at Saint Gabriel and other parishes throughout the United States. If every Catholic would just attend Mass and contribute 25.00 per week in the collection basket...imagine the revitalization Catholicism would experience. It is time to let nostalgia go, place the scandals in their correct perspective, focus on stirring up the Holy Spirit to provide viable vocations and come out of the closed Upper Room, and like the Apostles leave fear behind and proclaim our Catholic faith and educational morals and values as exemplary models for faithful Catholics, evangelization and conversion to our faith and using the Catholic family as the cornerstone of our faith that will restore Christ's prominence to a Catholic world full of fragile peace and broken promises.

Immaculate Mary....processing around Saint Gabriel's Church!

2011-10-24T08:11:00.001-04:00

October is alsways a memorable month, as is May when I recall the parochial school days at Saint Gabriel Parish School. It was Mary's Month, and the school was festooned to reflect Marian Blue in all of the classroooms and hallways. The most favorite recollection is the magnificent decorations that decorared the Mary Altar within the Church itself. Draperies of blue velvet and gold silk, covered the great painting of the Annunciation of Saint Gabriel and focused all of the atention on the pristine white marble, largrer than life representation of the Blessed Virgin. Of course, the penultimate factor was the sparkling diadem, with diamonds. The Marian Altar was transformed from the usual ancillary altar that balanced out the church with Saint Joseph on the other side, and became a monumental shrine devoted to Mary...just as important as Lourdes, Knock or Fatima for the multicultural parish of Saint Gabriel.
Throughout the years of grade scool, we processed to the song, Immaculate Mary, accompanied by the boming organ and Sister Maureen Rose I.H.M. leading the singinging. While we were not climbing the foreirn pilgrimage sites of Saint Patrick's Rock in distant Ireland, nor following the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem, we were indeed on a circular processional of pilgrimage honoring the Theotokos, the God Bearer and asking for Her Divine intercession with Her Son to the Eternal Father. Today, my thoughts of Mary as Theotokos are usually infused with a theological reflection or historical understanding of the Council of Ephesus; despite this my seminal faith is transported always back to my memories of processions and the Marian Altar at Saint Gabriel Church. Pragmatic and simple devotions are the touchstones that link us to our historical and theologicaal past, present and future. What I now understand as kairotic time, was rooted in signs and symbols of Catholic devotions that transcended generations of faithful Catholics.
October, as Mary's month had all of us gradeschool students carrying rosary beads, the boys, looping them through their belt loops and pacing the crucifix in their pockets, the girls, draping them in a similar manner in the waistbands of their uniform jumpers. Rarely do I see a Rosary when I watch the students at my daughter's school of Saint John the Beloved in Pike Creek Delaware, seemingly the Rosary is viewed as an antiquated sacramental displaced by outlandinsh and incorrectly instructed notions what Saint Francis might say in a contemporary world.
Every day, the bells at Saint Gabriel Church tolled precisely at noon for the Angelus. We stopped, stood and prayed the prayer that commemorated the great moment of Christ's Incarnation and prayed afterwards for the souls of the faithful (and not so faithful departed). Our parish doesn't even ring the bells out of deference for the fear of ecumenical offense to neighboring denominations, let also recall the magnificence of the Incarnation. Our desire to experience God and to feel and in some manner see God depends strongly on all of our traditions of signs and symbols.
I personally always carry a Penal Rosary to remind me of the great persecutions my Irish forefathers endured both in Ireland and in the early days of the British colonies to pray and celebrate their faith. Additionally, I carry it to remind me of the unconditional faith and trust Mary must have felt as a frightened young girl that precipitated the Archangel Gabriel to first say to Her, "Non Phobia", "Do not fear." In recalling Gabriel's exclamation at the Annunciation it allows me to also reaffirm a personal lack of fear, through Mary's, "Fiat!" and the transformational mgnificence of Christ Among Us, the Incarnation, that always brings me back to the refrain, "Immaculate Mary, Our Hearts are on fire.", the same feeling Mary surely experienced at the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Crucifiction and with the tounges of fire at Pentecost.
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary...and she conceived by the Holy Spirit....
constantly reminds of of the circular processions around a neo-Gothic Church in the inner city thay I remebber on a daily basis as the formational and foundational touchstone for my entire love and desire for Mary, Mother of God, the Church and each and every one of us,
Finally, find those rosaries and start putting them to good use, pray for the Church, past, presnt and future, It is realy more enriching and fulfilling than transactional psychological analysis!

Irish Diaspora...the Traditions Continue!

2011-08-08T12:44:00.004-04:00

Rituals are part of the Irish Catholic lifestyle. Perhaps the most dreaded ritual is when a loved relative dies and all of the Celtic nuances of mourning are set into motion. Namely, the entire family is notified of the passing of either a grandparent, aunt, uncle or some other relative. Then the wake is planned, the funeral and finally internment at the Catholic cemetery. Usually this ritual remains unchanged and has seemingly remained firm, since the first Irish settlers set foot into the United States.

As a third generation descendant of great grandparents that emigrated from Ireland, I have always been fortunate to have a large extended family of pseudo- aunts and uncles, cousins of multiple degrees and scores of indeterminate relatives that always help when the Irish families of the Diaspora gather to celebrate life, weddings and death. They fascinate me in the fact that despite the distances between all of us by physical location everyone finds the time to come together to mourn and celebrate the life and the new life in Christ the deceased relative now enjoys.

These reunions are great opportunities to recall the lives and heritages of all of our Irish relatives that made successful and productive lives for themselves in a new country…in most cases with just the clothing on their backs, assistance from other family members that arrived in the United States a bit earlier and perhaps a few dollars to spare. Irish families after immigration to the United States generally were reliant on each other for support and encouragement. Another critical means of support was of course their Catholic faith, which often targeted them for many forms of discrimination and pejorative treatments by non- Catholic Americans. However, the Irish American emerged from the 19^th century as a formidable influence that helped determine American society, lifestyles and politics.

I find it most interesting that despite the passage of generations and years, my Irish cousins and extended family of relatives is still in a sense embracing the traditions of our grandparents and great-grandparents and handing on these values as part of not only our Irish ancestry heritage, but also our heritage as good American citizens. While we sometimes only see each other when someone is baptized, married or buried, I know I am able to call on any or all of them for any sort of assistance if the need ever arises. That type of familial bond is perhaps rooted in the ancient Celtic tradition of the clans on some level; however I firmly believe that in the case of Irish Americans that sense of familial connections and obligations has a more deeply rooted foundation, namely in the long struggle for support and recognition the Irish fought as new immigrants to this country.

Many examples of prejudices are often cited as part of the contemporary American society, however our Irish ancestors were saddled with many forms of prejudices that took the form of anti-Catholicism and anti-equal opportunity discrimination that ranged from denial of employment to consigning the Irish immigrants to the proverbial slums of the 19^th & 20^th centuries simply because the Irish were considered anti-American based on their allegiance to their Roman Catholicism and the goal to achieve better lives then the ones they left behind in Ireland because of agricultural famine and British tyranny.

Growing up in an ethnically Irish family, in an urban environment (Gray’s Ferry) was perhaps the greatest lesson that imparted the true meaning of family, faith and civil responsibility one could ever receive. The lessons learned from a Catholic education (Saint Gabriel Parish), surrounded by multiple generations of relatives and friends that shared the same Irish identity and struggled to achieve better lives was a remarkable example of living the American dream and achieving it through hard work, strong faith and most importantly the support and love of an extended family that transcended generations of hard working and well intended Irish immigrants that all worked towards the same goal.

Recently, I attended the funeral for a great-aunt and lamented the fact that there are so many of my extended McNichol Family that I don’t even know simply because I myself have now become the older generation of the same extended family of Irish immigrants. It is refreshing however to know that all of these young members of my family, while not all retaining the family name are aware of the strong bonds and ties that unite all of us together as family, as Catholics and as productive citizens.

The names have changed over the generations but many of my extended cousins are still engaged in careers of law enforcement, lawyers, education and even skilled labor much in the way their great-grandparents made a living for themselves and their families. It is even more refreshing to note that we have all kept the faith and remained Catholic and shared the faith that brought out Irish ancestors to America in order to freely celebrate their faith in Christ and their devotion to the Catholic Church. Most impressive and reassuring finally is the fact that we still find it important to gather together to celebrate milestones such as births, weddings and deaths, not because we are required to participate, but because we want to be present at all of these events because of our common heritage as family, Catholics and above all friends to each other whenever and wherever there is a need to show our familial support that joins us as a transcendent clan of McNichols, there for each other whatever the reason, in faith and love.

Hugh J.McNichol is a Catholic author and journalist that reflects on Catholic topics and issues. Hugh studied both philosophy and theology at Philadelphia's Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. He is currently in an advanced theology & history degrees program at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia. He writes daily at http://verbumcarofactumest.blogspot.com , http://catholicsacredarts.blogspot.com . Hugh writes on his Irish Catholic parochial experiences at http://graysferrygrapevine.blogspot.com.
He also contributes writings to The Irish Catholic, Dublin, British Broadcasting Company, and provides Catholic book reviews for multiple Catholic periodicals and publishers, including Vatican Publishing House.
Hugh lives in Delaware's Brandywine Valley with his wife and daughter.
Hugh welcomes your comments via hjmn4@trinetconsultantsinc.com.

Father's Day...a day to celebrate my Father's ongoing wisdom!

2011-06-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

Father’s Day, the annual event that creates a rush of activity in the Hallmark stores nationwide, and multiple traffic jams throughout the parking lots of shopping malls and raises revenues at Macy’s stores is a really remarkable day. As a son, I never quite understood the real significance of the day…because my father was and is always there to help me in innumerable ways that I cannot adequately explain.

Throughout my parochial school years, my father never generated any academic stress on me or my siblings. When report card time came around, he usually looked at the quarterly grades and either said “Good job!”, or “Your mother won’t like that one!” My father was not a “school-hanger”, meaning he didn’t get involved in our school activities, grades, or anything on a regular basis. The only time my father ever came over to Saint Gabriel’s School was to tell the school nurse, Mrs. Gorman…”never touch him again!” when I failed the annual hearing test, administered in February, when I was usually recovering from my perpetual ear, nose and throat infections. Of course he was there for graduations and all of the other important milestones. However, my father is the most superlative example of someone that always loved his job…as a Philadelphia policeman and narcotics detective. He worked multiple shifts, weekends and holidays. He was usually working on Father’s Day, so we often got a glimpse of him before or after his shift. The most important lesson I have always received from him is this: always do your job and do it well.

Often, my father passed on counsel through his everyday remarks and comments. I never realized how intensely accurate these little tidbits of pragmatic information were. For example, my father (to this day) does not paint, plumb or fix things around the house. He always told my mother, “Cass I’m a cop…call someone when you need something fixed around the house!” This fortunately has always resulted in a maintenance job being done correctly, well and without collateral damage. Once, my father was putting up wooden folding doors at our house in Avalon. It was 95 degrees, sawdust was everywhere. My father was in the basement (yes basements do exist at the shore), with his Craftsman power saw, trimming the doors for installation. That went well, until he cut the doors a little too much and what were supposedly solid wood doors, turned out to be hollow…and with the overcut…they fell apart. Well that was the end of the Bob Villa experience…from that moment on, it was adhere to the concept and, “call someone to put things in around the house.”

In the 50 plus years of my parent’s marriage, my mother has controlled everything…the house, the kids, the finances, even my father’s wardrobe. As a now father of a 12 year old daughter, I understand how this route of least resistance made my father exceptional. He was always there for the important milestones in our familial lives…but was never overbearing or excessive in expressing his love and concern for his children. Most importantly, he saw his role as the provider, which he has always done 1000% for me and my siblings, Karen and Stephen.

In the McNichol household, we have never been known to run around expressing our feelings of love for one another. Perhaps it is the remnant of Irish Jansenism that still pervades that side of the family “roots”; maybe it is the remnant of German pragmatism that still courses through our genealogical DNA on the other side of the hybrid family tree that keeps us from saying those three words…I love you! But I have always known my father has loved us, because he has always been there as a provider, pragmatic sage and constant influence on the events of our daily lives. While we don’t run around in a 1960’s sense of “love fest”, we love our father, even though it is sometimes not often said verbally enough. So yes, “I love you Dad…and thank you for always being there…even though we haven’t always appreciated everything you continuously do for me, Karen and Stephen during his brief life!”

Happy Father’s Day to a great Father, who is in his own way, Socrates, Archie Bunker and Clint Eastwood all rolled into one…a pragmatic philosopher, that always told us truthfully and honestly with the reality of Inspector Harry Callaghan the best way to accomplish our goals and tasks in life. We love ya!

The real reason for Memorial Day!

2011-05-29T14:08:00.003-04:00

Remembering all of those that bravely served, fought and died in defense of American freedom and liberty!

Catholics During the American Revolution

2011-04-29T08:51:00.003-04:00

Old Saint Mary's, Philadelphia Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary,

The roots of Anti-Catholicism in the American colonies have its primary roots in the Protestant Reformation and in principle are grounded by the Act of Supremacy of King Henry VIII in 1534. However the landing of English settlers at Cape Henry and the subsequent foundation of the Jamestown settlement in April, 1607 provided the early colonists with the first precepts of religious establishment based on the Anglican Church of England.2 With this settlement the story of Anti-Catholic sentiments becomes part of the settler’s legislative and daily routines. Roman Catholicism is officially outlawed, but is in most instances tolerated in the newly formed Jamestown and the remainder of the British colonies. There were some exceptions when the colonial legislatures relaxed the prohibitions against Catholics, especially in the colonies of Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania.
The initial sentiments developed against Catholics were the influx of the Puritan sect in New England. Their relationship against Catholics in colonial America is perhaps best summarized as the apotheosis of Protestant prejudice against Catholicism.3 The Puritan government enacted an anti-priest law in May of 1647.
“…death for all and every Jesuit, seminary priest, missionary or other ecclesiastical person made or ordained by any authority, power or jurisdiction, derived, challenged or pretended, from the Pope or the See of Rome.”4
Georgia, the thirteenth colony was established by royal charter under George II allowed full religious freedom in the colony,” except papists,” the common term to describe Catholics during the period.5
Rhode Island, considered an exception regarding the ease of its religious toleration laws, regulated Catholics and their rights in the legal codes of the colony in 1719, and were not repealed until after 1783.6
2 Paul Rasor and Richard E.Bond From Jamestown to Jefferson (Charlottesville, Virginia: 2011) pps.2-3 Introductory remarks of the author.
3 Stanley Katz and John Murim, “The Ideology of English Colonization from Ireland to America,” Colonial America, Essays in Political and Social Development (New York: 1983) pps 47-68.
4 Sister Mary Augusta Ray, American Opinion of Roman Catholicism in the Eighteenth Century (New York 1936)
5 Francis Curran S.J., Catholics in Colonial Law (Chicago:1963) p.54
Catholics During the American Revolution 5
Maryland was a colony that experimented with religious tolerance. When the colony was established there was a general acceptance of Christian believers. That policy was in effect until Maryland’s Religious Toleration Act was terminated in 1692. After this act’s conclusion, there were restrictions imposed on Catholic worship, the most severe penalty was that priests could be imprisoned for celebrating Mass. Catholics in the Maryland colony were also prohibited from any participation in public office, voting or even technically from owning land.7
Catholics in the colony of New York fared little better than other colonies. They were subjected to rumors of “papist plots,” that speculated colonists in New York were conspiring with French Canadians to overtake the English colony. In 1688, the royal Governor of New York issued orders for the immediate arrest of papists,” and abolished all civil liberties for Catholics.8 The 20thcentury Catholic Church historian, Father John Tracy Ellis stated that the restrictions on Catholics during this period were so severe, “that it is doubtful if any (Catholics) remained in New York.”9
Religious liberty did however receive a great degree of latitude in William Penn’s colony of Pennsylvania. Catholics in this colony perhaps enjoyed the greatest freedoms in order that they might celebrate their faith from William Penn’s great avocation of the liberty of conscience and religious principles. Up until the 1689 Tolerance Act, Catholics were considered foreign powers, loyal to the Pope and were barred from public office. More restrictive legislation came in Pennsylvania after 1700.
However, Catholics were generally permitted to practice their faith clandestinely throughout the colony. In 1757 a census taken cites the number of Catholics in Pennsylvania at 1365. At the time the entire Colony had
6 Patrick Conley and Matthew Smith, Catholicism in Rhode Island, the Formative Era,(Providence:1976)pps.7-9
7 John Tracy Ellis, Catholics in Colonial America,(Baltimore,Dublin:1965)pps.315-359
8 Ibid.pps344-46,367
9 Ibid.,p.363
Catholics During the American Revolution 6
between 200,000 and 300,000 citizens.10 Despite the small numbers of Catholic in Penn’s colony, the Catholic faith was established through the missionary activities of the Jesuits. They established Jesuit run farms in order to support missionary activities in the area. Two of these settlements established by the Jesuits were Saint Paul’s Mission at Goshenhoppen (Today, Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Bally, and Pennsylvania) in 1765, and Saint Francis Regis Mission at Conewago (Today, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Hanover, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest stone church in use in the United States) in 1787.11
During the period following 1763 persecution of Catholics in the American British colonies was somewhat relaxed due to the increasing disfavor of the colonists against British colonial rule. In 1774, the Quebec Act permitted religious freedom to French speaking Catholics in Canada. The act included the guarantee of the free practice of the Catholic faith in both Quebec and the Thirteen Colonies. However, the act itself was not always favorably received by the British colonists in the American colonies. It was often considered an inflammatory piece of legislation that abandoned Protestant ideals and favored the establishment of Roman Catholicism in the colonies as a fully tolerated religion.
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act enacted in 1774 provided the option for Canadians that were Roman Catholic to become British citizens after the Seven Years War. The British victorious over the French in this war were increasingly aware of popular unrest in the American colonies to the south of the Canadian settlements. They were most concerned that the French Canadians might support the American’s cause for independence. The
Quebec Act was in effect a negotiating tool intended to keep the French Canadians from assisting the increasingly unhappy colonists in the Thirteen Colonies. For the most part the Quebec Act was intended for
10 John Tracy Ellis, Catholics in Colonial America (Baltimore, Dublin 1965)p.363
11 Diocese of Harrisburg Website http://hbgdiocese.org/conewage and Thomas Hughes, The History of the Jesuits in North America: Colonial and Federal, Volume 1, (London, New York1907) ,second edition 1970
Catholics During the American Revolution 7
implementation just in Canada. However, because of the popularity among the French Canadian Catholics, the policies of the Act extended religious tolerance to all of the North American colonies. This was in effect good news for Catholics in the British colonies on the verge of the American Revolution. 12 With the dawn of religious freedom now established in British ruled North America; Catholics finally were able to freely and openly become positive citizens of their respective colonies. They offered many positive aspects to the growing colonies and greatly contributed to the economic, political, social and military aspects of the oncoming Rebellion of the American colonies. Catholics in colonial pre-Revolutionary America became a strong economic force, as they prospered they built parish communities, schools and provided charitable services for a growing nation’s future. As the Continental Congress convened Catholic infrastructure actually contributed to the success of the rebellion and provided the structure for a new American republic.13
Catholics as Patriots
Catholics served in many capacities during the cause for American Independence. There were Catholics deeply committed to the patriots cause; there were also great numbers of Catholics that remained as Loyalists to Great Britain. My purpose is to indicate a few examples of Catholic American’s that were committed to the struggle for Independence. While we are all familiar with the most notable Catholics in the cause for American Independence, such as Commodore John Barry and Thomas Fitzsimons there are other notable contributors to the cause. I would like to provide a brief summary of persons engaged in ordinary activities during the hostilities and show how they contributed their skills and support to the American cause and the deepening of Catholicism in the United States.
12 Hilda Neatby, The Quebec Act: Protest and Policy (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada 1972) pp68-75
13 Helen Heinz, We are all as one fish in the sea…Catholicism in Protestant Pennsylvania (Temple University Press: Philadelphia 2007) pp 5-9
Catholics During the American Revolution 8
The most obvious involvements of Catholics during the American Revolution were the many men that joined the ranks both the Continental Army and Continental Navy. Most Americans are familiar with the exploits of Commodore John Barry, the first commissioned officer in the Continental Navy and the legendary accomplishments of the Marquis de Lafayette and the Franco-American alliance. However records of the period show that Catholics served and died in all of the campaigns of the Revolution. Notable examples of during the conflict included Francis Corcoran, the ship’s doctor on the American ship, Morning Star, and Messrs. Dennis Lynch and John Downey, both 1st Lieutenants on the Colonial privateer and Brig of War Holker. Nathaniel Durham, Joseph Jakuay and David Kennedy, named as Catholic men, went down with at least three other Philadelphians on the Continental ship, Fair American under the command of Stephen Decatur.14 Other sailors hailed from German or Irish ancestries also served in the service of the rebellious Americans, half of the sailors that died on the Reprisal were Catholic. Joseph Caufman, a Catholic physician sailed and went down with the American frigate Randolph. Other Catholics included, John Devetter who died on the Royal Lewis, George McKean on the sloop, Sachem. Neil Cook served on the frigate, Washington and wrote his will while on board the ship serving as a marine. Thomas Vaughn was a 2nd Lieutenant on the frigate Confederacy and John Boyer was a boatswain on the schooner Rattlesnake. None of these men, patriots and Catholics survived their service during the war.15 In addition to service in the Continental Navy, Catholics served in the colonial army and local militias. They contributed through their lives and service to the cause of American Independence and the development of Catholicism as a viable part of the emerging American nation.
There were also Catholic priests that served in the cause of American Independence in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most remembered is Father Ferdinand Farmer, S.J. who served as a Jesuit missionary throughout
14 Helen Heinz, “We are all as one fish in the sea…” Catholicism in Protestant Pennsylvania: 1730-1790 (Temple University Press: Philadelphia2007) pps.410-430.
15 Ibid.pps 420-422
Catholics During the American Revolution 9
the colonies of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey prior to and during the American Revolution. Father Farmer was approached by the British General Howe to recruit English and Irish Catholic men into forming a “Roman Catholic or Irish regiment.” Howe, appointed Father Farmer as the Catholic Chaplain for the regiment and many Catholics from Saint Mary’s in Philadelphia were recruited for the regiment. However, Father Farmer did not serve the cause of the British and used the recruitment of men for a Catholic regiment as a ruse intended to mislead the British General Howe and this lack of action on Farmer’s part enhanced the cause of the Americans.16
Catholics in the local Philadelphia area worked in a multitude of occupations during the hostilities. Messrs. James Mease and George Mead provided munitions and guns to the rebellious colonists. Catholics throughout the Delaware Valley worked on iron plantations, mining and forging in support of the war effort. They even supplied Congress with cannons, guns, iron shot and gunpowder.17 Even with the threat of arrest and even the penalty of death, Catholics provided works of charity towards the Americans and provided firewood and sometimes food to the troops during the winter of 1776-1977.
In New York, General Washington initiated an alliance with Catholic rebels and ordered an end to the tradition of, “Pope’s Day,” during which an effigy of the Pope was burned in mockery. Washington’s intention was that the Catholics would further support the American cause if any semblance of anti-Catholic practices were excluded from the military forces.18
16 Helen Heinz, “We are all as one fish in the sea…” Catholicism in Protestant Pennsylvania 1730-1790 (Temple University Press: Philadelphia 2007) pps 416-417. Information extracted from Dr. Heinz’s thesis and her cited sources: Whitfield Bell, Unpublished draft papers on early members of the American Philosophical Society. See, Ferdinand Farmer.”, Roman Catholic Volunteers, October 1777. Website for Advanced Loyalist Studies http://www.royalprovincial.com and finally a letter from Father Farmer to a friend in England: RACHSP, April 1889, pps 81-82 and the Woodstock Letters volume XIV, p.196. Personal thanks to Dr. Heinz for her informative points and conversations on Father Farmer.
17 Ibid.pp410
18 Jason K.Duncan, Citizens or Papists: The Politics of Anti-Catholicism in New York, 1685-1821( New York: Fordham University Press 2011) pp38-42
Catholics During the American Revolution 10
Catholic women were not excluded from their participation in support of the American cause during the Revolution. Father Farmer S.J. recruited members of his parish at Saint Mary’s in Philadelphia to serve in the capacity of nurses to tend to the wounded Americans. In his journals he mentions the help of one of his parishioners, Mary Waters as being an invaluable nurse that assisted the wounded American soldiers during the Philadelphia campaign.19 So while we frequently are reminder of the more prominent heroes of the American Revolution, everyday Catholic men and women contributed to the struggle for independence during the Revolutionary War. I mention these individuals so that as Catholics we can remember their contributions derived from ordinary service and patriotism in hopes of living in a country without fear of religious persecution.
Catholics as Founding Americans
Any consideration of Catholic participation during the American Revolution would be negligent in its scope if the contributions of some of the more noted Catholics in the American Colonies were forgotten. Most prominent among colonial Catholics was the Carroll family of Maryland. Charles Carroll was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence and also the last signatory of the document to die. 20 Charles Carroll increasingly became an advocate for American independence and served as an emissary of the revolutionary government to Canada in 1774 to seek the assistance of the French Canadians against the coming
confrontation with Great Britain. On this diplomatic journey, he was accompanied on this mission with another prominent American Catholic, his cousin Father John Carroll, Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase. His fluency in French and his Catholic faith made him well suited to represent the fledgling nation with the French speaking colonists of Boston. After the American Revolution the inclusion of the First Amendment to the
19 Joseph L. Kirlin, Catholicity in Philadelphia (Philadelphia,1908)
20 James Hutson, Forgotten Features of the Founding: The Recovery of Religious Themes in the Early American Republic (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books) 2003.pp168-170
Catholics During the American Revolution 11
Constitution was reportedly written as a sign of appreciation for his financial and political support for the Revolutionary War. 21
Another Catholic patriot that should always deserve attention is Thomas FitzSimons. FitzSimons was born in Ireland in 1741 and immigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia in the 1750’s. He established a trading business with George Meade and specialized in trading goods with the West Indies. In Philadelphia, FitzSimons became quite active in the Irish merchant community and became the head of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in 1771. As the war with Great Britain approached, FitzSimons served as a captain in the Pennsylvania Home Guards and later participated in the Battle of Trenton in 1776. He also served as the head of an organizational body that procured materials for the Pennsylvania Navy which merged into the Colonial Navy. Fitzsimons was also a member of the Continental Congress and helped establish the Bank of America (not associated with the contemporary BOA), served as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and locally notable a member of Saint Mary’s Catholic Parish in Philadelphia. He is also buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery there. 22
John Carroll, while not a member of the Continental Congress or any legislative body during the American Revolution is perhaps the Father of American Catholicism in the United States because of his role as a Jesuit priest, diplomat, Bishop and founder of Georgetown University. Georgetown is the oldest Catholic University in the United States. John Carroll was born in Ireland around 1753 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1753. He was ordained a priest in 1769. He accompanied his cousin on a diplomatic mission to French Quebec and solicited the assistance of the French Catholics in a prelude effort to support the American cause. While the diplomatic mission proved unsuccessful it made John Carroll a prominent figure in support of the
21 Stephen M.Krason, Editor Catholic Makers of America: Biographical Sketches of Catholic Statesmen and Political Thinkers in America’s First Century 1776-1876 (University of Maryland Press:Lantham, Maryland 2006) pps.5-11
22 Ibid. pp23-35
Catholics During the American Revolution 12
American cause. Uniquely, as a result of his political endorsement of the American colonists he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Bishop Briand of Quebec. Because of the terms of the Quebec Act, Bishop Briand was obligated to support the British government in Canada. The Bishop saw no need for Canadians to support the rebellious Americans and therefore excommunicated Father Carroll. Unusually, in August 2008, Cardinal John Foley, Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, requested from Cardinal Ouellet, Bishop Briand’s successor that he finally lift the centuries old excommunication of the late Father and later Archbishop Carroll. Foley stated, “in the interest of better Canadian-American relations and in recognition of the fact that Americans now enjoy religious liberty…I would deeply appreciate it if you might lift the excommunication against John Carroll.” Cardinal Foley later quipped, “A government official down here said he (Cardinal Ouellet) said yes!”23 Archbishop John Carroll is an important figure in the establishment of American Catholicism in the United States not only because of the contributions of his influential and politically active family, but because he in effect was the first American Catholic Bishop whose Diocese of Baltimore had spiritual control over all of the new American Nation in 1789. With this designation, Archbishop Carroll might realistically be considered a Founding Father. Catholics in revolutionary era America are well represented by their priests and members of the developing American government.
Jesuits as Patriots
One of the most prominent groups that contributed to the cause of American independence was the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. During the American Revolution, the Jesuits had already well established educational institutions throughout the original thirteen colonies. In addition to the educational facilities, they also established unique commercial enterprises that establish “Jesuit-farms,” which provided an interlinked source of trade between Jesuit communities which provided a conduit of communications and resources for the
23 Catholic News Agency, Address of Cardinal Foley at Knights Dinner in Quebec City, Canada 2008.
Catholics During the American Revolution 13
revolutionary colonists throughout the Eastern seaboard. In 1774, John Carroll arrived in Maryland and organized the Jesuit efforts in that colony. While the Jesuits did not openly support the rebellion, it is suggested by some historians they indirectly through their commerce and monetary contributions sided with the colonists that sought American independence. The Jesuits considered the revolution as a great social movement that sought to restructure the various forms of colonial rule throughout the British Empire and transform the American Colonies into a working example of the precepts of the Enlightenment which emphasized the individual rights of all men over the rule of an individual monarch.24 With the intervention of the Jesuits in colonial commerce and trade, the Jesuits were able to influence the direction of the struggle and provide monetary assistance to the rebels without discovery by the British. It is also suggested the Jesuits, through their great commercial relationship with the East India Trading Company were able to divert funding through the activities of the Vatican Bank to help finance (indirectly) the war of insurrection. With the alliance of the Americans with the French in both Canada and Europe, the Jesuits were able to provide philosophical and pragmatic influences on the outcome of the American Revolution and at the same time ease and at times completely alleviate any notions of anti-Catholic rhetoric that might have existed in the colonies. 25
An important fact to remember regarding the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) is this: the Society provided most of the Catholic clergy in the American colonies. As a result of their numbers they were dispersed throughout all of the colonies and were able to provide religious structure and political influences wherever they establishes Catholic parishes and schools. Perhaps the most evident sign of Jesuit influence was felt in the colonies of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, where the Jesuits were firmly established. Additionally, Father John Carroll, a Jesuit also played a pivotal role of influence on the Continental Congress
24 Ronald Hoffman, Peter Albert :The Transforming Hand of the American Revolution, (University Press of Virginia, London, Richmond 1995).pps 69-78
25 Christopher Beneke and Christopher Grenda: The First Prejudice: Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America,(Oxford University Press, Philadelphia,Oxford 2011)pps 238-252
Catholics During the American Revolution 14
through his cousin Charles Carroll, a member of the Continental Congress. John Carroll, was also a diplomatic representative of the Continental Congress to Quebec seeking the support and assistance of the French Canadians against English rule.26 The Jesuit community throughout the duration of the American Revolution provided materials, arms and supplies to the colonial rebels through their farm plantations which provided not only a source of materials but also a place where Catholic sympathizers might gather in order to communicate essential details of the progress of the war in the officially neutral Jesuit territory.27
Catholics as Loyalists
One point worth considering regarding the role of Catholics during the American Revolution is that role they played as Loyalists to the British Crown. While the number of Catholics in the British colonies was relatively small in the colonies, there were attempts to recruit Catholics to fight against the American cause for freedom. One Loyalist Regiment that was predominately Catholic was the King’s Royal Regiment of New York (Royal Greens) which was composed mainly of Highland Scots and almost entirely Catholic. This Regiment was made up of primarily Irish and Canadians. There were according to records 549 men that were reported as Catholics. The second battalion of the same regiment consisted of 199 men that are listed as Catholics.
One particular Regiment that was Catholic during the Revolution was recruited at Saint Mary’s Parish in Philadelphia under the command of Colonel William Clifford. They listed 168 men from the parish as members of the Regiment that served under British General Sir William Howe. At the time the Catholic population of Philadelphia was listed as 1200-1500 men, women and children. If indeed the number of 168 men serving in the British military is accurate, then over 10% of Philadelphia’s Catholic population was loyal to Great Britain
26 Charles Metzger, Catholics and the American Revolution, (Loyola Press:Chicago 1962) pps 86-92
27 Thomas Peterman, Catholics in Early United States, Delmarva (Cook Publishing:Devon,Pa. 2006) pps 138-145
Catholics During the American Revolution 15
during the conflict.28Another regiment called the Volunteers of Ireland with approximately 871 officers and men under Lord Rawdon listed Catholics among their ranks. New York Volunteers under Colonel Turnbull listed 425 throughout all ranks and the Maryland Loyalists under Colonel James Chalmers recorded 425 Catholics among them. 29
At the time of the American Revolution it was illegal for Catholics to join the British military, however, there was special permission granted by General Howe that permitted the establishment of regiments that were entirely Catholic for the duration of the war; and to be disbanded after the conflict.
According to some accounts the Roman Catholic Volunteers was collectively impossible for the British officers to discipline during the war. As a result, the units were effectively unsuccessful as soldiers fighting against the American insurrection and were disbanded in October 1778. While there were Catholic men that served in the British Army as soldiers against the American Cause, their contributions against the American Revolution were in reality minimal. The underlying conflicts that existed in Ireland between Great Britain and colonial rule of that country undermined their military discipline and prohibited the Catholic units from forming a cohesive threat against the American troops. In equality, it is important to note in this research paper that the Catholic Loyalist did indeed exist contrary to the historical writings of Martin Ignatius Griffin who maintained there was never a Catholic representation among the British troops, and Catholics were indeed in favor of the split with Great Britain.30 Uniquely while there were both Catholic Loyalists and Catholic Patriots that served on both sides of the conflict during the American Revolution, there is no record to indicate any hostilities
28 T.H.Breen, American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People (Hill and Wang:New York 2010) pps 158-169.
29 Ibid.
30 Martin Ignatius Griffin, Catholics and the American Revolution (Published by Author: Ridley Park, Pa. 1907) pps 37-50 ***author’s note: Griffin’s work idealized Catholics as revolutionaries that greatly contributed to the cause of American Independence.
Catholics During the American Revolution 16
among Catholics of either side when it came to their participation in Catholic activities and Sacraments. This unusual harmony between political divisions between Catholics seemingly did not carry over into the Catholic Church and permit any disturbances during Catholic celebrations of their common faith. This illustrates very clearly that the struggle for American Independence was more correctly seen by colonial Catholics as one based in political ideology rather than theological discussions of religious intolerance.31
Catholics it seemed were more content to either support or not support the causes of American liberty based upon political principles rather than personal religious convictions. This sentiment further implied there was already a distinctly strong Catholic practice of religious isolationism that separated religious from political principles.
Philadelphia and Catholicism
Philadelphia during the American Revolution was not only the political center of the colonial cause for independence; it also provided a central place for the development of American Catholicism. The Catholic population already had two parishes established in the city and they were basically assured of religious tolerance of the Catholic faith by their surrounding Protestant neighbors. The first established parish in the city of Philadelphia was the Parish of Saint Joseph’s (today called Old Saint Joseph’s) in 1733. The parish was established by the Jesuit fathers and has been in continuous operations since the parish’s establishment. Located within walking distance to Independence Hall, the parish church witnessed many of the activities of the Continental Congress and on occasions played host to various dignitaries of the Continental Congress and visiting foreign diplomats when they convened in Philadelphia to plan the struggle for American Independence. The parish is the first established parish in Philadelphia and has been staffed by the Jesuit fathers since its inception. In addition to the establishment of a Catholic parish, the Jesuits also established a high school
31 Jack Green, The American Revolution, It’s Character and Limits (New York University Press:New York, London 2000) pps 353-388
Catholics During the American Revolution 17
preparatory school at the site and a college as well. Both of these institutions are the foundational roots for Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School and Saint Joseph’s University which still operate in the Philadelphia area.32
The second established parish in Philadelphia was Saint Mary’s, established in 1763. Saint Mary’s Church was a prominent place in the city of Revolutionary Philadelphia. In 1776 it was the site of the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Members of the Continental Congress attended services there at least four times from 1777 to 1781. Included among the worshipers was George Washington, who attended services there at least twice. John Adams attended a “popish” ceremony there and wrote home to his wife Abigail to describe the event:
“the music, consisting of an organ and a choir of singers, went all the afternoon except sermon time, and the assembly chanted most sweetly and exquisitely. Here is everything that can lay hold of the eye, ear and imagination, everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and ignorant, I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell.” John Adams, letters to his wife Abigail.33
Saint Mary’s was also the parish church of various prominent Catholics that served the military during the American Revolution. Commodore John Barry, considered the Father of the American Navy was a parishioner at Saint Mary’s (described in those days as a “subscriber”), Thomas FitzSimmons a member of the Continental Congress was also a subscriber, Stephen Moyland, George Washington’s aide-de-camp was also a parishioner at Saint Mary’s. While these individuals are a few of the more prominent names associated with both the American Revolution and Catholicism in Colonial Philadelphia, they are a representative cross section of the vibrancy the Catholic Church enjoyed in Philadelphia during the conflict of the American Revolution.34
32 Website for Old Saint Joseph’s Parish, http://oldstjoseph.org/history.
33 Old Saint Mary’s Parish website, http://www.ushistory.org/tour/st-marys
34 Ibid.
Catholics During the American Revolution 18
Catholic Legacies
Catholic participation during the American Revolution provided an opportunity for the nascent Catholic Church in the British Colonies and the newly formed United States to demonstrate the principles of religious toleration for all faiths as one that worked effectively in colonial America. With the establishment of Catholic parishes throughout the American colonies, educational facilities and social services began to emerge as part of the Church’s ministry in the newly formed United States. Catholics as part of the participating members of the American Revolution clearly illustrated they were committed to the ideals of American independence and freely assisted the effort towards the establishment of the new Republic. At the same time, it should also be clearly noted that, Catholics also respected the rights of other colonial citizens to disagree with their political causes and didn’t allow political dissention to carry over into the life of the Catholic celebrations of Mass and the parish organizational structure. Most importantly, Catholics provided a strong vehicle of support for both sides during the American Revolution, and their sentiments were not based on religious principles primarily, but principles of self rule for the colonies and religious toleration for all faiths. 35 In all perhaps the greatest contribution of Catholics during the American Revolution was their political, social and economic support of the insurgence that resulted in American freedom from colonial rule without reservation and influences of their religious principles and papal leadership. At the conclusion of the American Revolution, the Catholic population of the newly established Republic was equally accepted into American life and enjoyed the same benefits and political principles as non-Catholics and was readily accepted into American society. While there is considerable speculation regarding strong anti-Catholic sentiments that might have existed against the colonial Catholics, evidence of these sentiments is difficult if not impossible to discover among the records and redactions of historical writers. Catholics in Philadelphia and other colonial cities provided a important and
35 T.H.Breen, American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People (Hill and Wang:New York 2010) pps245-270.
Catholics During the American Revolution 19
positive contribution to the establishment of charitable institutions, hospitals, orphanages and of course schools and later universities. 36 The Jesuit community in Philadelphia continued in their priestly ministry and provided a strong source of guidance for not only the city’s Catholic population but provided advice and council to the secular community and local government that helped establish the infrastructure of municipal, state and federal government policies well into the 19th century.37
Many Catholics that remained in the City of Philadelphia began to establish themselves and played an active role on local politics, civic affairs and even in the organization of new Catholic parishes. Prominent Catholic, George Meade, (the grandfather of the later Civil War general), was influential in establishing a strong banking relationship between the large banks of London and provided financial support for local Catholics to develop professional businesses, purchase land and even finance new churches for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.38
Another effect that favored Catholics after the Revolution in Philadelphia was great number of leadership positions that were vacant either through death or evacuation with the British. Irish Catholics that were new immigrants into the city began to fill these roles of social and political prominence while adding new commercial ventures to the economy of the newly established nation.
The Jesuits continued their sacramental and pastoral ministry. Because of their abilities to operate without any fear or coercion, Catholics began to undertake the responsibilities of social reforms and invited communities of religious women into the city to establish schools, nursing homes and orphanages. With the influx of Catholic religious communities into American society after the American Revolution the Catholic
36 Helen Heinz, “We are all as one fish in the sea…”Catholicism in Protestant Pennsylvania: 1730-1790 (Temple University Press, Philadelphia 2007) pps 441-451
37 Ibid.p.430
38 Ibid. p.440
Catholics During the American Revolution 20
Church was poised to take advantage of the principles of religious tolerance and establish itself as an integrated component of life and government. 39
In addition to the contributions to Catholic life from the clergy and religious, lay Catholics were instrumental in the growth and development of the faith in the post-Revolutionary Period. In the Philadelphia area in particular, Catholic families purchased properties and handed them over to the Catholic Church, which provided the seminal foundations for many parishes, schools and institutions that exist even to the present day. Catholic settlements were established as parishes and schools followed which set up the potential for later educational ventures and humanitarian services such as orphanages and hospitals.
While the contributions of Catholics during the American Revolution is often considered as inconsequential in size and scope, nonetheless these contributions enriched the principles of religious tolerance, individual freedoms and the social and cultural needs of a newly established American society. Catholics through their military service, political influence and religious celebrations have provided an essential part of American identity in both the War of Independence and the decades that followed the establishment of the United States.
Catholic contributions to our American society have transcended the colonial era and through the establishment of a parish and diocesan structures provided an integral social, educational and moral structure that has positively contributed to our American quality of life from 1776 until the present day.
39 Ibid. p.445
Catholics During the American Revolution 21
Bibliography
Bell, James B. A War of Religion: Dissenters, Anglicans, and the American Revolution. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire (England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.)
 Book provided great background reading regarding the religious situation in colonial America.
Beneke, Chris, and Christopher S. Grenda. The First Prejudice: Religious tolerance and Intolerance in Early America. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011)
 Book was valuable in showing the deep roots of religious intolerance in the American colonies.
Breen, T. H. The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.)
 Great source to show that the American Revolution was based not only on religious principles but more effectively, economic principles.
Breen, T. H. American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People. (New York: Hill and Wang, 2010.)
 Clearly demonstrated the multi-layered struggle of classes during the American Revolution.
Bric, Maurice J. Ireland, Philadelphia and the Re-Invention of America, 1760-1800. (Dublin: Four Courts, 2008.)
 Great source of information regarding the importance of Philadelphia as the colonial seat of government and the strong Gaelic roots that influenced the outcome of the Revolution.
Brown, Stewart Jay, and Timothy Tackett. The Cambridge History of Christianity 1660-1815. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.)
 Strong reference book to ascertain factual points for research.
Carp, Benjamin L. Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution. (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
Catholics During the American Revolution 22
2007.)
 Book clearly details the critical importance of cities in determining the outcome of the Revolution.
Conley, Patrick T., and Matthew J. Smith. Catholicism in Rhode Island: the Formative Era. (Providence: Diocese of Providence, 1976.)
 Good insights into the struggle of Catholics in Rhode Island during the period.
Cotlar, Seth. Tom Paine's America: The Rise and Fall of Trans-Atlantic Radicalism in the Early Republic. (Charlottesville: University Of Virginia Press, 2011.)
 Exceptional book that showed the clear influence of the Enlightenment and European intellectualism on the causes and outcome of the American Revolution.
Curran, Francis X. Catholics in Colonial Law. (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1963).
 Most likely the definitive source for understanding Catholic social status in colonial America.
Duncan, Jason K. Citizens or Papists? The Politics of Anti-Catholicism in New York, 1685-1821. 1. ed. (New York: Fordham University Press, 2005.)
 Informative work that illustrated how certain areas of the pre-Revolution colonies and post-Revolution colonies harbored some sense of anti-Catholicism.
Ellis, John Tracy. Catholics in Colonial America. (Baltimore: Helicon, 1965.)
 Great source for information. However, despite great respect for John Tracy Ellis, book is dated in presentation of the facts.
Ellis, John Tracy. American Catholicism. (Garden City, N.Y.: Image Books, 1965.)
 Same as above.
"George Washington Letter to the Catholic Church." Â The Civil War. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/general/george-washington-letter-catholics.htm
Catholics During the American Revolution 23
(accessed April 7, 2011).
 Used to show how Catholics were indeed part of the social and political climate of American Revolution.
Greene, Jack P. The American Revolution: Its Character and Limits. (New York: New York University Press, 1987.)
 Interesting book that gave a wide scope of appreciation for different points of view in understanding the causes and effects of the American Revolution.
Griffin, Martin I. J. Catholics and the American Revolution. (Ridley Park, Pa.: The Author, 1907.)
 Perhaps the Grandfather of Catholic historians, however a glorified version of history. Included mostly as homage to local Catholic historians and their work.
Heinz, Helen A. "We are all as one fish in the sea...” Catholicism in Protestant Pennsylvania: 1730--1790. Philadelphia: (Temple University Press, 2007)
 Significant thesis on the true relationship of Catholic in Pennsylvania to the Protestant government during the colonial period. Used this work extensively and communicated with author on a number of points. Strictly speaking Helen’s perceptions of the relationship between Catholics and the Protestant community deserves greater exploration and study. Her research sheds new light on the previously thought…anti-Catholic sentiments that existed in colonial Philadelphia.
Hennesey, James J. American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.)
 Great background material for researching the topic.
Hoffman, Ronald, and Peter J. Albert. The Transforming Hand of Revolution: Reconsidering the American Revolution as a Social Movement. (Charlottesville: Published for the United States Capitol Historical
Catholics During the American Revolution 24
Society by the University Press of Virginia, 1996.)
 Great work that proposed the real underlying currents that fueled the cause of the American Revolution, as a great revolution of an enlightened society and not just a revolution against colonial rule.
Hughes, Thomas. History of the Society of Jesus in North America, Colonial and Federal. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1907)
 Book was good for source material regarding the Jesuits. However, very dated and also written with the intent to always exonerate the Society of Jesus despite their actions.
Hunt, Owen B. The Irish and the American Revolution: Three Essays. (Bi-Centennial ed. Philadelphia: O. Hunt, 1976.)
 Interesting work that showed how the Irish influenced the flames of revolution as a carry over from the seeds of Irish Rebellion in Europe to the New World.
Hutson, James H. Forgotten Features of the Founding: The Recovery of Religious Themes in the Early American Republic. (Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2003.)
 Book was important to highlight the underlying religious principles that merged from many Protestant especially Puritan sources to be a formative influence on the colonial governments.
Kammen, Michael G. A Season of Youth: The American Revolution and the Historical Imagination. (New York: Knopf, 1978.)
 Good reading material to establish some sense of background for the events that erupted into conflict and Independence.
Katz, Stanley Nider, and John M. Murrin. Colonial America: Essays in Politics and Social Development. 3rd ed. (New York: Knopf, 1983.)
 Good source to explore the political and social implications that were part of the struggle between Great
Catholics During the American Revolution 25
 Britain and the American colonies.
Kirlin, Joseph L. J. Catholicity in Philadelphia from the Earliest Missionaries Down to the Present Time. (Philadelphia: J.J. McVey, 1909)
 While this book provided colorful material, it is homage to the historical works that examined American history in the Philadelphia area during the late 19th and early 20th century. Kirlin is of course a native son.
Krason, Stephen M. Catholic Makers of America: Biographical Sketches of Catholic Statesmen and Political Thinkers in America's First Century, 1776-1876. (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2006.)
 Exceptional work that clearly showed the depth of intellectual thought that precipitated the Revolution and the subsequent founding of the American Republic.
Mays, Terry M. Historical dictionary of the American Revolution. (2nd ed. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2010.)
 Reference book with exceptional background materials for research of the topic.
McCullough, David G. 1776. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.)
 Great book, good background material for the topic, included as a source of literary color for the research. A favorite author and historian.
Metzger, Charles Henry. Catholics and the American Revolution; a Study in Religious Climate. (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1962.)
 Sometimes difficult to understand and follow, however a good source that studies the religious principles that fueled the conflict.
Neatby, Hilda. The Quebec Act: Protest and Policy. (Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice-Hall of Canada, 1972.)
 Good source of factual information and explanation of the Quebec Act.
Catholics During the American Revolution 26
Nicolini, G. B. History of the Jesuits: Their Origin, Progress, Doctrines, and Designs. (London: G. Bell & Sons, 1879.)
 Dated and somewhat nostalgic portrayal of the Jesuits.
Peterman, Thomas Joseph. Catholics in Colonial Delmarva. (Devon, PA: Cooke, 1996.)
 Exceptional source for local Catholic history in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Author is priest in Wilmington, De.
Peterman, Thomas Joseph. Bohemia, 1704-2004: A History of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Shrine in Cecil County, Maryland. (Devon, Pa.: William T. Cooke Pub., 2004.)
 Ibid.
Peterman, Thomas Joseph. Catholics in Early U.S. Delmarva: A Sequel to Catholics in Colonial Delmarva. (Warminster, Pa.: Cooke Pub. Co., 2006.)
 Ibid.
Purcell, Sarah J. Sealed With Blood: War, Sacrifice, and Memory in Revolutionary America. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.)
 Especially good presentation of all of the great struggles of the American Revolution from the perspective from a contemporary Philadelphia historian and professor.
Randall, Catharine. Black robes & Buckskin: a Selection from the Jesuit Relations. (New York: Fordham University Press, 2011.)
 Well written and precise appreciation of the role of the Jesuits and their contributions to American colonial life and government. Perhaps best source with contemporary perspective of the Jesuits true role behind the scenes of both revolution and commerce.
Rasor, Paul B., and Richard E. Bond. From Jamestown to Jefferson: The Evolution of Religious Freedom in
Catholics During the American Revolution 27
Virginia. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2011.)
 Well written and explain presentation regarding the real establishment of religious principles as developed by Jefferson for the Virginia Colony with the inclusion into the Declaration of Independence as a principle directive of American independence.
Ray, Mary Augustina. American opinion of Roman Catholicism in the Eighteenth Century. 1936. (Reprint, New York: Octagon Books, 1974.)
 Dated in presentation of material regarding the view of non-Catholic Americans during the 18th century. Frankly very anti-secular in the authors approach.
Resch, John Phillips, and Walter Sargent. War & Society in the American Revolution: Mobilization and Home Fronts. (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2007.)
 Interesting points on how the military operations of the American Revolution affected the lives and daily happenings of ordinary citizens in the colonies.
Rozbicki, MichaÅ‚. Culture and Liberty in the Age of the American Revolution. (Charlottesville: University Of Virginia Press, 2011.)
 Written in great detail regarding the cultural and philosophical influences of the Age of Enlightenment contributed to the causes of the American Revolution. Very interesting in the presentation that uses the American Revolution as the presupposition and foundation for the French Revolution.
Stout, Harry S., and D. G. Hart. New Directions in American Religious History. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.)
 Good materials that explore the multi-religious influences that are part of the American cultural and social development.
Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. (New York: A.A. Knopf, 1992.)
Catholics During the American Revolution 28
 Book that speculates American Revolution was more a radical departure from monarchial rule than just a military opposition to any one particular difficulty with the government of Great Britain.
Young, Alfred Fabian, and Harvey J. Kaye. Liberty Tree: Ordinary People and the American Revolution. (New York: New York University Press, 2006.)
 Very enlightening book that studies the average individual and the effect the conflict had on their lives, religions and everyday activities as colonial Americans.

Good Friday...makes me shiver!

2011-04-22T09:38:00.002-04:00

2011-04-22T09:09:00.001-04:00

The Chill of Good Friday!

Good Friday always make me shiver. When I think of the interior of my Catholic parish on this day, the cold realization of Jesus' suffering and death surrounds me. The Altar is stripped, the sanctuary is bare and the Eucharistic Lord's absence in evident by the open tabernacle doors. The intense sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross is felt keenly in a Church sans Jesus in the tabernacle.
The quietness of the sacred space echoes faint, "Hosannas", and loud shouts of, "Crucify Him."Here in the parish Church ,in the shouting silence of the empty space, We Catholics begin to feel Jesus suffering and death. That is because we participate in His death through our own initiation at Baptism. Our common Baptism unites all of us and permits us to share in Jesus' Eucharistic sacrifice.
Good Friday does not mark the end for Jesus, nor for us…rather it a sign of hopeful expectation. That expectation transcends the historical and harsh reality of Jesus' crucifixion and death. The expectation is felt in Jesus' complete submission to the will of the Father, and the subsequent Father's power that raises Jesus from the dead. Most Catholics don't usually think of death as an expectant resurrection. Most Catholics separate Jesus' total dependence on the will of the Father from His suffering and death. Most Catholics forget to recall it is the Father that raises Jesus from the dead. We are too lost to think of these aspects of redemption. Too surrounded by the cold darkness of the power of evil. Too overcome with the physical death of Jesus. We don't like to think of a Church without a Eucharistic presence, without light and joy.
However as Catholics we need to focus on not just Jesus' death, but His impending resurrection. The impending resurrection is the theological extension of Jesus' faith in the Father. He suffers the Cross, because He believes in the Father's love. We too need to recognize the same in Jesus. We share in the mystery of Jesus' death because we are faithful of resurrection. The harsh reality of death undergoes a transformation in perspective when there is a belief in the resurrection.
God's love and power transforms the cross from a symbol of shame and death, into a true realization and expectation of new life. Jesus knows this. He trusts in the Father. The Father exhibits faithfulness to His Son and raises Jesus from the cold and empty tomb. It is only after I think of the cold reality of Good Friday am I able to sense the Father's incredible warmth and power. That's what makes us believers in faith. We know that we will not be abandoned in the solitude of death, but will participate in the Paschal glory of the warmth of the Resurrection.
When I remember that the Good Friday story has another lesson to communicate, is it possible to understand that my parish Church will be transformed on Easter Sunday morning. The liturgical reenactment of Jesus' passion is the beginning of the story, not the end. As believers, we have hope in God's power. We anticipate God's resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. When we realize this, shivering stops and I am acutely aware that there is life and warmth in the Resurrection, for Jesus, for us all.

2011-04-21T09:20:00.001-04:00

Holy Week: Exploring the Mysteries of Christ's Love!

2011-04-17T07:52:00.003-04:00

This Sunday is Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. It is the beginning of Holy Week and the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem to accomplish His Paschal Mystery. For the Catholic Church it is the week of ceremonies and rituals that recall the last days in the life of the Savior. Small changes occur in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist…most clearly the color of the vestments: red becomes the norm on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. White becomes the standard at the celebration of the ancient Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday morning, and white again is the color at the Mass of the Lord's Supper.

The change in colors represents a transitional phase for the Church in the celebration of Holy Week. During this week we are keenly reminded of the Passion in the readings, especially when the Gospel is proclaimed and the actual events of Holy Week are recalled in the narrative reading of the Passion.

Throughout the week the theme of the suffering servant becomes all the more poignant, and the deep realization of Christ's suffering and death becomes acutely apparent. The red vestments, the starkness of the stripped Church and Altar loudly speaks through the silence and emptiness that we have lost the Messiah to the sinister triumph of darkness. However the eclipse of evil is short lived. The Father will raise Jesus from the dead, and our understanding of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament will be consummated in new life.

This is a magnificent week of remembrance and celebration. Holy Week for the Catholic Church is a mini-theological retreat, divided by days and events that herald the Paschal Mystery. During the week our ancient roots in the Jewish faith are entwined with the events of Jesus' life. We are reminded that Our Lord gathered with his Apostles to celebrate the Passover. It is precisely here in the Passover celebration Jesus provided us with a new Passover, a new Covenant, and a new Church.

Palm Sunday will mark the triumphant Jesus entering into Jerusalem. Holy Thursday evening will signal the spiraling events that lead Jesus to the Cross and Holy Saturday will prepare us for the power of the Resurrection. All of these events show us clearly how we as believers profess our faith, fall into temptation, stumble and hope for forgiveness. Easter Sunday will manifest the greatest example of the Father's love…new life. Once again our liturgical celebrations reflect our beliefs and prayer.

In a reflection of the ancient practices of the Church, Holy Thursday morning will cast off the purple of Lent and white vestments will signify celebration. The Church will renew the Sacred Oils that are used in the celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick.

Solemn celebration will accompany the blessing of the Sacred Chrism, the Olea Sancta and the Olea Infirmandi. These oils will supply the Church's sacraments throughout the next year and will convey the power of the Spirit through their applications. The Chrism Mass will witness the renewal of priestly promises; recall the institution of Holy Orders. The Mass of the Lord's Supper will recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist and recount the events that will lead to Calvary.

Throughout the entire week, the Church reminds its followers that there is a journey taking place. We are participating with Jesus in the Paschal Mystery. This participation not only recalls the historical events of Holy Week, it recounts the journey of Catholic sacramental and theological life. Our progression as a Church towards the Easter celebration, throughout the ages and ultimately union with the Father, is the destination of our journey. The stigma of the cross is transcended by resurrection and the power of the Father. It is precisely through the cross that the love of the Father manifests itself through the Resurrection.

We uniquely participate in our sacramental lives with Jesus in this mystery through the Sacraments of Initiation and Eucharist. We need to remember always that we are an Easter People…called from the darkness of sin into new light and life through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Holy Week permits us to appreciate the rich theological history of all of the signs and symbols of our faith. It allows us a "breathing-space" in which we might participate in our liturgical high holy days.

We recall our ancestry with the Children of Israel and our close relationship with them. We commemorate and celebrate our Sacraments, and we participate in a restored confidence in the power of the Father over all creation. What a week. What a journey. What an experience.

Catholics throughout the world should savor this time; use Holy Week as a means of retreat, restoration and renewal of personal faith, as well as a time to participate most fully in the Church's sacramental life.

After all, Holy Week is the manifestation of our destiny as believers; that is eternal life with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Gray's Ferry on Ash Wednesday...Kleenex, Stations and Fish!

2011-03-09T13:30:00.002-05:00

Ash Wednesday in Gray’s Ferry was always one of those days that loudly celebrated our Catholic heritage at Saint Gabriel Parish. Of course the day usually began with the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHMs or Mighty Macs for short) taking their student charges into the church for the imposition of ashes. In those days, it was the norm for girls to have veils to cover their heads in church. It was also 1 degree short of a mortal sin to forget your veil and forced one of the sisters into creative head dressing; usually with a couple of tissues or Kleenex. So armed with veil and a rosary for the boys, we marched off to church for Mass, ashes and Holy Communion.
I always found it humorous that after the reception of ashes, everyone in the church looked as if they had a target painted on their foreheads. Obviously the ashes were a real identification of our Catholic beliefs and traditions. We were never ashamed or embarrassed to wear the sign of Lenten penance; it was rather a badge of Catholic honor. Boys at Saint Gabriel didn’t have to worry about having a Kleenex attached to their heads, but they did have to worry if they forgot to wear the appropriate uniform, tie or regulation pants. The infraction was not the same intensity as the 1 off from a mortal sin veil catastrophe. However, any attempt by the boys to brush off ashes from other student’s heads was an infraction that was as grievously wrong in the same category as pugilism in the school yard.
Prayerfully, respectfully and gladly we wore the ashes for the entire day…preparing for the dinners prepared at home that now included Lenten abstinence. Gray’s Ferry on Ash Wednesday was perhaps the originator of the local fish fry celebrations. Everyone ate fish on Ash Wednesday. Being a blue-collar neighborhood we didn’t know anything about shrimp, lobster or crabs…flounder, cod or smelts were the fare of the day. The Ash Wednesday fast and abstinence was difficult, but the practice of “giving-up” something for Lenten penance was even more difficult. Some of us in school would abstain from chocolate, others soda while others gave up cakes, cookies and other confectionary delights. Regardless of choice, forty days was a really long time when you’re a kid in grade school and Lent also included abstinence on all Fridays as well.
Another perpetual activity that started on Ash Wednesday in Gray’s Ferry was the Stations of the Cross. These devotional practices were written by Saint Alphonsus Liguori and are still etched into my Catholic memory. A lot of kneeling, a lot of standing were part of the devotions. Unusual phrases were part of the Liguori stations, such as Christ being nailed to the “gibbet of shame.” Which sometimes was read incorrectly by some unknowing student thus resulting in “giblet of shame,” sending chuckles through the church and our IHM guardians hauling out the inarticulate culprit.
Lent for Catholic students in an urban school was always a time of sensory fascination for me. Purple sacks covered the statues, sweet incense permeated the damp church air and the familiar strains of the Stabat mater echoed between the Stations of the Cross. Lent always meant learning something about others less fortunate than ourselves. It included fasting, abstinence and almsgiving. In the mid 1960’s we had the mite boxes to hoard our nickels and pennies that were sent to some exotic missionary location. My daughter this week received a pristine “Tupperware” container to fill as part of her school’s Lenten observances. Nothing like the old cardboard mite box, that always unfolded and fell apart. Today, my daughter’s school is collecting monies for Lent in a petro-carbon receptacle that is neither a good example of Catholic environmental stewardship nor infused with monetary designations towards pagan babies. In this day and age, collecting for repairs to the Franciscan Sisters Motherhouse is the greater need. Regardless of the intended purpose, it is always fitting and appropriate to give alms. More important for all of us to remember is that we are all sinners and are called to repentance in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In keeping with the tradition of Ash Wednesday we will of course observe the requirements of fasting and abstaining from meat. For Gray’s Ferry Diaspora Catholics that now reside in suburban neighborhoods there is no overwhelming olfactory fragrance of frying fish, rather a drive through at the local fast food establishment and ordering 3 McFish to go. Oh well…at least I have great memories of fish fries in good old Gray’s Ferry. While McDonalds lacks the color and character of a well cooked meal by either our mothers or grandmothers…it makes up for its deficit in expedience.

Hugh J.McNichol is a Catholic author and journalist writing on Catholic topics and issues. Hugh studied both philosophy and theology at Philadelphia’s Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. He is currently in an advanced theology degree program at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia. He writes daily at http://verbumcarofactumest.blogspot.com , http://catholicsacredarts.blogspot.com . Hugh writes on his Irish Catholic parochial experiences at http://graysferrygrapevine.blogspot.com.
He also contributes writings to The Irish Catholic, Dublin, British Broadcasting Company, and provides Catholic book reviews for multiple Catholic periodicals and publishers, including Vatican Publishing House & National Catholic Register
Hugh lives in Delaware’s Brandywine Valley with his wife and daughter.
Hugh welcomes your comments via hugh.mcnichol@verizon.net.

New Year's ...the Gray's Ferry Way!

2010-12-29T10:51:00.002-05:00

Every year the annual New Year's Day Parade takes place in Philadelphia. Having grown up in Gray's Ferry, there has always been a close connection between the South Philadelphia String Band and Saint Gabriel's Parish.
The band's club house is actually within the parish boundaries of Saint Gabes, and many of the parishioners have been faithful band members over the years. The relationship with the South Philly String Band has always been an important part of parish life at Saint Gabriel's. When I was growing up there in the 1960's-1990's the string band made use of Saint Gabriel's auditorium in the months of practice before the parade where they practiced their dance routines and musical numbers.
It was also a tradition that the string band would perform a "pass-bye" performance for the benefit of the Sister's Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in front of their convent. Many string band members and parishioners at Saint Gabriel's have fond memories of this event, which I think always had a deeper intention; namely to have the Sisters of the I.H.M. pray for the string band to win first place! I don't know if this was ever mentioned in public, however I am sure many MACS at Saint Gabes during those years said a few extra, Pater Nosters & Ave Marias for the neighborhood string band to place first in the competition.
It always struck me as interesting that the string band went in review in front of the convent at Saint Gabriel, in the same way the Saint Patrick's Day Parade files past the Cardinal Archbishop of New York every March 17. What I find even more interesting is that in most years, the Sisters held prominence over the event, perched on their high steps that overlooked Dickinson Street and the local parish priests were usually not invited to the reviewing stand. Perhaps, this was partially because the Sisters, had much more interaction with the band members, after all most of the precocious musicians sat in their classrooms for most of the year. Perhaps there was an additional anticipation of divine assistance if your particular Sister, saw you in the pass-bye, there might be some further consideration when you got back to school the following week. Regardless of intentions, I correctly realize today that the MACS were really in charge of the parish and they just let the priests believe something contrary to the truth.
I don't know if the tradition continues at Saint Gabriel's of the "pass-bye" review for the parish's religious. More than likely, the tradition has gone the way of other parochial traditions that were remnants of the great boom in Catholic education after the Second World War. However, there was always a great sense of parish pride when the Mummers marched past the convent, seeking religious assistance in both winning the prize, and perhaps overlooking the overdue book reports the following day. I often thank God for the great women of the Sister's Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that provided all of us with our foundational Catholic faith, our fear of God and the equal fear of Sister "Big-John". They truly encapsulated the idea, that, "the hand that rocked the cradle, ruled the world!", was indeed a truism in Catholic education and parish life.
So as we again prepare for another New Year's celebration, remember all of those women that served as religious at Saint Gabes that sent us on the right path of Catholic living and family values. The "pass-bye" performance was a highlight of the Sister's lives in the days when nuns didn't drive, have other places to go or merely resided in a parish convent. These women of faith, courage and in alot of cases pure physical strength formed generations of Catholic men and women into what we all are today, faithful Catholics and productive citizens.
Finally,remember all of the great men and women that participated in the parochial experience of Saint Gabriel's Parish. They were men and women from many ethnic and cultural origins that embodied the melting pot of Philadelphia Catholicism as they worked daily to experience the fullfillment of the immigrant's dreams of success for themselves and their families including all future generations...

Gray's Ferry Farmers'Market

2010-12-07T15:10:00.000-05:00

Video taken from 6ABC, from August 2010 coverage of this event. Thank you 6 ABC.

GRAYS FERRY LOCAL FOOD EVENT
Come learn about the Grays Ferry Farmers Market & enjoy FREE local & organic food!
When: Wednesday December 8th from 6:30-8:30 pm
Where: 2744 Dickinson Street, corner of 28th at the
Lower Hall of the Barrett Nabuurs Center
HOSTED BY UPENN STUDENTS WITH THE SUPPORT
FROM THE FOOD TRUST

Congratulations to the University of Pennsylvania students that are hosting this event. The event will focus on the positive benefits of having a farmer's market in Gray's Ferry. Also, my personal thanks to Margie McGrath of the Gray's Ferry Community Council for assisting these grad students with their semester project.

2010-11-27T10:23:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving...Gray's Ferry Style!

2010-11-25T10:23:00.002-05:00

I always have fond memories of Thanksgiving in Gray's Ferry. One especially important reason is simply because when you live in an urban neighborhood, everyone is quite frankly an extended family member. Of course, Saint Gabriel's Parish has always been know for it's close family relationships. You were always running into first cousins, distant relatives and pseudo-related and intermarried kinfolk all of the time. No one really ever left Gray's Ferry, they just got married and changed their names...but they stayed until the last. Perhaps, that is the reason that the Parish life of Saint Gabriel has always been so strong and productive.
Recently, I had the chance to read something from Saint Gabriel's past...namely, The History of Saint Gabriel Parish, the First Eight Years, written by an earlier parishioner and edited by Fr. Patrick Mellon, the founding pastor.
It is amazing how all of the familial names are the same as when we lived there in the 1960's. The activities of the parish included carnivals, holiday celebrations, 50/50 chances and building campaigns for various buildings of the Saint Gabriel complex. When building the church, and rectory, Fr.Mellon was asked if the contractor should charge extra to dig the foundations of the church and rectory. Father Mellon responded simply," No we dig our own foundations here at Saint Gabriel!'" What a remarkable spirit and tenacity our forefathers had when it came to supporting each other and the Catholic Church. My own suburban parish, has abandoned the traditional pre-Thanksgiving Mass and distribution of food to the needy in favor of an ecumenical and interfaith service at the local Presbyterian church. Nothing like that would happen in the Thanksgiving period at Saint Gabriel's then or now. Thanksgiving for Catholics at Saint Gabes was about giving thanks and making sure everyone was able to share the feast with our fellow neighbors and friends.
Another memory of the celebration was this: We did not live in the Martha Stewart world of make believe holiday celebrations. Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents were hard working, blue collar people. Some were welders, some were policemen, some were firemen. Others worked at the various utilities that surrounded the area, PECO, PGW, Sun Oil and so on. Quite often, our fathers and grandfathers worked multiple shifts on holidays, because their work kept the gears of industry and public safety grinding away so others could have the entire day off. My own father and grandfather were Philadelphia policemen and worked most holidays. It was a rare occasion when my father was present at our Thanksgiving celebration, or was awake....after working a night shift, graveyard shift or a double shift to keep Philadelphia safe and secure.
Regardless, our fathers and families knew the real meaning of the Thanksgiving celebration was our overall thankfulness for our Catholic faith, our families, our neighbors and our friends. The holiday was really about appreciating each other in our ethnically isolated enclave in Gray's Ferry.
Growing up in the concrete urban jungle, makes me appreciate even more the great hardships our ancestors endured for the survival of the Catholic faith, their families and their manner of living in an Irish Catholic neighborhood.
I miss having multiple Thanksgiving meals, one with each set of grandparents, one paternal the other maternal...where food, laughs, whiskey, beer and cigarette smoke filled the rooms, blended with a great appreciation for life both here and in God's heavenly kingdom.
Thanksgiving in Gray's Ferry meant either watching the parade on TV or being lucky enough to make it to Market Street...where the real parade went by Gimbels waiting for the finale of Santa climbing into Gimbels to start the holiday season. Tradition has it that Santa was always one of Philadelphia's finest firefighters, that would scramble up the ladder and climb into Gimbel's second floor window. That Santa might have been one of Gray's Ferry's finest...doing his job while others celebrated the Thanksgiving season.
Faith, Family and neighborhood and friends were always the hallmark of the resilient multicultural residents of Gray's Ferry....living cultural diversity even before the term and the concept were conceived...
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that was part of my Thanksgiving celebration growing up in Gray's Ferry.
When we sit down and give thanks today, and devour the meal...don't forget to thank all of those countless friends, relatives and neighbors that are now with God for the great blessings they showed us of our Catholic faith, our cultural heritages and the tenacity of our ancestors' immigrant dreams.
Pray especially for Fr. Mellon, whose remains are still in Saint Gabriel's Churchyard under the massive Celtic Cross. Thank him for making us a community of faith, a neighborhood of good people that contine to inspire past, present and future generations in and from Gray's Ferry.
Slainte! Happy Thanksgiving to the diaspora of Gray's Ferry everywhere....

Sustaining Gray's Ferry!

2010-11-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

Recently I received an email from Katrina Fernandez, a student at the University of Pennsylvania in the Master's Degree Program. She is also taking a class called, Sustainability in Action which is associated with the Gray's Ferry Farmer's Market with the Food Trust.
As part of the class project, she would like the opportunity to meet with residents of Gray's Ferry to raise awareness about the Farmer's Market and the importance of local/seasonal healthy food for Gray's Ferry residents.
A few weeks ago, I happened to read a story regarding the success of the Farmer's Market at 29th and Wharton that had taken place over the past summer. It seems the Market was quite successful. The students at the University of Penn, would like to plan and develop the Farmer's Market for even greater success next year.
My suggestion is that the students approach the Gray's Ferry Community Council and Saint Gabriel Parish to explain their goals and seek their assistance.
A reason for writing this blog is to remember our Gray's Ferry neighborhood and to assist residents that still reside that same neighborhood.
The notion of a community Farmer's Market and other nutritional outreach programs seems like a great idea that will help the community all over the Gray's Ferry area.
If members of your family still reside in Gray's Ferry, please ask them what they think about the potential for such a project. Ask them if they would be willing to assist these graduate students with their service project.
I look forward to helping them any way I can.
If anyone at the Gray's Ferry Community Council reads my blog, please let me know if the Council would like to participate in this valuable project on family health and nutrition.
Feel free to email me if you want to know more. I will forward the info on to the University of Penn students involved in the program.
Finally, as we approach Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, learning about the nutritional needs of our friends, family members and neighbors in Gray's Ferry and literally everywhere else is not a bad project in which to become involved.
Saint Gabriel's parish members are always generous in their time and resources when it comes to sharing with other people. Perhaps this outreach program will make a great project of community interest for the Summer of 2011.
If you want to know more....email me at hjmn4@comcast.net and I will share the information with all of you as I receive it.

Saint Maria Goretti...South Philly Style!

2010-07-06T15:13:00.000-04:00

Today the Universal Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr. While the entire Catholic Church has recollections of St. Maria as a rural farm girl, most of us think of Maria Goretti in terms of blue jumper uniforms that graced the streets and neighborhoods of South Philadelphia from 1954 until the present day. Saint Maria Goretti High School was a legendary institution in South Philadelphia until its merger with Saint John Neumann High School. The powder blue uniforms were worn by legions of Goretti girls on the Tasker and Morris Streets bus lines for decades to and from the daily trips to school. Many Bishop Neumann High School students, and later Saint John Neumann High School students danced many a slow dance in Neumann's gym with females from their Sister School in South Philadelphia.

Later on many of those same teenage girls went on to become the wives of the same guys from Neumann. In my own case, my mother is a Goretti girl, Class of 1959, so is my sister, Class of 1980. While the story of the real Saint Maria Goretti is often forgotten, the many girls, now women that attended the school still recall the real tragic story of Maria Goretti and how she made the ultimate sacrifice of her life for the Catholic Church. Still, over the years, I have spent alot of time associated with Goretti graduates, teachers and principals. The late, Father Peter Slane often made references to his girls as "Goretti Lambs," which was completely in opposition to the popular nickname we Neumann guys often had for our South Philly Sisters. Regardless of name, the school and its students always represented the best values and principles of Catholic education in the classroom, on the athletic fields or courts or even on the dance floor at Bishop Neumann High School.

While both schools are gone as single entities, the tradition of Saint Maria Goretti's virtue and faith lives on as a historical reminder of the generations of great women that attended the school and celebrated the martydom of the school's namesake. The liturgical commemoration of Saint Maria Goretti in itself is a superlative example of a young virgins sacrifice in defense of her personal values and in defense of her faith in Christ Jesus. In the same way, many Goretti girls have also shared the vision of faith with all of us as they became young women, wives and mothers to many new generations of faithful Philadelphia Catholics.

On my desk, I have a first class relic of Saint Maria Goretti. I don't remember where I got the relic...it was given to me somewhere in my academic and spiritual journey over the years. When I look at it, pick it up and think about Saint Maria Goretti, the blue jumper clad students, with ribbons attached for the locker key always comes most strikingly to mind first. Many Goretti girls remember swinging those keys around the local corner waiting for the bus. The powder blue jumper is now a part of Goretti history. The school now bears a rather lengthy and cumbersome moniker, Saint John Neumann & Saint Maria Goretti High School, but the statue at 10th and Moore of Saint Maria Goretti will always endear the martyred Saint to the many South Philadelphians that loved the school and its faithful adherence to the example shown by its patron in life and in her death.
Saint Maria Goretti, is not only a Saint and Martyr, but a legendary institution that has inspired many generations of women in South Philadelphia to become great women of Catholic faith in many facets of personal and professional lives. The Goretti Lambs indeed continue to live on in our memories and in our faith! Happy Feast of Saint Maria Goretti!

Altarboy Picnic....Dorney Park...now Altar Servers...still Dorney Park!

2010-06-16T10:46:00.005-04:00

Growing up Catholic in Gray’s Ferry also meant for young boys at Saint Gabriel School the responsibility of serving as an altar boy. While not everyone in the school was chosen to be an altar boy, those of us that were, like the Marines, the few the chosen, took the responsibility quite seriously. We were required to learn the nuances of the Roman Liturgy memorize the Latin responses to the prayers and like the priests of the period, contend with the increasing flow of changes that resulted from Vatican II.

Altar boys were of course the norm in those days. Today, the politically correct term is altar server, which permits the inclusion of young girls into the service at the altar as assistants. While it is permissible for young girls to assist in the celebration of the sacred liturgy, my sentiments are still rooted in the all male tradition of altar boys. Their essence and existence are firmly rooted in the traditional role of acolytes as a preparatory step towards Catholic priesthood. Additionally, the role of gradeschool boys as substitutes for the Order of Acolytes in itself was a great boost towards fostering vocations to the priesthood. Anyhow, the exception to the norm today is to be inclusive, and well for better or worst, that’s where we are.

After assisting as altar boys at Saint Gabriel, serving at Mass, preparing the sacred vessels and getting ready for the steady stream of Masses on (only) Sunday mornings, we were rewarded with the Altar Boy Picnic to Dorney Park outside of Allentown, Pa. I remember quite fondly, Father Samuel Shoemaker (now Monsignor), gathering all of the Gray’s Ferry Altar servers onto the bus for what seemed to be an eternal bus ride to the newly formed borders of the Diocese of Allentown. In the 1960’s and 1970’s there were just the usual rides at Dorney Park, an old wooden roller coaster, a seal pond and all of the usual carnival rides associated with an amusement park of the day.

Regardless of the limitations of the amusements, we wandered through Dorney Park, fed the seals, rode the rides, ate hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and spent the day just enjoying the adventure of being out of the city and being well….boys.

All of those memories came flooding back to me yesterday as I accompanied my daughter and other altar servers from Saint John the Beloved School in suburban Wilmington, Delaware for the annual excursion to Dorney Park. Besides the obvious change of having both girls and boys as altar servers on the trip, Dorney Park well was not quite the same either. My memories of a quaint amusement park were shattered when I realized that the altar server of the 21^st century is very high maintenance and requires in addition to an amusement park, a wild water park at which to engage in all sorts of precarious water fun, in order to celebrate the day. Water, water, water everywhere at Dorney Park and none available to drink without purchasing a bottle for $4.99! Wow! What a change of perspective. I remember wandering through the park all day with perhaps $10.00 dollars in my pocket. Father Shoemaker and the dads from Saint Gabriel cooked out and provided hot dogs, sodas and all types of other foods at our picnic at Dorney. Today’s Dorney Park, doesn’t allow any foods other than what is purchased at the park. While the hot dogs are still there, the popcorn, peanuts and water ice is gone, replaced by chicken strips and French fries for $9.99, pizza slices for $6.00 and improvised examples of water ice concoctions for $9.99 ( with a commemorative cup)!

Everyone on the trip enjoyed the day at Dorney Park, altar servers fell asleep on the bus and we got back to Saint John the Beloved about 7:30 pm. One thing however, I could not forget were all of my fellow Saint Gabriel altar boys, singing songs like, 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall while gliding down the Pennsylvania Turnpike to and from the annual excursion to Dorney Park. In striking contrast both male and female altar servers of the 21^st century were either asleep, plugged into their I-Pods, texting on their cellular phones just talking on the same phone with people far away and not on the bus.

While the generations are indeed different from the Gray’s Ferry altar servers, I still prefer the hot dogs, the singing of songs and feeding the seals at Dorney Park…even though these things are a historical memory of my childhood. The water park and the $4.99 Coke aren’t really as much fun…

Calculating the Trajectory of an Itchy Ball in Gray's Ferry!

2010-04-17T11:45:00.003-04:00

It is Saturday morning and I am hanging out in the cafeteria of Saint Mark’s High School in Pike Creek, Delaware. Today is the Annual Science Fair that brings parochial school children together from all over the Diocese of Wilmington to compete in activities that prove their academic and intellectual prowess in science. Once again, my daughter Katie is participating in the Science Fair. For months now we have studied the Delaware ecosystem, manipulated Tinker-Toys, interpreted nebulous instructions in the pursuit of scientific achievement. Thankfully, the event is finally here.

School was quite different at Saint Gabriel when I attended school there. Most of the time, we engaged the usual parochial academic activities, interspersed with Catholic devotional practices and most important, the daily lunch break. It was always great to look at the clock, mid-morning and know that around 11:15 you would be released from the confines of academic purgatory and could go home to catch a quick lunch, catch up with a bit of television and then return for round two of the pugnacious challenges of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I don’t really remember us having inter-parochial science fairs in those days. I suppose it was difficult to coordinate all of the Catholic schools from each neighborhood into a cohesive activity on the grand scale of a science fair that encompasses Catholic students from all regions. We just had to be content with the usual science projects that came with our textbooks at Saint Gabes.

Today however, the approach towards science is much different from the 1960’s. The students have events, like egg drops. During the egg drops, the students are required to calculate the proper amount of insulation that will protect the egg from a second story drop from fractional harm. It was so much easier in Gray’s Ferry days just to figure out the velocity an egg needed when throwing them around the neighborhood on Mischief Night , the precursor to Halloween. Honestly, I never had the chance to throw eggs on Mischief Night; I was usually too busy with my nose in a book or doing some hematological experiment with my junior mad scientist microscope. However, I am told that my late brother, Stephen had egg-cellent proficiency with the airborne hen fruit, and I am sure my sister Karen was known to throw a few eggs around Anthony Wayne schoolyard among other places.

Science fairs remind me of all of the science classes at Saint Gabes where we tried to understand the complexities of photosynthesis, the inner workings of the human body and the foundational principles of space exploration and propulsion. Well, I thought that is what was happening in science class in Gray’s Ferry. The real science fair in our neighborhood went on daily as everyone played stick ball, baseball, football and all of the other great activities of urban childhood. Sports associated with baseball, football and basketball collectively studied the physiology of movement. Pitching pennies gave everyone a lesson in statistical probabilities and just growing up in the urban jungle of Gray’s Ferry was an application of Darwin’s theories of selectivity.

Here in Delaware they don’t study science in the field as we did. It is an antiseptically clean and isolated environment, well controlled and supervised. While I am very glad my daughter has a great interest in science, I would like to see the Catholic students of the Wilmington Diocese experience science in its most primal form...like using their scientific knowledge to spray water from a fire hydrant.

See, for years all of the activities in which we engaged while outside of school in Gray’s Ferry were really applications in practice of what we were learning at Saint Gabriel School every day.

There is no better way to experience science than to live science. We figured out the concept of velocity by throwing things, sometimes baseballs, sometimes itchy balls and sometimes bottles and stones. Whatever we did for fun…we can now say today that we were really doing homework….in the field.

I am sure my daughter will enjoy the Science Fair, but I would like her to know about the science of urban survival as well as the principles of scientific discovery.

I challenge any of the students at today’s Science Fair to throw a pimple ball, an itchy ball or a bottle as well as anyone from the neighborhood of Gray’s Ferry.

Do kids at Saint John the Beloved even know what an itchy ball is?

Gray's Ferry...Easter Plants and Kodak Memories!

2010-04-09T08:53:00.001-04:00

Growing up in Gray's Ferry the celebration of the Easter season was always special. Fondly, I remember going to Saint Gabriel Church on Easter Sunday morning (in the days before Saturday evening Mass) and experiencing quite an amazement when entering the church. The fragrance of Easter flowers filled the cool air, candles were lit, and the state of the Resurrected Christ was the first point of attention.
During the Mass, it was always a great spiritual renewal to reaffirm the promises of our Catholic Baptism with a true sense of theological victory over the transgressions of Good Friday against the now Risen Lord.
Most evident was the feeling of communal joy and celebration as the residents of Saint Gabriel Parish doned their Easter outfits and used the day as an opportunity to visit friends and relatives.
Every time I sense the fragrance of any flowers associated with Easter morning, I recall great breakfasts on Easter Sunday at the home of my maternal grandparents. Plenty of eggs, bacon, coffee and baker's treats started the day right after Mass. Of course there was quite a bit of laughter when all of my cousins, aunts and uncles started wandering in after their own participation at Mass. My grandparents' home was always filled with people, always centered around the kitchen table, having discussions and telling stories of all shapes and sizes.
Easter Sunday always brought potted Easter flowers to my grandparents house, gifts from their sons and daughters, grandchildren and friends. They had a prominent place in the front living room, where we never sat but the plants had the place of honor on the radiator cover in front of the window. My grandmother was fond of Easter plants and she made sure they were displayed with great pride, in the middle of freshly starched curtains, newly cleaned windows and laced doilies.
The scene repeated itself all over the neighborhood, families visited, ate Easter treats, consumed the spring ham and gave plants to their grandparents and loved ones that made their way to as the focus of the front window.
Uniquely part of living in a row home (now called a townhouse) lace curtains and floral displays sometimes with a statue of Mary were always part of the ethnic Irish enclave of Gray's Ferry.
Easter celebrations in Gray's Ferry were always reflective of a well rooted Irish Catholic heritage, cultural diversity among multiple ethnic groups of fellow immigrant peoples and a lesson in experiencing an extended family of relatives and cousins of the most extreme familial link.
I am glad for those experiences of having such great memories tied to my parish church, my Catholic faith and my ethnic Irish heritage. We need to rekindle those experiences and foster them with our own children and descendants...its is an experience they will always remember in their collective Kodak memories.

2010-04-04T07:08:00.001-04:00

2010-04-03T08:51:00.001-04:00

2010-04-03T08:38:00.000-04:00

Anticipation...Holy Saturday!

Holy Saturday...anticipation!

Holy Saturday is the period of Holy Week when Catholics remember Jesus' entombment. It is a preparation day. Today is a day of quiet and prayerful reflection on the true gravity of the crucifixion and Jesus' redemptive sacrifice. Throughout the world our Churches are empty of the Blessed Sacrament and quiet in anticipation of Easter's triumph over darkness and evil, sin and death.

The quietness of the day permits us to ponder the implications of physical death and how each of us in life and death, affects others. The day before Easter also permits the Elect and the Catechumens a period of solitude and reflection as they prepare to participate in a most meaningful manner in the Sacraments of Initiation. After the frantic activities of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday & Good Friday…Holy Saturday is a pregnant pause before the realization of the resurrection is realized on Easter Sunday morning.

This period should be prayerful and quiet, as well as contemplative of the chronological and historical events that we call the Passion. This day should also provide anticipatory happiness as we prepare to celebrate the New Passover. Holy Saturday permits us to deeply saturate our parched theological spirits in images of the waters of Baptism, and symbols of restored life. This evening Mother Church will initiate a new fire and the Paschal Candle will stand in our churches providing radiant light and reminding us of Jesus' Easter triumph. We will profess our faith in the Creed, along with our newly initiated brothers and sisters. We will partake in the Eucharistic sacrifice, now the unbloody reenactment of Calvary.

In our Churches, new water will be blessed and there will be a sprinkling over all of us to recount our sacramental incorporation through the living waters of baptism, the warming power of the Holy Spirit in confirmation and the nourishment provided through our Eucharist, Jesus, the Bread of Life. It is a good and appropriate thing that this Holy Saturday period is quiet and contemplative, relaxed and subtly expectant.

The Easter Vigil and all of the subsequent liturgies of Easter will explode our sensual perceptions and provide us with a liturgical extravaganza of auditory, tactile and sensory stimulation. As we participate in the theological burst of liturgical expressions of Jesus' resurrected glory, we are able to closely relate to the Apostles, to Mary and to all the believers in Jerusalem on that first Easter morning. Sorrow turns to joy, darkness is transformed into new light and our joyous expectations of new and eternal life are renewed.

Our faith will again feel the intensity of the Paschal Mystery as the entire communion of the Church proclaims, "Alleluia! Alleluia!" We should most deeply recall the prayer from the blessing of the Paschal candle. "Christ yesterday and today, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega. All time belongs to Him and all glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Chill of Good Friday!

2010-04-02T08:04:00.002-04:00

Good Friday always make me shiver. When I think of the interior of my Catholic parish on this day, the cold realization of Jesus' suffering and death surrounds me. The Altar is stripped, the sanctuary is bare and the Eucharistic Lord's absence in evident by the open tabernacle doors. The intense sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross is felt keenly in a Church sans Jesus in the tabernacle.

The quietness of the sacred space echoes faint, "Hosannas", and loud shouts of, "Crucify Him."Here in the parish Church ,in the shouting silence of the empty space, We Catholics begin to feel Jesus suffering and death. That is because we participate in His death through our own initiation at Baptism. Our common Baptism unites all of us and permits us to share in Jesus' Eucharistic sacrifice.

Good Friday does not mark the end for Jesus, nor for us…rather it a sign of hopeful expectation. That expectation transcends the historical and harsh reality of Jesus' crucifixion and death. The expectation is felt in Jesus' complete submission to the will of the Father, and the subsequent Father's power that raises Jesus from the dead. Most Catholics don't usually think of death as an expectant resurrection. Most Catholics separate Jesus' total dependence on the will of the Father from His suffering and death. Most Catholics forget to recall it is the Father that raises Jesus from the dead. We are too lost to think of these aspects of redemption. Too surrounded by the cold darkness of the power of evil. Too overcome with the physical death of Jesus. We don't like to think of a Church without a Eucharistic presence, without light and joy.

However as Catholics we need to focus on not just Jesus' death, but His impending resurrection. The impending resurrection is the theological extension of Jesus' faith in the Father. He suffers the Cross, because He believes in the Father's love. We too need to recognize the same in Jesus. We share in the mystery of Jesus' death because we are faithful of resurrection. The harsh reality of death undergoes a transformation in perspective when there is a belief in the resurrection.

God's love and power transforms the cross from a symbol of shame and death, into a true realization and expectation of new life. Jesus knows this. He trusts in the Father. The Father exhibits faithfulness to His Son and raises Jesus from the cold and empty tomb. It is only after I think of the cold reality of Good Friday am I able to sense the Father's incredible warmth and power. That's what makes us believers in faith. We know that we will not be abandoned in the solitude of death, but will participate in the Paschal glory of the warmth of the Resurrection.

When I remember that the Good Friday story has another lesson to communicate, is it possible to understand that my parish Church will be transformed on Easter Sunday morning. The liturgical reenactment of Jesus' passion is the beginning of the story, not the end. As believers, we have hope in God's power. We anticipate God's resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. When we realize this, shivering stops and I am acutely aware that there is life and warmth in the Resurrection, for Jesus, for us all.

Good Friday...we prayerfully remember the Passion of the Lord.

2010-04-02T07:56:00.001-04:00

Celebrate our Catholic faith on Holy Thursday!

2010-04-01T09:09:00.002-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all of my fellow Gray's Ferry Diaspora

2010-03-16T18:58:00.000-04:00

Saint Patrick's Day traditionally is the day to remember our Irish roots and ancestors. While most of us with Irish surnames are 3rd, 4th or even 5th generation Irish, we still have a common Celtic heritage.

For most of us in Gray's Ferry over the years this day meant green beer, ham and cabbage (to break up the Lenten fast) and sweet Irish potato candy. Quite a few of our friends and relatives all had the same names...like me...Hugh, or Sadie or Helen or William or even Sean or Colin. The last names also had the familiar prefaceof O or Mc or Mac and so on. Even if the name didn't have an Irish prefix there was always some connection on either our paternal side or maternal side to the Emerald Isle.

In the many years since the Great Famine, the Industrial Revolution, The Great Depression, 2 World Wars the influence of the Irish Diaspora continues on in our lives and families. Many of our colorful Irish relatives have gone from St.Gabriels to the Irish race track at Holy Cross in Yeadon but today we remember all of them in a festive celebration of Saint Patrick and his faithful Catholic followers.

Celebrate the man St.Patrick.

Celebrate the Irish people.

Celebrate our Irish Catholic heritage....

and finally celebrate life.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2010-02-17T07:26:00.002-05:00

2010-02-17T07:15:00.002-05:00

Part of Gray's Ferry in Dixie!

2010-02-04T10:57:00.002-05:00

Growing up in Gray’s Ferry had its great spiritual benefits. Living within a cluster of 3 parishes, all within walking distance made going to Sunday Mass an easily attainable ritual. With Saint Gabriel Church, King of Peace Church and Saint Aloysius Church all within the boundaries of Saint Gabriel Parish, the other two were designated as an Italian-National Parish, and a German-National Parish respectively.

All of the Gray’s Ferry Diaspora knows the story of urban decay that hit Gray’s Ferry in the 1960’s onward. As a direct result Saint Aloysius Parish & King of Peace Parish were originally, “twinned” with Saint Gabriel Parish. They were both given the politically correct title of “alternative worship sites.” Well, that did not last long and both parishes were closed because of declining parishioners and rising costs of buildings maintenance.

With the closure, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia quite literally, “dry-docked,” these parishes and sold off their interiors for the use of other parishes throughout the

United States

. The official title of the office at 222 North 17^th Street is the Office for Special Projects and Closures. Its purpose is to dispose of religious materials properly, so no Catholic materials end up in a Ruby Tuesday’s, TGI Fridays or some other ridiculous place. One of the companies in the Unites States that works closely with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is King Richard’s (http://kingrichards.com ), located in

Georgia

. They work with parishes that are closing and try to relocate various materials from suppressed parishes to parishes that are looking to build a new church or are refurbishing their old church.

All of the wandering Catholics from Saint Aloysius Church will be happy to know that their old altar has been recycled into a newly built church in the Arlington Diocese, Saint Theresa’s Parish (http://www.sttheresa-ashburn.com/). On the site are photographs of the newly built church with the former altar and angels from Saint Aloysius prominently serving as the Altar of Reservation for the Blessed Sacrament.

I spoke via email with the pastor yesterday and sent him some photographs of Saint Aloysius Church. He was very happy to know where the materials had come from. I also told him that the Gray’s Ferry, St. Al’s crowd might just be coming to visit the new church to say a few prayers, especially if they travel to Dixie during summer vacation. He was happy to know the Gray’s Ferry bus might be coming!

On a more serious note, I did request that he celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Altar and remember all of the faithful members of Saint Aloysius Parish in Gray’s Ferry that worked very hard to provide such a beautiful altar for their church, which now serves the people of St. Theresa’s Parish.

While I am not making a commercial, if any Gray’s Ferrites are inclined to request Masses at Saint Theresa’s Parish for the departed members of Saint Aloysius’ Parish, I’m sure they would be happy to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy for our past generations of Saint Aloysius most colorful residents. The email and address of Saint Theresa’s is on their website, (http://www.sttheresa-ashburn.com/)

On a point of theology, we as Catholics share in the Mystical Body of Christ through our lives and the Sacraments. This participation is one that transcends our concept of earthly time and space. Our Eucharistic Celebration remembers everyone, from the past, in the present and in the Church future as part of the People of God.

The use of materials from a closed parish, specifically Saint Aloysius in Philadelphia at a new place of Catholic liturgical worship illustrates the true transcendence of our Catholic Sacraments and faith in Christ Jesus. The inclusion of old altars into a new church is a magnificent example of the Church’s constant life and development towards the Kingdom of God.

Reuse of altars from Saint Aloysius Parish unites the parishioners of Saint Theresa’s Parish in Ashburn, Virginia in a mystical manner that gives us all a unique perception of our unity through the Holy Eucharist that survives even when the bricks, mortar and materials used in our old parishes are transformed into new, “living stones” of Catholic faith.

Best wishes to the Parish of Saint Theresa. Hopefully your parish will last over 100 years as Saint Aloysius’ Parish existed. Remember our faithful ancestors of Gray’s Ferry when you celebrate the Eucharist in Ashburn, Virginia. Deo Optimo Maximo!

Remember...get your throats blessed!

2010-02-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

Saint Blaise: Protect our Catholic Throats! by Hugh McNichol

By Hugh McNichol • Feb 2nd, 2010 • Category: Columnists, Hugh McNichol
One of the greatest things I remember about growing up in Gray’s Ferry was how unashamedly Catholic we were in our Saint Gabriel days. Every school day was in itself an exercise in our Catholic faith starting with the prerequisite Catholic school uniform that was de rigueur in school. February 3 always has a particular fondness for me as well. Every year the entire school was marched over to the church to receive the “Blessing of Throats,” on the feast of Saint Blaise. The ritual has been observed by both the Eastern and the Western Church since the early 4th century; however we didn’t know that growing up Catholic in the ethnically insulated enclave of Gray’s Ferry.
I sort of remember the crossed candles being lighted at some point in the pre-Vatican II parochial life of an American Irish Catholic; however I am not too sure. In those days an ignited candle would pose a great threat to long haired Catholic grade school girls with large portions of flammable hairspray saturating their hair, as well as the layers of coats sweaters and scarves that were present in the frigid weather of February. Anyhow, the blessing was always something I really looked forward to each year…being the proverbial poster boy for ear, nose and throat infections!
The Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were always quick to recall the legend of Saint Blaise which had a young boy choking on a fish bone. After Saint Blaise prayed over him and blessed his throat…he was healed and was able to breathe again. Always being the victim of nasal congestion due to sinus maladies I welcomed any opportunity to open the nasal passages and the commemoration of the Feast of Saint Blaise was a miraculous form of theological penicillin.
Regardless, sometimes we loose sight of the importance of these sacramentals in our modern Catholic Church. Celebration of the cult of the saints is somewhat comforting and reassuring for me as a contemporary Catholic. Over the years I have somehow acquired a first class (piece of bone) relic of Saint Blaise and I drag his bones out every year and bless my daughter’s throat with the relic. Again this year, I will tell her of the story of Saint Blaise, how he was martyred for his Catholic faith and how he is the patron saint against diseases of the throat. Part of the great heritage of growing up Catholic in Gray’s Ferry is the annual Blessing of Throats…a time when you actually got out of school for a bit, participated in an ancient sacramental of the Church, venerated the memory of a great Saint and Martyr and learned something about history, faith and religious celebrations.
Who knew the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary actually understood what they were doing! As I always say…Catholic schools need a dozen I.H.M. nuns to teach authentic Catholic theology…disregarding the sometimes pseudo Protestant evangelism that frequently passed for Catholic education these days.
Saint Blaise…pray for all of us! Especially those with persistent post nasal drip that Mrs. Gorman our grade school nurse could never understand!

Catholic Education...The I.H.M.'s & The Palmer Method!

2010-01-28T10:27:00.002-05:00

Last week I noticed there was a pen collector’s convention that was held in Philadelphia. In the era of Blackberries, personal digital communicators, smart phones and Kindles competing with I Pads for market share and attention…the humble pen is often viewed as an antiquated technology in a world of glitzy gadgets. Whenever I think about writing with a pen, I fondly remember the Palmer Method, which was taught in grade school at Saint Gabriel Parish in Gray’s Ferry, Philadelphia in simpler days.
Catholic education is truly a life long process that starts in grade school, develops with higher education and sustains itself in married and family life. My personal and professional life are rooted in the foundational principles from Catholic grade school ranging from handwriting techniques, grammatical usage, mathematical analysis and of course my religious beliefs. The basic discipline taught by the Mighty Macs through the Palmer Method has remained part of my personal, spiritual and professional life since Sister Alphonsus Ligouri first revealed the graffiti technique expounded by Palmer.
Of course, I was not very good at the Palmer Method. As a southpaw, I was always smearing the ink, dragging my hand over the page and letting my fingers do the work of writing. Mortal sins in the world of penmanship for the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Quite often my lack of Catholic penmanship contributed to Sister’s need to go to Confession and perhaps even pushed Sister to imbibe more than holy water. At Saint Gabriel’s School, the sister that taught me would always exclaim, “Mr. McNichol, you have the handwriting of a priest or a doctor…do it over again, until it is right!” Well, I never quite made it to those career choices, but I do continue to write with a fountain pen.
The fountain pen I use is a Mont Blanc Diplomat. It’s big and bulky and makes me think all of the time about the great female religious that provided my primary Catholic education in Gray’s Ferry. I still smear the ink, still combine writing and printing and sometimes cannot understand my own graffiti. Sr. Francis Joseph I.H.M. would most likely “stroke out” if she saw my handwriting!
However, every time I pick up a pen, I am thankful for having experienced this part of Catholic education in the 1960’s. The simple pen over the years has provided me with comfort, solace and even income from my writings. Who would have thought that the rigorous exercises taught by a group of religious sisters would provide the catalyst for writing about religious events and topics forty years later?
Theologians tell us that moments of grace occur through subtle and often unnoticed means. I think the use of the fountain pen, the Palmer Method and the I.H.M. Sisters has provided this author with a lifetime of graced moments through Catholic education and the example of devoted religious educators.
If you remember the Palmer Method…you too have been graced through the simple pen, much more nostalgic than the most contemporary personal digital assistant. Just for the sake of it…take out a piece of paper and send someone a note, written in real ink…it will make all of those women religious that toiled to teach us Catholic faith through simple graced moments, very proud of us all.

Haiti: An Opportunity for Catholic Social and Humanitarian Success!

2010-01-14T10:34:00.002-05:00

The nation of Haiti has experienced another insurmountable tragedy this week as a result of another natural disaster, a destructive earthquake. The history of the small impoverished nation is a litany of destructive events that started with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. In all of these events, the Catholic Church has always played an integral role in the development of the political, social and economic structures of the island. Colonialism and its subsequent rule by both the British and the French was dramatically unsuccessful and ultimately a failure. The Catholic Church throughout the struggles has identified itself as the supporter of the people, however strong relationships with the 22 successive governments since the Haitian Revolution ended in 1704, and Haiti became an independent nation from France, the Catholic Church has been present.
In the 19th century a Concordant between the Catholic Church and the Haitian Government was reached. The agreement specified the Church had special protection and endorsements from the government of Haiti. In return, Haitian Catholics could also make recommendations directly to Rome in regards to the appointment of their bishops and Church administration. Diplomatic relations have been in place with the Holy See and Haiti since 1860. It is interesting to note that the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See did not occur until the Reagan administration in the 20th century.
Uniquely, even with a vast potential of exportable resources, Haiti in the 21st century is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, 80% of it’s population live under the poverty line, 54% live in abject poverty and over 60% depend on sustenance agriculture in order to survive. It seems that despite the rich resources once available, exploited and never replenished in Haiti, the Catholic Church has neglected Catholic social teachings in the implementation of the Gospel message in this small part of the Caribbean. While there indeed is a strong infrastructure for the Catholic Church on the island, the Church has provided educational, medical and social aid since the first Spanish visitors in 1505, there is still quite an evident social failure in this unfortunate society’s political, cultural and social infrastructure.
In the late 20th century, Haitian Catholic priests embraced liberation theology as the contemporary theological and moral intervention that would establish renewed Catholicism and political stability to a historically unstable government in Haiti. However, liberation theology proved just as unreliable in its message and integration with Catholic theology just as incompatible as the extreme Marxism that always followed this drastic compromise of human rights and spiritual freedom. Pope John Paul II in his subsequent teachings against liberation theology and Marxist extremism laid the groundwork intellectually, spiritually and pastorally with his 1983 visit to the island of Haiti. John-Paul stressed that, “Things must change here!” during his visit and delegated all of the Catholic Church’s resources towards developing a better society in the impoverished nation. During this time of the papacy, Cardinal Ratzinger clearly illustrated the faults of liberation theology and it’s incompatibility with Catholic moral, ethical and social teachings and the Church continued to participate in the lives of the people of Haiti.
What is significant since this intervention of John-Paul in 1983 and his pastoral visit is the lack of success the Church has experienced in its social programs in Haiti. While the religious evangelization process was flourishing (there are over 10 million Catholics in Haiti), the Church hasn’t been successful in integrating Catholic faith with political, social and economic responsibilities in Haiti.
The Catholic Church has a remarkable opportunity in Haiti to illustrate the compatible integration the Gospel of Jesus has in the practical and pragmatic development of a socially and economically responsible populace in the Republic of Haiti. In addition to the resource of humanitarian aid, spiritual and medical comfort the disaster in Haiti presents a pregnant theological moment to show Catholicism in its best light as it works towards the establishment of a stable society on this island republic in addition to spiritual counsel and triage emergency responses.
The Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) indicates that the presence of Catholicism in the global environment transcends religious boundaries and territorial limitations. It teaches about the development and deep appreciation of the entire global community as the People of God. Haiti is a microcosmic example of how the global participation of the Catholic Church would enhance and affirm the Gospel mandate of Jesus, “…to love one another!”
In the case of Haiti, the opportunity to illustrate real, Catholic theology in action is unlimited. Providing humanitarian aid, the reestablishment of natural resources, Catholic participation in both the religious and the social practices of the Haitian culture presents a chance to implement all of the Catholic Church’s most sacred traditions, from an appreciation of the sanctity of human life, to appreciate human rights, to instruct in natural family planning and put into practice the pragmatic and genuinely compassionate nature of the Catholic lifestyle experience. Catholic faith in Catholic action is the anthem that seemingly echoes in this moment. Namely, the chance to show fellow Catholics, non-Catholics, and the global community that the Catholic Church offers a relevant lifestyle for the world of the 21st century that incorporates religious beliefs with pragmatic examples of human living.
Haiti shouts as a great example of how colonialism of the 19th century has miserably failed in establishing stable and productive forms of representational government. Haiti also is indicative of the failure of Catholic conversion without political, social and environmental responsibilities that are mutually inclusive to practicing our Catholic faith as not only good Catholics, but responsible global citizens. It is really not enough to teach about Catholicism, without implementing pragmatic examples of Catholic theology in the daily activities of the human condition.
The southern western hemisphere is currently the largest block of Catholics on the planet. As a Church we are obligated not only by faith to assist their needs. We also have the obligation from a human sense of global responsibility as Catholic to clearly show the world, that our faith is not one one of spiritual aspirations, but also one of secular obligations as we work daily in spreading the Gospel to the entire family of the world. The chance for the global Catholic Church to brightly shine as a beacon of spiritual and temporal hope to a fragile world in desperate need of Christ’s graces and peace through our tangible Catholic actions.
It has frequently been noted that evangelical Christianity is spreading in the southern western hemisphere not simply because of new Christian beliefs. It is spreading in this area of the world because in addition to spiritual guidance, evangelical Christianity also offers temporal guidance and assistance directed towards eradication of hunger, poverty, social injustices and political instabilities. The Catholic Church has offered the same tangible resources since Columbus’ first voyage to Haiti in 1492. However, the Catholic Church needs to clearly now indicate that their temporal and human services is not intended as a tool of mere evangelization, but rather the implements of a global revolution towards faith in Christ Jesus, that has the Church and it’s sacraments as the cornerstone for the evolution of a peaceful and sustainable human society.

Haiti: An opportunity for Catholic social and humanitarian success!

2010-01-14T10:32:00.002-05:00

The nation of Haiti has experienced another insurmountable tragedy this week as a result of another natural disaster, a destructive earthquake. The history of the small impoverished nation is a litany of destructive events that started with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. In all of these events, the Catholic Church has always played an integral role in the development of the political, social and economic structures of the island. Colonialism and its subsequent rule by both the British and the French was dramatically unsuccessful and ultimately a failure. The Catholic Church throughout the struggles has identified itself as the supporter of the people, however strong relationships with the 22 successive governments since the Haitian Revolution ended in 1704, and Haiti became an independent nation from France, the Catholic Church has been present.
In the 19th century a Concordant between the Catholic Church and the Haitian Government was reached. The agreement specified the Church had special protection and endorsements from the government of Haiti. In return, Haitian Catholics could also make recommendations directly to Rome in regards to the appointment of their bishops and Church administration. Diplomatic relations have been in place with the Holy See and Haiti since 1860. It is interesting to note that the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See did not occur until the Reagan administration in the 20th century.
Uniquely, even with a vast potential of exportable resources, Haiti in the 21st century is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, 80% of it’s population live under the poverty line, 54% live in abject poverty and over 60% depend on sustenance agriculture in order to survive. It seems that despite the rich resources once available, exploited and never replenished in Haiti, the Catholic Church has neglected Catholic social teachings in the implementation of the Gospel message in this small part of the Caribbean. While there indeed is a strong infrastructure for the Catholic Church on the island, the Church has provided educational, medical and social aid since the first Spanish visitors in 1505, there is still quite an evident social failure in this unfortunate society’s political, cultural and social infrastructure.
In the late 20th century, Haitian Catholic priests embraced liberation theology as the contemporary theological and moral intervention that would establish renewed Catholicism and political stability to a historically unstable government in Haiti. However, liberation theology proved just as unreliable in its message and integration with Catholic theology just as incompatible as the extreme Marxism that always followed this drastic compromise of human rights and spiritual freedom. Pope John Paul II in his subsequent teachings against liberation theology and Marxist extremism laid the groundwork intellectually, spiritually and pastorally with his 1983 visit to the island of Haiti. John-Paul stressed that, “Things must change here!” during his visit and delegated all of the Catholic Church’s resources towards developing a better society in the impoverished nation. During this time of the papacy, Cardinal Ratzinger clearly illustrated the faults of liberation theology and it’s incompatibility with Catholic moral, ethical and social teachings and the Church continued to participate in the lives of the people of Haiti.
What is significant since this intervention of John-Paul in 1983 and his pastoral visit is the lack of success the Church has experienced in its social programs in Haiti. While the religious evangelisation process was flourishing (there are over 10 million Catholics in Haiti), the Church hasn’t been successful in integrating Catholic faith with political, social and economic responsibilities in Haiti.
The Catholic Church has a remarkable opportunity in Haiti to illustrate the compatible integration the Gospel of Jesus has in the practical and pragmatic development of a socially and economically responsible populace in the Republic of Haiti. In addition to the resource of humanitarian aid, spiritual and medical comfort the disaster in Haiti presents a pregnant theological moment to show Catholicism in its best light as it works towards the establishment of a stable society on this island republic in addition to spiritual counsel and triage emergency responses.
The Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) indicates that the presence of Catholicism in the global environment transcends religious boundaries and territorial limitations. It teaches about the development and deep appreciation of the entire global community as the People of God. Haiti is a microcosmic example of how the global participation of the Catholic Church would enhance and affirm the Gospel mandate of Jesus, “…to love one another!”
In the case of Haiti, the opportunity to illustrate real, Catholic theology in action is unlimited. Providing humanitarian aid, the reestablishment of natural resources, Catholic participation in both the religious and the social practices of the Haitian culture presents a chance to implement all of the Catholic Church’s most sacred traditions, from an appreciation of the sanctity of human life, to appreciate human rights, to instruct in natural family planning and put into practice the pragmatic and genuinely compassionate nature of the Catholic lifestyle experience. Catholic faith in Catholic action is the anthem that seemingly echoes in this moment. Namely, the chance to show fellow Catholics, non-Catholics, and the global community that the Catholic Church offers a relevant lifestyle for the world of the 21st century that incorporates religious beliefs with pragmatic examples of human living.
Haiti shouts as a great example of how colonialism of the 19th century has miserably failed in establishing stable and productive forms of representational government. Haiti also is indicative of the failure of Catholic conversion without political, social and environmental responsibilities that are mutually inclusive to practicing our Catholic faith as not only good Catholics, but responsible global citizens. It is really not enough to teach about Catholicism, without implementing pragmatic examples of Catholic theology in the daily activities of the human condition.
The southern western hemisphere is currently the largest block of Catholics on the planet. As a Church we are obligated not only by faith to assist their needs. We also have the obligation from a human sense of global responsibility as Catholic to clearly show the world, that our faith is not one one of spiritual aspirations, but also one of secular obligations as we work daily in spreading the Gospel to the entire family of the world. The chance for the global Catholic Church to brightly shine as a beacon of spiritual and temporal hope to a fragile world in desperate need of Christ’s graces and peace through our tangible Catholic actions.
It has frequently been noted that evangelical Christianity is spreading in the southern western hemisphere not simply because of new Christian beliefs. It is spreading in this area of the world because in addition to spiritual guidance, evangelical Christianity also offers temporal guidance and assistance directed towards eradication of hunger, poverty, social injustices and political instabilities. The Catholic Church has offered the same tangible resources since Columbus’ first voyage to Haiti in 1492. However, the Catholic Church needs to clearly now indicate that their temporal and human services is not intended as a tool of mere evangelization, but rather the implements of a global revolution towards faith in Christ Jesus, that has the Church and it’s sacraments as the cornerstone for the evolution of a peaceful and sustainable human society.

Trick or Treat...Gray's Ferry Style!

2009-10-23T12:42:00.004-04:00

When growing up in Gray’s Ferry, Halloween was one of the holidays Catholic grade school children at Saint Gabriel School anyways anticipated with their usual fervor. First and foremost the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, (the Mighty Macs) always made sure their students knew the Catholic roots that surrounded Halloween. Every year in the lower grades, children were asked to dress up as saints in celebration of the eve of All Hallows, our modern All Saints Day. It was not unusual to watch diminutive versions of Saints, Martyrs, Bishops and other Holy Men and Women going from classroom and classroom with outstretched bags for confectionary delights.
The parade of Saints was indeed a prelude for a day off from school with the immanent Holy Day of Obligation on November 1st. Halloween night in Gray’s Ferry was preceded by the infamous Mischief Night, always including soaping up car windshields, some tossing of hen fruit and even the occasional wrapping of paper around people’s small trees and bushes. Being a kid on Mischief Night meant getting home early and being home before the festivities of the night gave new meanings to the phrase,”Trick or Treat!”
Halloween included groups of us Catholic school children going door-to-door, block by block to accumulate candy in any bag that would hold the booty. I remember being a skeleton one year as my Halloween costume…there were of course Snow Whites, little Devils, Princesses and the occasional Mickey Mouse impersonators as well. In most cases, our parents stood on the sidewalk as we ransacked each house on the long rows of city blocks. One point was always clear: No candy, popcorn, apples or anything else could be eaten until examined by adults. Stories of some child biting into an apple with inserted pins, or a tainted candy bar added mystery and fear to the night. Fortunately, no examples of tampering with this ritual of fall were to my knowledge ever realized.
The I.H.M. Convent was always a destination for all of the Trick or Treaters, and the Sisters always welcomed their students that were transformed into nocturnal spooks and gremlins, as compared to the diurnal gremlins they taught every day in school. The Norbertine Priory was always another favorite destination. They always had good candy for their visitors. When we got to high school, Goretti girls and Neumann boys had the Halloween Dance at Bishop Neumann High School, where adolescent teens could equally scare each other with their music, dancing and lip-locking under the supervision of the White Fathers of Premontre. They made sure their boys never got out of control with their Goretti girlfriends. In all, everyone enjoyed the Halloween Dance, the Parade of Saints and the pilgrimage for candy all over Gray’s Ferry.
Growing up in Gray’s Ferry always had a common sense of Catholicism and neighborhood continuity with both school and social activities. That’s what I miss the most about living in a suburban sprawl of lawns, curving streets and anomalous neighbors…the sense of a knitted and faithful community. Growing up Catholic, of Irish descent and in Gray’s Ferry always provided a sense of really belonging to a neighborhood that shared the experiences of life over generations and generations. Most especially, the Catholic parishes showed us how important these communities of faith really are in establishing our Catholic and social identity.
When Halloween is upon us this year, thank God for the great Sisters, Parents , Priests and People of Gray’s Ferry that helped all of us enjoy the benefits of childhood in a rough and tumble neighborhood of ethnic plurality during the 1960’s, 1970’s and the 1980’s. They all deserve Treats rather than Tricks!

Guitars, Flutes and Sr.Miriam Thomas I.H.M.

2009-07-22T14:38:00.004-04:00

Usually when I write about my Gray’s Ferry experiences my focus is on events that centered on the neighborhoods ethnic background and proud Irish traditions. However, a point I have not spent too much time on is the uniquely Catholic aspect of the neighborhood as well. Of course, being from Gray’s Ferry you were either from Saint Anthony, Saint Gabriel , St. Aloysius or (living on the Italian side) King of Peace. Well 40 years later 3 of the 4 parishes that represented our unique and ethnically insulated community are just memories of the past. In the past few days the media has been recalling the 40th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing. Another memory of the 1960’s that comes to mind is the revolutionary manner we as Catholics embraced the Spirit of Vatican II and the sometimes unfortunate pain of the racial unrest of the 1960s.
Most vividly, the emergence of the guitar at our Catholic liturgies gave rise to the “guitar Mass,” and countless high school guys and girls came to pray while enjoying the new musical settings for Catholics after Vatican II. It was not even unusual to see one or two of our usually stoic I.H.M Sisters strumming on a guitar, singing from the St. Joseph altar and making worship “relevant,” for the 1960s and 70s.
The guitar group was usually comprised of high school girls that provided the singing and the musical accompaniment via guitar, sometimes flutes and even a tambourine appeared on Sundays of Ordinary Time. Regardless of what your thoughts or persuasion about musical tastes and traditions, the Folk Masses of the 1960s era were a pleasant welcome to the usually rigid and chanted Roman ritual prior to the revolutions of the 1960s.
There were often periods of time that songs we consider now as secular were included in the liturgy. I guess we didn’t know better, because everyone seemed to think that Vatican II was a license to experiment with the music of the sacred liturgy. It was no different in Gray’s Ferry. After the proclamation of Humanae Vitae reinforced the traditional Catholic teachings on contraception, the spirit of the times quite literally exploded with songs of inspiration, based upon African American roots or other suppressed cultures around the world. Daily, the news with filled with stories of the Vietnam war, the American excursions into Laos or Cambodia or some other military tragedy that kept up riveted to the television sets.
The music of the period also provided a chance for Gray’s Ferry Catholics to express their generational differences with a choice of either a High Mass or a Guitar Mass. Young people distinctly were drawn to the Novus Ordo of Pope Paul VI, while parents and grandparents lamented the loss of Latin and the length of teenagers’ hair. These times were not only exciting for me as a preteenager, but also a great barometer of the climate of the nation’s political and social unrest as well as its cultural development. During this time, Gray’s Ferry was not immune from social and racial unrest. Often parish high school graduates from Bishop Neumann were called by the Selective Services (aka The Draft) for service in Vietnam. People from Gray’s Ferry fought, were wounded and even died in the Vietnam conflict. Racial and social unrest made all of us realize for the first time in our lives that we lived in the, “inner city,” and the racial anger made its way to all regions of the parish community.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the respite from all of this turmoil was in the local parish church, in the hymns of the time and in our common faith in God’s providence. Quite honestly, while growing up in Gray’s Ferry , I was unaware of the larger global conflicts, just aware of the urban conflicts at Lanier playground, the shooting deaths at 29th and Tasker and the pervasive and haunting music of the 60s and 70’s. One of the most memorable songs that brought all of us together was the popular Kumbya which ironically enough for a racially divided neighborhood was an African folk song. I fondly remember the song being sung in our Catholic parish of Saint Gabriel loudly and proudly…you would have thought it was written by an Irishman.
Many remarkable years have passed between today and those remarkable and world changing days. Music and our faith have allowed all of us to experience the revolution in words, songs and society since Joan Baez introduced the multigenerational ethnically insulated peoples of Gray’s Ferry to the African spiritual song.
I hope when listening to the song, you will remember all of the events of the past that were significant in our Gray’s Ferry lives, including the joys and the sorrows that war, poverty, racism and social ignorance that afflicted all of us in the tumultuous…age of Aquarius.

Facebook...uniting Americans in their heritages!

2009-07-03T10:56:00.001-04:00

The social phenomenon of Facebook has made me again quite interested in genealogical research about my family’s roots. While the Alex Haley saga is transatlantic to Africa, the McNichol roots are transatlantic as well to Ireland, England, Scotland and Germany. While most of us that maintain the moniker, “McNichol,” like to exault in our roots in the Irish Diaspora, the blend really has many examples of dilution from both my paternal and maternal lines of descent. From my understanding, my great-grandfather Hugh McNichol came to the United States as a six-month old with his parents and sister Mary. They settled in the area of Christian Street in South Philadelphia and then finally ended up as all good Irish of the 19th century as members of the famed Saint Anthony’s Parish, of late memory on Gray’s Ferry Road. Suffice it to say, I have been trying to find a link that would make me a Son of the American Revolution however this venue does not seem to be the route.
While checking out family history my mother’s paternal lineage dates to both Irish and German ancestry, with both a Protestant and Catholic background. My maternal grandfather, named Dick was a descendent of the Gray family that inhabited the same Gray’s Ferry area since about 1670. However, I still cannot find that elusive link to establish a blueblood claim to familial service in the American Revolution. While most of my research has been on my father’s paternal side, there is a cornucopia of surnames from McNichol, McNally, Sweeney, Sullivan, Alish, Bendsen and so on that heralds a virtual United Nations of ancestry from really all over Europe. To date I cannot find any more surviving Bendsens, my father being the last descendent extant of the long rooted Gray’s Ferry family. My paternal grandmother had a brother and sister. However like all good Irish, Catholic and transplanted families we lost touch with my great aunt’s family by marriage the Dennings in the mid -1960’s. I do know they settled in the Baltimore suburbs but we haven’t been in touch since the last family disagreement in 1967.
Such disagreements are illustrative of the way families lose touch of each other when patriarchs and matriarch of families pass away and the children are scattered all over the place. Recently, my grandfather McNichol’s lone surviving brother passed away. He was almost 90 years old. When attending the funeral services it fascinated me just how many McNichol descendants there are in the local Philadelphia area that do not share my last name. None the less they are in the Irish tradition all cousins of some sort. Facebook has made me curious about finding links to the McNichol family tree and I have tracked a few of them down. Mostly the McNichol’s I know are the children and grandchildren of my great grandfather McNichol’s brother Dennis McNichol. Of course once again in the Irish tradition there are multitudes of name repetitions’, 4 Hughs, 3Dennis’, multiple Marys and a handful of Francis X’s. There is even a “Francis X” that resides near me in Wilmington, Delaware but offers no relative connection. Please don’t mistake him with my cousin, “Francis X” whose father was,”Francis X” and just recently departed.
Confusing, confounding and all around illustrative of the fact that our American heritage is indeed a melting pot of all ethnic diversities and nationalities. I recently met a McNichol on Facebook has an ancestry of Jamaican-American ancestry. After a conversation via email, she indicated her family descended from the Irish migrations to the Caribbean in the mid 1600’s. I never really knew the Irish got to Jamaica in the 1600’s, however the penchant for rum, adventure and a new opportunity most likely precipitated their move. The distinctive migrations of the Europeans have provided many ethnically blended Irishmen all over the world. Perhaps that is enough of a reason to stop making reference to groups of individuals by their country of origin. Frankly, none of us are truly Irish, Italian, African or any other subsection of cultures other than uniquely, “American,” sans the geographical designation of another country of origin.

Perhaps it is just my own unusual desire to research history, however if one digs deeply enough it becomes very obvious that we are first and foremost, “Americans!” Maybe it would help the cause of human rights and freedoms if all of the references of our ancestral countries of origin were dissuaded and we finally accept the, “American melting pot,” for its unique and important sociological and historical value.
Every time I travel through Facebook I keep looking for connections to my Irish-American ancestry. Most importantly, I should be looking for my American cousins and ancestors that embraced the United States as an example of ethnic, social, historical , religious and cultural plurality regardless of their ethnic origins. We celebrate the 233 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th this year. We should very obviously celebrate the diversity and plurality that exists in all of our families that constitutes us as Americans.
I am going to keep looking for the connection as either a Son or Daughter of the American Revolution. Regardless of my results I can boast of this connection to the Founding Fathers by my birth and connection to all of the culturally diverse ethnic peoples that make up my own family heritage…regardless of their nation of origin.

Gray's Ferry...part of the American Revolution 233 years ago!

2009-07-02T08:29:00.005-04:00

When one celebrates the 4th of July, I am certain most Americans don't think of colonial Gray's Ferry. However, the section of Philadelphia we called home was a pivotal part of the saga of the American Revolution. Underneath all of the bricks, concrete and asphalt Gray's Ferry was once a verdant pasture that witnessed virtually every event of the little disagreement we call the Revolution.

The actual ferry at Gray's Ferry preexisted 1776 and was the site of a military battle in September of 1777. The American forces waged a gorilla fight against British regulars

Thomas Jefferson while in Philadelphia during the Continental Congress' vacationed at at farmhouse near the Pemberton estate( which is the site of the U.S.Naval Home.)

Jefferson was also inoculated against smallpox while residing in Gray's Ferry at the same farmhouse, just off of Washington Avenue.

Lafayette landed near Gray's Ferry to assume command of American troops. United States naval frigates moored on the river by the PECO generating station.

The first federal arsenal in the United States was based on Gray's Ferry Road. It was also the site of the first quartermaster for the American military.

After the Revolution, George Washington used Gray's Ferry as the route into Philadelphia on his way to his inauguration. Washington Avenue was named in honor of this event and remains named the same to this day.

The Peale family of American artists had summer farms in Gray's Ferry and painted portraits of Founding Fathers while they resided there. Rembrant Peale and George Willson Peale were members of this clan.

Gray's Ferry was the site of the first United States Naval Academy which predated the establishment of the Annapolis site. The academy was actually moved to Annapolis from Gray's Ferry Road.

Just a few points of historical interest about Gray's Ferry. When you reflect on the events and importance of the 4th of July, remember our ancestors from Gray's Ferry played important parts in the founding of the United States. Everyone in Gray's Ferry and from Gray's Ferry should applaud our South Philadelphia FIRSTS!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Declaration text | Rough Draft | Congress's Draft | Compare | Dunlap Broadside | Image | Scan

May Processions....true Catholic identity!

2009-05-06T09:37:00.003-04:00

Growing up in an urban Catholic parish always included the annual tradition of the May Procession. It seemed most logical to have a procession during the school year to honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus and give all of the grade school students something to practice towards. Remember, Catholic grammar school in the 1960’s and 1970’s was a far cry from the classrooms of today. Frequently, in those days there were four classrooms to each grade and the headcount in each classroom could surpass fifty students. There were a lot of children in the post-World War II baby boom and we all wore parochial school uniforms.
The May Procession was always an event of great anticipation. When we returned from our Easter vacation, it was time to pull out the old songbooks and get our voices in tune for the Marian festival. Sr. Maureen Rose, I.H.M. was always responsible for whipping our adolescent voices into great shape in time for the festivities. Of course, the traditional Lourdes hymn was always the main opener, and we sang the song about 1000 times as we circled around Saint Gabriel Church and filed into our pews.
The altar devoted to Mary was festooned with gold and blue draperies and the Virgin Mother was of course crowned with a tiara of paste diamonds. We really didn’t know they were paste diamonds…when you’re a kid the illusion is part of the reality. When the procession started the organ boomed out the notes, everyone sang and processed. Interestingly enough, all of the girls wore veils over their hair. If one unfortunate girl forgot her veil, one of the obliging Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary fashioned a veil out of a few Kleenex and pinned it to the poor girl’s head. It still fascinates me that nuns were able to construct just about anything with the resources that were hidden behind those scapulars.
Of course, the boys sat on the Saint Joseph side of the Church. There was no mingling of the genders going on in Catholic parochial school. Wearing ties and suit jackets the boys were all dressed up as if they were ready for a family wedding or even funeral. There was always a I.H.M. sister with a clicker as well. That was to make sure everyone properly genuflected and bowed at the proper times and places with regimented pre-Vatican II liturgical precision. In the middle of all of this, the priests with altar boys processed to the sanctuary, where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration. Great clouds of smoke filled the air as the altar boys swung the incense filled thurible and we welcomed the Eucharistic Lord into our cacophonic mix of Marian selections.
In those days, you had a real sense of being part of the Church Militant as you went marching around the neighborhood and the Church in precision lockstep. The music was triumphant and militaristic, the procession was spectacular and colorful and the singing was deafening. Every time I think of the May Procession, I think of Sr. Maureen Rose blasting out the melody while waving her arms to keep the company of compliant children singing at the top of their voices.
May Processions were always a memorable part of the ethnic Irish Catholic experience in Gray’s Ferry. Everyone in the neighborhood poured out into the streets to watch the procession. Unusually enough, even the local “tap rooms” emptied and the men that usually held up the bar stools, tipped their hats as the procession went bye. Saint Gabriel Church was filled to capacity, with the fragrance of incense, freshly cut flowers, newly cut grass in the churchyard and about 1000 school children being whipped into a Marian frenzy.
We need to bring back May Processions to their former glory. They were and are superlative examples of the living faith of a parish and community. While our Catholic schools might not have the multitudes of children they once had, even a modest procession is worth the effort. For one thing, it celebrates Mary, the Mother of God as an integral component of our living and developing Catholic traditions. For another reason, it gives Catholic students a chance to get out there and experience the great satisfaction that comes with growing up Catholic in parochial environment.

Easter Joy

2009-04-12T11:35:00.001-04:00

Darkness before Light!

2009-04-10T08:21:00.000-04:00

2009-04-08T14:59:00.003-04:00

Our Catholic heritage provides many poignant memories of our faith. Growing up in an Irish-Catholic neighborhood in Gray’s Ferry always provides musings of parochial recollections, especially during the celebration of Holy Week. Every year, Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper was accentuated with the solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Repository. According to the ancient traditions of our Roman liturgy, we were all invited to spend time with the Eucharistic Lord, recalling the Agony in the Garden and the subsequent unfolding events of Good Friday.
The Sacred Triduum in a Catholic parish in South Philadelphia encapsulates our Catholic faith, our community rituals and traditions and our ethnic heritages. There is no better way to celebrate the holiest days of the liturgical calendar than fully participating in Catholic liturgical ritual and solemnity. Celebration and commemoration of the sacred events always involved clouds of incense dispensed from a bronze censer swinging ahead of the long procession, with altar boys, parish priests and parish ushers escorting The Divine Presence under a canopy to the designated resting place until midnight. In those days, our Catholic Churches remained unlocked, so people could visit and pray. In Gray’s Ferry it was also a tradition to visit three churches on Holy Thursday night. Usually a posse of Catholic schoolchildren would venture into the foreign parishes of Saint Aloysius, King of Peace and Saint Anthony to fulfill the ritual visit. It never dawned on us that it was late in the evening. We never thought about being out late, or the distance of the walk or who was following along in the crowd. Catholic adults and teenagers all made their way from Catholic Church to Catholic Church.
Along the way, we would pick up children in the group. Others would drop out of the group and go home or get otherwise preoccupied with the concerns of being a teenager in South Philadelphia. On the street corners all around my old neighborhood, older men hung out on the corner, watching and knowing all of the destinations and the names of our merry parish visits. Some of the guys on the corners watched me on Holy Thursday night from my earliest grade school days through Seminary College, grad-school and then some. No one thought visiting churches was unusual or overly religious…it was something we all just did as good Catholics.
Growing up Catholic in Gray’s Ferry provided me with a strong Catholic foundation that I cherish to the present day. Participation in our sacred rituals is something which the suburban dwelling, automobile mandated Catholic sometimes misses when there is no neighborhood or close parish community. Regardless, Holy Week for me is ecclesial Super Sunday, Christmas, 4th of July and the end of school all rolled into one magnificent display of Latin, smoke, music and liturgical pomp. Every Gray’s Ferry Catholic should take their children to the events of Holy Week at their local parishes, make visits to three suburban churches and celebrate the great mysteries of our Catholic faith and heritage. Hopefully, there will be plenty of incense, smoke, candle wax and melodious hymns of majestic Catholic praise.

Saint Gabriel...the angelic messenger of the Annunciation!

2009-03-25T07:41:00.002-04:00

There is no better way to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation than show the event in art and music. Saint Gabriel, the angelic messenger is the communications link between God and Mary.
As is fitting to remember Saint Gabriel Parish Community in Gray's Ferry is a link of communications between generations of faithful peoples, past, present and future.
Pray for the success of the continued Norbertine ministry in an area of sometimes troubled peace and broken promises. Fill the hearts of all with the power of God's love, so in turn we might all love one another.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day: Slainte Mhaith!

2009-03-17T08:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 2009! The celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day is always a welcome event in the McNichol Family’s calendar. Of course the prefix “Mc” would most likely give a clue to the reason. But there really is more to the celebration than just honoring the patron saint of the Irish Island. It is a day to celebrate the remarkable achievements the millions of Irish emigrants that came to the United States in multiple migrations and became a densely woven part of the American fabric.
Most people think the big influx of Irish expatriates came to the United States as part of the solution of the Great Potato Famine in the 19th century. While millions indeed came to the United States during this period, the Irish were already firmly rooted in American life from the first expeditionary voyage to Plymouth and Jamestown. Part of the groups that sought religious freedom from persecution, for both Catholic and Protestant faith, our Irish forefathers were part of the events of the American Revolution, the Civil War and all subsequent military conflicts to the present day. In the 19th century, Irish historian, Jay Dolan tells us that as many as 49 ships per week arrived and departed from Philadelphia to Ireland bringing emigrants to the United States. Of course during the 19th and 20th centuries, Philadelphia Irish were more in number than the entire population of Ireland. They integrated into American political and social life and quickly became the blue collar workforce that fueled the industrial revolution, the political mavericks that manipulated municipal governments and the clerical juggernauts that doctrinally ruled American Catholicism. Most of the familiar institutions of civil service were staffed by foreign born Irish as they assimilated into the great melting pot of American society. Policemen, firemen and Catholic clergy were most abundant with Irish roots and in some places the last generations of the descendants of the 19th century Irish Americans still cling to positions of that nature. My own father, grandfather and great-grandfather were Gaelic members of the police line in Philadelphia. Some of my cousins continue the police tradition to this day, now serving as FBI, Pennsylvania State Police and so on.
There is an intrinsic thankfulness that I have for my Irish-Catholic roots in the colorful history of the Philadelphia Irish. While I cannot claim a pure thoroughbred status to Ireland, my composite genetic quilt is mixed with McNichols, McNallys, Kilrains, Greys and Dicks.
Having been the product of an Irish Catholic ethnic enclave of Gray’s Ferry in Philadelphia, I fondly remember Saint Patrick’s Day at Saint Gabriel Parish. There were some daring gradeschool classmates that dyed their hair green on March 17th. The local “tap-rooms” served green beer. Irish soda bread was baked at the German run bakery in the heart of South Philadelphia. Almost as an institutional badge of honor, even the parochial rules were abrogated and we were permitted to wear something green with our school uniforms on the day of Patrick. If the day even dared to fall on a Friday, there was a dispensation to eat meat and postpone the piscatorial meal until the following week.
Usually at Saint Gabriel’s Parish there was a “Beef and Beer” with plenty of both gustatory ingredients, accompanied by some sort of traditional Irish music and dancing. While the population of Irish-Catholics is dwindling in my old neighborhood, it is still a day of celebration and ethnic pride for the waves of Gray’s Ferry residents that hailed from the shores of the Emerald Island. There is still, Dean’s Bar in Gray’s Ferry at 29th and Tasker, which surely will lift a few bottles to commemorate Saint Patrick, the Easter Rebellion, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and just about any other patriotic and Irish ethnic event one could imagine. I have never been inside Dean’s Bar, however I went to school with Mr.Dean’s children and his son still runs the public house until this day. Perhaps some Saint Patrick’s Day I will get up to 29th and Tasker to hoist a beer or two. In the meanwhile, Slainte Mhaith to my ethnic Irish compatriots. Have a great Saint Patrick’s Day!

Saint Blaise...keep us from postnasal drip!

2009-02-02T10:21:00.001-05:00

One of the greatest things I remember about growing up in Gray’s Ferry was how unashamedly Catholic we were in our Saint Gabriel days. Every school day was in itself an exercise in our Catholic faith starting with the prerequisite Catholic school uniform that was de rigueur in school. February 2 always has a particular fondness for me as well. Every year the entire school was marched over to the church to receive the “Blessing of Throats,” on the feast of Saint Blaise. The ritual has been observed by both the Eastern and the Western Church since the early 4th century, however we didn’t know that growing up Catholic in the ethnically insulated enclave of Gray’s Ferry.
I sort of remember the crossed candles being lighted at some point in the pre-Vatican II parochial life of an American Irish Catholic, however I am not too sure. In those days an ignited candle would pose a great threat to long haired Catholic grade school girls with large portions of flammable hairspray saturating their hair, as well as the layers of coats sweaters and scarves that were present in the frigid weather of February. Anyhow, the blessing was always something I really looked forward to each year…being the proverbial poster boy for ear, nose and throat infections!
The Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were always quick to recall the legend of Saint Blaise which had a young boy choaking on a fish bone. After Saint Blaise prayed over him and blessed his throat…he was healed and was able to breathe again. Always being the victim of nasal congestion due to sinus maladies I welcomed any opportunity to open the nasal passages and the commemoration of the Feast of Saint Blaise was a miraculous form of theological penicillin.
Regardless, sometimes we loose sight of the importance of these sacramentals in our modern Catholic Church. Celebration of the cult of the saints is somewhat comforting and reassuring for me as a contemporary Catholic. Over the years I have somehow acquired a first class (piece of bone) relic of Saint Blaise and I drag his bones out every year and bless my daughter’s throat with the relic. Again this year, I will tell her of the story of Saint Blaise, how he was martyred for his Catholic faith and how he is the patron saint against diseases of the throat. Part of the great heritage of growing up Catholic in Gray’s Ferry is the annual Blessing of Throats…a time when you actually got out of school for a bit, participated in an ancient sacramental of the Church, venerated the memory of a great Saint and Martyr and learned something about history, faith and religious celebrations.
Who knew the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary actually understood what they were doing! As I always say…Catholic schools need a dozen I.H.M. nuns to teach authentic Catholic theology…disregarding the sometimes pseudo Protestant evangelism that frequently passed for Catholic education these days.
Saint Blaise…pray for all of us! Especially those with persistent post nasal drip that Mrs.Gorman our gradeschool nurse could never understand!

The legacy of Bishop Neumann survives in Gray's Ferry!

2009-01-03T11:41:00.004-05:00

I came across this copy of the newspaper for the then Bishop Neumann High School from January 1977. It is really fitting to remember with great fondness the excitement and accomplishment we felt as students of Bishop Neumann High School when Pope Paul VI declared his intention to canonize Philadelphia's John Neumann as a saint in 1978.
Traditionally I write about different aspects of Gray's Ferry that are poignant examples of the historical legacy that enclave of Philadelphia contributed to our view of the South Philadelphia world. Well, quite honestly, the Catholic educational experience of Saint Gabriel, Saint Anthony, King of Peace, St.Aloysius and the countless other schools that are directly the result of Saint John Neumann are an important contribution to our Gray's Ferry and Philadelphia Catholic experiences.
I had forgotten about this article in the Rocket until rummaging around alot of old papers that have accumulated in my life. The article reminded me of the great educational experiences we have all had as a result of Catholic education, of neighborhood upbringing and our Catholic parochial faith. Perhaps the experiences of Catholic education have yet to reveal themselves in everyones lives, but it is still a good thing to remember our spiritual and educational heritages in Catholic Grade school and high school.
Saint John Neumann was not a resident of Gray's Ferry. However, the Catholics that inhabited the area during his episcopate would realize the benefits of his scaramental ministry with the establishment of the Catholic parochial school system,and the superlative education afforded to all of us as a result of his insights.
Let's use January 5th as a day to remember the spiritual and intellectual insights that Saint John Neumann directly and indirectly bestowed on all of us in Gray's Ferry and indeed the entire United States. His paternal application of Catholic education gave us all the strong roots that emerged into Bishop Neumann High School, Saint Maria Goretti High School and thousands of other Catholic sites of academic learning and spirituality.

New Year's Day, South Philly Style

2009-01-02T14:14:00.003-05:00

I just had a brief chance to watch yesterday's New Year's Day parade. It is not like when I used to live in Philadelphia and the whole neighborhood waited for the South Philadelphia String Band to perform in front of Saint Gabriel Parish's Convent.
Really, you knew you were in the midst of die hard, tradition bound, blue collar Irish Catholic ritual when you saw the string band serenading the IHM Sisters before the annual walk up Broad Street.
Of course those were also the days before the anticipated Mass for the Holy Day, so usually the Mummers and their families could also be seen at the 6:00 am Mass on New Year's Day. The entire neighborhood turned out just to enjoy the music and the excitement before the parade. If you were unable to make the parade...well you could just show up at 29th and Dickinson Streets for a early preview of the music and costumes.
The tradition of the Mummers is rooted in the colonial era custom of parading witches and wenches in costume at the beginning of the new year. The tradition was firmly established in England in the 17th century. Logically it became part of the "colonial-rule" tradition when we were part of the Motherland. Even though we had a Revolutionary War and we fought to disengage ourselves from English traditions and customs...they still seem to pop-up in the colonies, now called the United States.
How fitting to recall the tradition in Philadelphia, which in addition to its status as a leading urban center in British colony days, it was also the first seat of government for the nascent United States. Remembering tradition is an important part of our American heritage, and the Mummers Parade is nothing less than a remarkable journey of tradition, ritual, paganism and symbolism.
New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Nassau has Carnival but Philadelphia will always be the first parade to welcome the new year with the Mummers.

The Elderly...Great Resources of Catholic Identity and Memories!

2008-05-29T16:24:00.003-04:00

The topic of the elderly in society immediately draws my mind to a place of positive memories of my grandparents, great-grandparents and even my great-great grandmother. I was extremely fortunate to have experienced these individuals in my life. They were and are sources of inspiration that defines the texture of the fabric of society. The elderly among us are vast resources of knowledge, experiences and insights that should be cherished by all of us. After all, we are all potentially members of the silver-haired gentry that will hopefully contribute more pleasant memories of our generation to future posterity. The role of the elderly in our modern society is usually misconstrued as one that is antiquated as well as unrelated to modern experiences. As is the case, most of our elderly are considered to be rusting relics of times gone bye. This critical lack of understanding and appreciation for our senior brothers and sisters really provides a denial point of our own humanity as well as our own mortality.
We as a society need to revere and comprehend the elderly in society, not as persons that are no longer viable in mind and body; but as a national resource that is to be actively engaged for their expertise and opinions. After all whatever activity in which we are involved today they have done. These ladies and gentlemen are the senior sages on which the foundations of our modern life and industry are built. The elderly in our society have persevered through two world wars, the rise and fall of communism, the construction and destruction of the Berlin Wall as well as the arrival and demise of the Beatles. Our elderly ran the spectrum of all age groups as they fought in global conflicts, experimented with the Hula-hoop, protested the Vietnam War in the sixties and endured the leisure suit. Not only have they persisted and endured but survived social, economic and political upheaval but surprisingly lived to tell the tale. During their lifetimes in addition to dealing with a chaotic and changing world they had time to raise families, provide college educations for their children and continue civilized life for all of us to appreciate and understand. Their counsel should not be taken lightly. Their experiences are the equivalent of platinum ingots to those of us still striving to senior stage of our lives. We forget they were there when Kennedy was shot, man landed on the moon and Woodstock retreated into a muddy, distant memory. The elderly in our society taught us how to laugh, live, work, worship and love throughout all types of experiences and occupations, from the blue-collar worker to the Wall Street wizard. They quite simply were younger versions of ourselves with the same hopes, dreams and aspirations for themselves and their families. Both fortunately and unfortunately time continued on and now we have the question of the elderly in society as if we had invented the wheel.
When I think of the collective experiences that my grandparents encountered it overloads my mind. They worked hard, provided for their families and gave all of us the future we now call the present. The issue is how we can help these now gentle mavericks of society enjoy full inclusion in our modern society. The elderly are pillars of society. We should do all that is possible to enhance their lives and preserve their experiences. Simple things will accomplish this goal. Sit with a World War II era senior. Ask them about life during that time; get them to explain their lives and experiences during this chaotic period of history. Have them identify individuals in old photos, recount their life experiences, record them, photograph them and write it down. You are dealing with living history. When they are gone, the photographs will remain nameless faces of times and events gone by.
Foster your children and grandchildren to get to know someone that is now elderly. Ask them to teach your children about their lives, as well as have your children teach Grand mom and Grand pop how an iPod works, and how to burn a CD. Believe me the elderly can tell everyone about that vinyl disk we used to call an LP.
Educate a child that growing old is the natural progression of being human. We will all get to be the silver-haired fox hopefully with the right mentors as our guides. And finally in our society we need to show appreciation for the elderly in our society in some small manner. It could be opening a door, helping out with a heavy package or not using profanities when following a senior on the highway. Check on seniors that live alone, and invite them to share a meal with your family. We will all be in their places at some point in our lives. When we come to appreciate their lives and experiences our own appreciation of what is important will focus our views through their eyes and their experiences. Remember the elderly in our society have not only travelled the road on which we drive...they built it.

Memorial Day...Gray's Ferry Style!

2008-05-21T13:25:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day is the recognized beginning of the summer season in the United States. It marks the beginning of summer activities such as visits to the beach, walks on the Wildwood Boardwalk or just taking a long weekend to cope with the heat and great weather of summer. Growing up in Gray’s Ferry, I remember fondly Memorial Day being celebrated with the echo of “Taps” being played in the churchyard at Saint Gabriel. Veterans would assemble a parade from the multiple VFW Posts in the neighborhood and march off to the churchyard to present the American colors and lay a wreath at the priest’s graves in the local parishes. Usually the assembled Veterans would squeeze into their uniforms from World War II, Korea or Vietnam. I do remember some World War I veterans living still in Saint Gabriel Parish in the early 1960’s and 1970’s. They were really the last of the Great War generation.
Mournfully the sounds of military, “Taps” would conclude the wreath laying ceremony. What I most remember however are the three piercing volleys of gunfire that constituted the 21-gun salute. As children, we thought it was exciting to watch the gunfire and the ceremonies. Sometimes there would even be some competition to retrieve the brass cartridges discharged from the World War II vintage rifles. It was considered a great thing to pick up one of the spent cartridges and a keepsake to put with all of the other mementos of childhood. Most importantly, as I got older the piercing volley of gunshots recalled the great sacrifices of human life wars have cost our American society. Regardless of what activities take place on Memorial Day, it is still a solemn remembrance of those lost in our American military conflicts since the American Revolution in 1776. We cannot and should not forget any of these casualty’s that provide the foundation for our Republic’s freedom.
I remember the Gray’s Ferry Naval Home on Memorial Day as well. It was decorated with banners of red, white and blue to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday. Some of the residents at the home were retired Veterans from the Spanish-American War. They knew this day as Decoration Day and red-poppies were the symbol of their commemoration. You do not see many Veterans’ groups selling red poppies any more. The tradition is something part of a long past American tradition. Unfortunately, Memorial Day is not an event to honor the country’s war dead, but just an excuse for a long weekend and harried travel. Perhaps my reflective attention on this holiday is part of being a middle-aged male. Now I really appreciate the sacrifices made by generations of men and women in our American military forces. These sacrifices allow me to honestly write this column, remember these solemn events and recall their ultimate sacrifices of life for human liberty.
Block parties usually followed the traditional wreath laying ceremonies in Gray’s Ferry. If you are reading this article and do not know what a “block” is, then you need to get more in touch with your Gray’s Ferry roots. Block parties exhibited the best possible socialization available in our ethnically focused Irish-Catholic enclave of Gray’s Ferry. The celebrations brought the neighborhood people together by communally sharing in the preparation work for the party, providing the food and liquid libations and the neighborhood entertainment. Usually the entertainment came from the antics of all of the neighbors as they continued to keep the refreshments on tap …cold. We did not need trips to Morey’s Wild Water Kingdom in those days…we had the cooling and refreshing water of the fireplug to bring down the temperatures. There is nothing like the sloshing of wet Chuck Taylors along the concrete and asphalt of a Gray’s Ferry Street! Hot dogs and water ice never quite taste the same either as they did when cooked over an open fire in the heart of the inner city. Of course, we did not know Gray’s Ferry was in the inner city in those days…we thought it was the entire existence of the City
This weekend when you are backed up on the Garden State Parkway or sitting in traffic waiting to get to the Shore, think about the Memorial Day celebrations in Gray’s Ferry when you were growing up. Perhaps with those thoughts we can all instill in our families the real memorial going on here. Namely, a memorial of American patriots that lost their lives in service to their country.
Happy Memorial Day! Does anyone have a wrench for the fire hydrant?

Saint Aloysius Church...lives on!

2008-04-28T15:37:00.001-04:00

Stained Glass at the now suppressed St.Aloysius Church, Philadelphia, Pa.

There is no such thing as “desanctification” within the Catholic Church. That is precisely the reason we need to develop good stewardship practices. The Church needs to reuse, restore and refurbish materials when new parishes are built, not loot the parishes that are closed and sell our religious patrimony to the high bidder, only to be reused and profaned in some secular setting.

Recently in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia dedicated the parish of Saint Mary Magdalen in Media, Pa. The new church incorporated stained glass and other liturgical pieces that were taken from parishes suppressed in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia a few years ago. Saint Aloysius Church formerly in South Philadelphia was the source for the stained glass windows that now grace Saint Mary Magdalen Parish in Media, Pa. The former St.Aloysius Church was a national parish, dedicated to the needs of immigrant German Catholics in the 19th and 20th centuries. The stained glass dates from the 1890’s was originally produced in Germany for the original parish church.

This is the type of architectural integration and design integrity we need to foster in our Catholic Churches in the United States…quality reintegration of well-executed artistic pieces.

When we are considering the construction of a new parish community, existing resources of materials, statues, altars and so on should be considered for inclusion in the new church building. Not only does the practice conserve parish financial resources, it incorporates the historical and artistic elements of former parishes into the living organic activities of the new parish community. An organic bridge of continuity is built between the faithful communities of the past and the members of the Church present. In the same manner, the theological continuity of the Body of Christ is realized as well.

Parish communities need to be taught that the worshiping Church is a compilation of past, present and future members of the Mystical Body. We are all uniquely joined with all of our brothers and sisters in faith from all ages when we celebrate our Eucharistic sacrifice and the mysteries of our Catholic faith.

Saint Mary Magdalen Parish seems to have gotten it right in even reusing the altar of sacrifice from another suppressed parish, St. Clement, formerly in Southwest Philadelphia. The entire understanding of what the concept of “sacred” invokes is signified by the reintegration of the sacred altar from an old place of worship into a new, sacred place of worship clearly indicates the transcendent nature of our religious beliefs as well as the chronological continuity that endures in our Catholic rites. An altar, consecrated a century ago still represents the sacred mysteries of our Eucharistic faith even when that altar has been transported to a new environment.

Part of the movement in the United States regarding our Catholic Churches is the reinforcement and the reiteration of our churches as sacred space. They are not multi-purpose buildings that have multiple functions…they are our Catholic Churches specifically for the ritual celebration of our most sacred and holy rites. When any Catholic group finds it necessary to build or renovate the parish church, the ritual and sacramental purpose for the new building should always be first in the minds of those responsible for the planning and implementation.

While the Church is indeed composed of living people, we need a temporal place to celebrate our faith. With this in mind, every attempt to preserve quality objects and materials of our historical Catholicism should be integrated with our new sites for Catholic worship. Perhaps the best solution would be to educate clergy, religious and parishioners on the history and symbolism of Catholic art and architecture so they might better comprehend the unique social, cultural and artistic responsibility we as Church are called to preserve. As a Church we are responsible for catechesis and evangelization, but also reflection and comprehension of our most ancient and prolific historical foundations. Between our Catholic past and our Catholic present, there is a theological continuity that exists and deserves fostering and preservation. Perhaps if we consider this organic continuity, understanding Pope Benedict’s rationalization in restoring the Mass of Blessed John XXIII is better understood in terms of a “bridge” rather than an alternative means of liturgical worship.

The Pope clearly understands and wants the entire Church to understand that our Catholic identity is a cumulative appreciation of our past and our present and is continuously growing and evolving as a living, dynamic expression of our faith. In most cases, especially in the United States we sometime forget to realize there is a constant connection between the dimensions of the past, present and future.

In a society that exists in the constant, NOW of our society, the critical heritage of our foundational past is often forgotten. Additionally, the instantaneous demands of immediacy forget to consider the future implications of our actions. As Catholics, we are called to a greater sense of personal and historical responsibility in our actions. Our identity as Catholics is integrated to our theological past and our eschatological future. When we design, plan and build places for our liturgical worship, we should always be aware of this transcendent reality of our mysterious faith.

We are being called in the 21st century to a new age of Catholicism. Namely, a Catholicism that transcends geopolitical and social boundaries, one that integrates our qualitative liturgical and artistic traditions and attempts to adapt our cumulative Catholic identity into a new evangelization and catechesis for the whole world. Perhaps just a simple start of recycling our sacred objects and artistic expressions into modern houses of prayer, we can send a strong message to the entire world regarding our seriousness to instill religious and ecological quality to the next generation of Catholic faithful.

Hugh McNichol is a Catholic author and journalist that writes on Catholic topics and issues. He writes daily at http://verbumcarofactumest.blogspot.com & http://pewsitter.com “Nothing Left Unsaid!” is his daily column @ http://catholicnewsagency.com Comments are always welcome @ hugh.mcnichol@trinettc.com

The way we were!

2008-04-26T13:00:00.002-04:00

I thought I would add a little bit of the Gray's Ferry past to the site. This is the author around 1965.
Anyone that would like to have their photo added to the site...just email me a pic and I will gladly upload the photo.
Or even if you want to send a then and now pic...that will work as well.
Send the pics to hjmn4@comcast.net.

Maybe we can have a "identify" the photo contest.
Hugh

...off to Washington D.C.& New York!

2008-04-05T17:45:00.003-04:00

Well gang…I got my press credentials for the Pope’s visit to the United States. A few moths ago, I thought it would be a good idea to start putting my opinions on paper, that’s how this blog was conceived. I also thought it was a good idea to get some experience in writing about all of our childhood events that made us all uniquely, Gray’s Ferry! Well, that resulted in a daily column for Catholic News Agency, called, “Nothing Left Unsaid!”
When I applied for the credentials for Benedict’s visit, I thought press credentials would help gain some exposure for my column about Catholic topics and issues. All of you guys have read the column. I am also quite sure, my writings on Catholic topics have made you all a bit crazy as well. Thank you for bearing with me and reading them patiently.
Well, I got my wish, Catholic News Agency wants me to go to Washington and New York to cover the events of the Pope’s visit. So, next week, whatever I write will be…on the road from Washington and New York. Hopefully there will be some interesting stuff happening in the nations capitol.
So there it is…I opened my big mouth and I am off to cover the Pope. So much for a small first journalistic experience… I should have started with the coverage of a beef-and-beer in Gray’s Ferry.
Every day the events are changing…at this point, I will be in Washington, D.C. for the events and New York as well. So when you hear the Amtrak going by….its me…..

Maybe I will get a chance to see the back of Pope Benedict's Pope-Mobile...as I cram with the other 4900 journalists all trying to get a story:)

Losing good Norbertine men...

2008-03-26T16:35:00.005-04:00

I have recently learned of the death of two men that have been associated with Saint Gabriel Parish over the years, Abbott John Neitzel, O.Praem and earlier in March, Father Edward Kimpel, O.Praem.
Both of these men are well know to Southeast Catholic/Bishop Neumann/Saint John Neumann High School graduates. They both served as members of the faculty at the school,and Abbott Neitzel was principal of the school.
The Norbertine Community of Daylesford has suffered a great loss with the passing of these two priests. During my high school years and seminary education I was fortunate to have had multiple interactions with Abbott Neitzel. He was a true priest, a gentleman and a healer for all of those he encountered as a teacher, priest, abbott and educator. His leadership and gentle vision developed the Norbertine Community of Daylesford into a caring and fraternal community of priests and brothers. My own education and faith are the result of the great Norbertine legacy fostered by Abbott Neitzel.

Fr. Ed. Kimpel, O.Praem was also a legendary member of the Daylesford Community. As a priest he was a math teacher at Southeast Catholic/ BishopNeumann High School. Personally, he was my pastor during my Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary years and a frequent visitor to my parents home. He genuinely enjoyed his life as a priest and was always a great counsel for me as well. Many will remember him as a difficult math teacher, fortunately I knew him as a priestly pastor that always looked out for my concern and well being.
Both of these men have contributed to the Catholic upbringing of many young men from South Philadelphia. I am uniquely proud to have known both of these priests as consumate examples of the Norbertine tradition and men of prayer and Eucharistic devotion.
Abbott Neitzel will always remain the founding Abbott of Daylesford, a title that fits his quiet dignity and gentle pastoral sensibilities.
Fr. Kimpel will be most especially remembered by myself as my pastor at Saint Gabriel, a wise counsel and an enjoyable friend.
Together both of these men were in their personalities complete opposites in their priestly ministries, but they both effected many people in our South Philadelphia, Gray's Ferry and Catholic Church.
I will miss the influence they both had on my life and faith.
Prayers and condolences to the Norbertine family at Daylesford, at Archmere and in Middletown, De.

Memories of urban Irish Catholicism!

2008-03-15T12:23:00.003-04:00

Palm Sunday always reminds me of the little things that made living in the Gray’s Ferry area of Philadelphia so memorable. Being the ethnic enclave of Irish Catholicism, Palm Sunday always was a full house at Saint Gabriel Church, everyone wanted to take palm home to weave crosses and distribute them among family and friends. It is really quite amazing, no matter where you go, Catholic’s always have blessed palm on display in their homes during the entire year. The freshly cut fragrance of palm always reminds me of being an altar boy at Saint Gabriel’s, and the great ceremony that began on Palm Sunday. All of my fellow Gray’s Ferry Catholics will remember the Sunday High Mass, which included a procession with palms, altar boys with gloves and red sashes, Holy Water sprinkling over the assembly and the smell of burning beeswax candles.
I always remember too the choir that used to sing the parts of the Mass and the great crescendo of the pipe organ…it used to rock the Church. In those days, the High Mass was filled. Solemnity was the keystone of the Palm Sunday celebration and Holy Week was gearing up.
It was always great to arrive at Palm Sunday. It meant that we had survived Lent, there was a much needed school break, and Easter was at hand. Growing up Irish Catholic always had a special bravado associated with it in Saint Gabriel Parish, and Palm Sunday just marked the beginning of the week’s solemnities. There were many priests during those years of the 1960’s and 1970’s that led the parish in the transitional phases of the liturgical changes of Vatican II. I remember with fondness the cigar smoke that surrounded Msgr. Waldron, the jovial laughter of Fr. Bob Kerwick, the nascent priesthood of Fr. Sam Shoemaker and the broken English of Jesuit Father Charles Le Blanc.
Going to church on Palm Sunday and during Holy Week was just a natural part of growing up Catholic. It was like brushing your teeth or putting on your coat. The parish community always offered a place for gathering together in worship, parish socials or even weekly ticket raffles with the multiple Waters family pulling out the tickets.
Parish life was always interesting, from the group of men in the Holy Name Society that gathered in a smoke filled room in the rectory basement to count the collection, to the sale of the Sunday Inquirer at the entrance to the Church, the 50/50 drawing after the last Mass to CYO Basketball games and parish newspaper drives. Growing up in the ethnic Irish section of Gray’s Ferry was a time capsule of parochial days gone by.
As a father of a young girl, I tell my daughter about fivecent….pretzels (not the grammatically corrects 5 cents), penny candy, juice boxes, nuns in religious habits, altar BOYS and kneeling for communion.
In the typical fashion of a 21st century only child, she asks me to repeat what I was saying. Her iPod was too loud, and she was surfing the internet.
I really wish it were possible to take her back to the Irish Catholic days of Gray’s Ferry. Being Catholic would be like a medieval experience for my 21st century daughter. However, she would know what the Friday fast was all about, being a bold brazen article and segregation of the Catholic boys from the Catholic girls. Even more important, she could appreciate the art of walking to Church, playing pimple ball and having someone stamp on your new shoes in Saint Gabriel School yard.
Ah, the memories of growing up Catholic and the memories of Holy Week…make me want to do it all over again.

Nothing like a Neumann lunch bag!

2008-03-11T11:01:00.002-04:00

It is almost that time of the year again for the wearing of the green. My apologies, I have been so preoccupied about writing the religious blog, I have neglected the l pleasure of writing about growing up Irish Catholic, in a blue-collar metropolitan neighborhood. Over the past few weeks, I have received many emails regarding the upcoming potential 30th reunion of the boys from the Class of 1978 of Bishop Neumann High School. It is a very curious thing; collectively every one of the members of the Class of 1978 was comprised of different people from all over South Philadelphia. Yet however, as a class of students we all combined our parish’s ethnic and social contributions to the Neumann school community.
Maybe everyone has a similar experience as me. I remember sitting with guys from King of Peace, Mount Carmel, Saint Charles Borrowed and Sacred Heart Parishes at lunchtime in the subterranean cafeteria at Neumann. Some of us Saint Gabriel guys had the usual lunch fares, American cheese on white, while others had delicious leftovers from home that reflected their Italian, Polish, German heritages in their lunch bags. Peppers and eggs on a hard roll, sausages, Italian lunchmeats and cheeses were all part of the delectable lunch meals that came daily to Bishop Neumann High School. As a kid from 28th and Reed, I had no idea there were foods outside of the usual roast beef, ham and cabbage and the fried Friday flounder. One of the greatest experiences about Bishop Neumann High School was the chance to bargain and barter for other’s lunch contents. Of course, there were not always many takers for the Gray’s Ferry cheese on white, but it was always worth a try.
Now thirty years later the guys at Neumann are spread out over the United States, and the Goretti girls are going to take part in the reunion as well. My how times really change. If any of us were caught within 500 feet of Goretti in the 1970’s we would be at the Neumann version of The Breakfast Club. Today our schools are combined, consolidated, merged, stapled or blended together or how ever you want to call it, and the plans for the reunion are on.
I am looking forward to the reunion. Not only will it provide me an opportunity to catch up with the guys that played such an important part of my life, I will finally without any fear of retribution or detention be able to socialize with our sisters from Goretti.
Besides, the event will give me the chance to explore new gustatory delights that come from the mysterious and distant areas of South Philly outside of Gray’s Ferry.

Boys on the right side...girls on the left side!

2008-02-25T16:05:00.002-05:00

Recently a Georgia school district announced it was going to segregate educational classes and enforce a strictly boys only and girl’s only class environment. Well that is nothing progressive; the Catholic educational process of most of the 18-21 century has been keeping Catholic girls and boys in different educational environments for just about 200 years.
During my grade school years, there was some division, keeping the sexes apart. When going to Church we sat with ,”Boys on the Saint Joseph Side” and “Girls on the Blessed Mother side” To this day going to Church , I still have a tendency to seek the boy’s side…even though in my parish, Saint Joseph is bundled together with Mary and the Christ Child in one tidy statue. Perhaps such an artistic inability to separate Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child is a direct result of the integrated sexes after Vatican II, or as is most likely, a limited artistic budget.
Personally, I find nothing wrong with keeping the boys and the girls in different classrooms. Catholic education for me included attendance at an all male high school, all male college and postgraduate school (after all, it was a Catholic Seminary). The first real integration with women in an academic situation for me was while taking graduate studies at Neumann College in Aston, Pa. It really was an unusual feeling, mixing men and women in the same classroom. In deference to all of our Catholic educational backgrounds, men and women gravitated towards different sides of the classroom. It was not intentional, but in good Catholic tradition, the boys went to the right, the girls on the left.
Having been segregated from females most of my educational life, I find now as a married man, I need to sometimes run off to get some quiet time away from my wife and daughter. No, negative reason, but I find there is sometimes a need to pursue, “manly bonding” with high school classmates, college friends and now some active priest classmates. I think part of the fraternal bonding process is distinctly a part of Catholic education as the need to avoid restrooms that are labeled, UNISEX!”
Maybe I am just naïve. Maybe I am just an old dog and cannot learn new tricks. However, as the father of a young daughter, I look forward to any opportunity that keeps her away from the boys….until at least 30 years old.
When I was in high school, 2200 males attended my school. Since that time, my alma mater of Bishop Neumann High School no longer exists. It has been, consolidated, merged, incorporated, unsegregated and otherwise integrated with our old sister school of Saint Maria Goretti. Recently, some of my high school classmates have been trying to organize a 30th reunion and even suggested we participate jointly with Goretti’s Class of 1978. Well frankly, when I was 16 I would have been thrilled with the prospects of socializing with the Goretti girls. However, 30 years later, I am quite confused with the female names on the email distribution list. I knew these girls by their pre-marriage, or rather maiden names. Today, I have no idea who these women are or perhaps they are some of my own classmates that are in the middle of gender confusion as we peak at middle age. So in a good Catholic way…tell everyone your maiden names as well, just so we can keep the players straight (in more ways than one!)
The prospect of mixing our reunion with the girls we went to grade school with and were forcibly divided from by an institutional Berlin Wall is a positive one. Hopefully, 30 years after the fact we are all free from the natural hormonal imbalances that make boys be boys and girls be girls will have subsided (or at least be less pronounced)!
However, I for one can honestly say that segregation of the sexes in educational activities in my Catholic school experiences have made me quite honestly the Catholic man I am today. In the same way, such division, while painful for the adolescent teenager, has made all of us good Catholic men and women with ever-mindful moral and social values.
In all, what was formerly politically incorrect is becoming socially and politically acceptable and correct. The sooner we accept both male and female identity in our society; we can progress past the semantic foolishness of political correctness and accept we are all brothers and sisters regardless of our institutional longing for gender cohabitation.
Besides, some years after high school, each group will respectively try to escape society’s forced cohabitation and look forward to guy’s night and girl’s night.
In Catholicism, just like in the fashion world…what is old is once again new….
Maybe I will keep hoping my Saturday Night Fever polyester suit will return in vogue! One can only hope!

Fried fish and Mite boxes!

2008-02-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Ash Wednesday is upon us this week, and the faithful of the Universal Church will once again receive the penitent mark of ashes on their foreheads. Growing up Catholic made the ritual…well quite honestly…an expected ritual. Observance of Ash Wednesday was as much a part of Catholic Gray’s Ferry life as Christmas, Easter and Memorial Day celebrations. I always remember as a grade school student wondering if the size of the cross imposed on the forehead was determined by the amount of fasting and penance the priest thought you needed. Also in those days, priests and deacons were dispensers of the cindered palm and they were distributed like communion, kneeling along the altar rail. Three priests could spread a lot of ashes in a few minutes when the I.H.M. sisters led the juvenile crowd of parochial school students into Saint Gabriel Church for the annual sacramental.
However, the imposition of ashes wasn’t the only activity going on in the parish. It was also a time for fast and abstinence. In the days prior to Vatican II, and even after the council…when you went to Catholic school…everyone was bound by the fast, everyone was bound to abstinence…not by canon law, but by faithful traditions of neighborhood, school and culture. It was also the time of year when the whole neighborhood acquired the lingering aroma of fried flounder and the fragrance permeated until Good Friday. Fried flounder was usually the mainstay of the local Catholic fish eaters, and I for one was always proud to be part of the ancient tradition. If we really wanted a Lenten delicacy, Bills at 28th and Reed, served up fried crab cakes for .25 cents, bathed in the much despised today heavy cooking oils that everyone commonly used. My grandparents also prepared fried smelts and the best of all…oyster stew, which I always doused with a half a bottle of Heinz catsup and crushed OTC oyster crackers into the bowl. I think I was really trying to hide the oysters…but regardless the memory survives.
During the penitential session of lent the infamous “mite” boxes arrived in our parochial schools. We were supposed to use this period to offer sacrifices and drop coins into the perforated cardboard boxes to ransom pagan infants, restore the Church in Indonesia or something like that. Sometimes we even got to suggest names for the pagan children we ransomed from Communist ideology and I suppost that accounts for all of the “Johnny’s and Beth’s “that are running around in Communist China or the former U.S.S.R.! For us, good Catholic children, Lent was a time to take the nickels and give us candy and pretzels at recess. As I look back on those days, it was my first attempt at Weightwatchers, just with a Catholic twist. I also wonder what nuns counted all of those nickels and pennies…while they were hanging out in the convent after experiencing scores of probable ADHD children. God bless those I.H.M. Sisters. They had no pharmacological arsenal in those days…just the threat of after school detention.
Of course no Lenten observance would be complete without traditional Stations of the Cross by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri. For what seem to be 3 hours, we heard the priest sing out…”Let us kneel!”, “Let us stand!”, “Let us kneel” and so on. Besides the constant movement, the clouds of incense choking everyone in the Church, while we were all bundled up in our winter jackets…kneeling and standing and so on…was enough to have everyone a bit “green” from the liturgical exercise.
I even remember all of the statues were covered up in purple sacks. They all looked like large mummies, covered in purple until Holy Thursday. Today, we don’t cover all of the statues with purple bags. We just drape purple around the Church. But I miss the days of the purple bound saints and angels…I always wondered what those statues thought about being bound and covered for 40 days, and how they could still breathe !
If I listen really closely…I can still hear the sung verses of the Stabat Mater being belted out by hundreds of school children in the Church…
Ah…nothing like the fragrance of fried fish and Church incense on a Catholic afternoon……

Happy Feast of Saint Brigid of Kildare!

2008-02-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

This text is taken from the website of St.Brigid of Kildare Parish in Australia

St.Brigid of Kildare was known as “Mary of the Gael”. Her father, Dubthach, was a pagan nobleman of Leinster, and her mother, Brocessa, was a christian born of noble parentage. Much of what we know of Brigid is legend but she was revered with great esteem and admiration throughout Ireland. The first biography written about her was in the seventh century, long after any reliable historical information had been gathered. But at an early age Brigid decided to become a nun despite her father planning a suitable dynastic marriage.

Brigid established her first house for her nuns in the Liffey Valley; this became the most famous monastery in Ireland, and was known as Cell-Dara, “the church of the oak”. Brigid was the pioneer of Irish feminine monasticism in that she was the innovator of community life for women. She rallied together both bondwomen and free in adequately protected communities up and down the land. Of all her settlements, the greatest, the best known and the most enduring in fame was Kildare, a double monastery for monks and nuns under the joint rule of an abbot-bishop and an abbess. Brigid presided over the nuns while St.Conlaed was abbot of the monks. This tradition continued for centuries.

As a Christian evangelist, Brigid seems to have travelled extensively in her chariot, founding churches and monasteries throughout Ireland, obtaining freedom for captives, offering advice where it was wanted and probably where it wasn’t. She negotiated the release of hostages, healed lepers, assisted the poor, and was known for her miraculous powers. Richard Woods in his book “Spirituality of the Celtic Saints”, from which the above notes have been taken, relates how Brigid was consecrated by two bishops. “By accident, St.Mell mistakenly read over her the prayer for the consecration of a bishop. When St.MacCaille informed him of his error, Mel replied that it should stand, but that Brigid would be the only woman to hold the episcopal office in Ireland.” (P.66-67) The statue in our church at Gisborne has St.Brigid holding the bishop’s crozier in one hand and the symbol of the church in the other.

In the ninth century the relics of St.Brigid were removed to Downpatrick because of the threat of Viking raids. There they were interred in a tomb said to contain the bodies of St.Patrick and St.Columba. The tradition of making “St.Brigid’s Crosses” has been an annual custom among the Irish on the day before her feast , 1st.February, which corresponds with the pagan cult of Imbolc, one of the four great festivals of the old Celtic year.

[Of the four churches that have been part of the history of Gisborne Parish since 1868 three of them were named after the great Irish saints: St.Patrick, St.Columba and St.Brigid. The Celtic tradition still retains its influence to the present day.]

Catholic schools ...an education to fondly remember!

2008-01-25T15:22:00.000-05:00

Next week is the beginning of Catholic Schools week throughout the United States, and what a week it will prove to be. Throughout the country Catholic Schools will be busy showing the entire world the importance and value of Catholic education on all levels of the academic world. There will be science exhibits, special Eucharistic liturgies and even as in the case of my daughter the visitation of the local bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington to her school. What a great time to celebrate the heritage of our Catholic education and faith.
Just a generation ago, I attended school as part of the Catholic educational system. My formative years were deeply and positively effected by countless priests, religious and lay teachers that valued the Gospel message so much they choose to share it in their classroom talents. From the Carmelite Sisters at Saint Gabriel Kindergarten to the indestructible mighty Macs (Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) at Saint Gabriel Gradeschool, to the ancient and venerable Norbertine Fathers (O.Praem) my entire Catholic life owes a great gratitude to their patience, insight and even at times perseverance. All of these holy men and women deserve recognition that surpasses the amount of the national deficit and then some.
Always too, great laymen and women such as Ms.Sweeney, Ms.Valenti, Mr.Frank McCall, Ms.Helen Sweeney, Ms. Mary Helen Ward and so many others that offered their knowledge and skills to all of us in the world of Catholic education. Your service and sacrifices live on in many generations of Catholic believers…now fathers and mothers and perhaps even grandfathers and grandmothers in their own right. Thank you for the gift of faith and the gift of the love of knowledge.
Now for the best part. In celebration of the great memories I have of my Catholic education, I offer some memories from parochial school…long ago:
Remember the smell of the fresh soft pretzels in grade school…that were only a nickel!
How about those desks in the early days…anchored to the floor…in neat Catholic rows!
Seven sacraments that were taught with the Baltimore Catechism and even included Extreme Unction and Penance.
Penny candy…sometimes 3 for a penny candy!
Using sandpaper to clean the edges of your textbooks, and brown paper bags to cover them.
The practice sessions of The Palmer Method!
Being called a bold, brazen article by the Sister that taught your class!
Watching your grade school Sister whip around a power floor cleaner in full pre-Vatican II habit!
The little things Sister would say…especially when you swung your Rosary…you were giving the Devil a free ride!
Playing buck-buck in the school yard!
The days when Father Kerwick or Fr.Shoemaker would show up to give out the report cards!
Having to go to the convent basement to replenish the school’s candy supply!
No one having the least bit of concern about stuff like peanut allergies!
Having Mrs. Gorman come into the classroom and check everyone’s hair …and the surprise hearing exam!
In high school at Bishop Neumann High School it was always recommended the freshmen look for the 3rd floor swimming pool!
Remember the food frenzy called lunch at Goretti and Neumann when the chow bell rang!
How about having to clean off the cafeteria tables with what seemed to be the same sponge every day all year.
Goretti girls swinging those brass locker keys around!
Dating Goretti girls…and Goretti girls dating Neumann guys!
I could go on and on, and I am sure everyone else can as well. However these few thoughts are highlights of some memories of Catholic School.
Catholic Schools Week a time for celebration!
…a time for reflection,
…and as always a time for continued prayer!
Thanks to everyone, past and present that makes the Catholic educational experience come alive on a daily…and uniquely Catholic basis!

Lifting a pint in Gray's ferry to remember Ben....

2008-01-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

Benjamin Franklin would be celebrating his 302nd birthday today if he were around. When I think of this great inventor, scientist, politician, sage, founding father, first postmaster general, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera I also think of Benjamin Franklin the Gray’s Ferry visitor and guest. Very often during his colorful lifetime, Benjamin Franklin visited the Gray’s Ferry area of Philadelphia to share a pint or two and speculate about the agricultural theories of the colonial period with John Bartram. The two men were friends and shared common interests in horticulture, ornithology and agricultural techniques. It is really amazing to envision most of Gray’s Ferry as an agricultural area…however that’s exactly how it was. Today we are fortunate to still have the Bartram House and surrounding gardens as a reminder of the rich history and roots they are well established in this enclave of South Philadelphia. Unfortunately, it is not really a well visited historical site, such as Independence Hall, or the Betsy Ross House.
However, as we remember Benjamin Franklin today, I would like to think that he would be quite at ease in any part of Gray’s Ferry, past or even present. The community offered the opportunity for Franklin to let down his powdered wig and enjoy the busy activities of the ferry area, which was the primary point of entrance into colonial Philadelphia. I could just imagine Ben, hanging out at Bartram’s house, going around the fields, checking out the latest botanical specimens and trying out the latest harvesting techniques with his host John Bartram. It would also seem quite natural for all of the local residents to join the pair as Franklin wandered around and socialized with as many residents as possible.
Today however perhaps Ben would be sporting an IPod, have a cellular phone and maybe even look for a Wi-Fi spot where he could publish his thoughts for the Pennsylvania Gazette on his laptop, or check out his email on his Blackberry. Franklin would be quite at home in Gray’s Ferry…wandering around the streets, talking with all of the neighbors, perhaps even sharing a few libations with people at the local ale houses. It really makes me smile to think about the possibility of a contemporized; Ben Franklin having a cold pint at Dean’s Bar at 29th and Tasker, discussing the needs for better police services in the neighborhood, the value of town watch, the necessity of political changes in municipal government and the necessity of neighborhood dialogue among all faiths and races. He would have quite an audience of listeners in the local watering hole. The sage would be on stage, as are most gentlemen when they belly up to the bar and share a few philosophical pints with their friends and co-conspirators.
As we remember Ben Franklin as the colonial dynamo of political, scientific and democratic ambitions we really need to think of him as the modern prototype for the modern expressions of all American democratic ideals…the right to speak freely, the right to assemble wherever one likes, the right to work and develop a profitable lifestyle and the right to have dialogue with all types of people, creeds and ideas.
At the end of the day, I am sure that Ben would be hanging out on the corner at 29th and Tasker…bemoaning all of the issues that plague modern city living…however there would be one astute difference…Ben would be advocating change, promoting harmony and developing dialogue with everyone that would listen to his innovative and revolutionary ideas.
Today, such dialogue and discussion still goes on in neighborhood bars and other gathering spaces, such gatherings are essentially part of the American experience, the Philadelphia flavor and the thrill of growing up in a closely knit neighborhood. Lets all enjoy the legacy of the historical, social and political influences that have developed in Gray’s Ferry in and through its residents and visitors like Ben Franklin.
Happy Birthday Ben…the pints are on me at Deans!

Oh...them Golden Slippers!!!

2008-01-02T10:56:00.001-05:00

Growing up in Gray’s Ferry always included memories of the annual New Year’s Day parade. Saint Gabriel Parish always had the South Philadelphia String Band within the parish boundaries. The members of South Philly…were parishioners that hailed from a variety of professions. Some were welders, some were plumbers, others refinery workers, or chemical manufacturing workers or a long list of municipal servants from policemen to firemen to building code inspectors…as a whole however they were the men that diligently worked all year to bring melodious tunes and strutting golden slippers to the City of Philadelphia. Gray’s Ferry especially Saint Gabriel Parish uniquely hosted these men as they prepared for the New Year’s Day walk up Broad Street. In a lot of cases many of the “Mummers” attended Church at Saint Gabriel, were part of the serenading entourage that provided the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Saint Gabriel Convent a premature glimpse of the costumes and the musical renditions.
I am not sure if the string band still uses the auditorium at Saint Gabriel for practice sessions that prepare the strutting strummers for the New Year’s celebration. Regardless, such cooperation between parish and community organization always permitted me to develop a strong appreciation of the “grass roots” that develop and grow a parish faith community. In Gray’s Ferry the traditions of New Year’s celebration were exhibited on a year long basis as members of the faith community helped each other prepare for the New Year’s revelry. Regardless of occupations…sons and daughters of the parish all contributed towards the success of the celebration. That is really what I miss the most about living in a Catholic parish community…the neighborhood identity, the ethnic Irish celebrations, the distinctly Catholic activities and the spirit of communal participation that transcended generations of fathers, sons and grandsons…all engaged in the annual ritual of New Year’s celebration.
The Mummer’s tradition is historically rooted in bands of Irish minstrels that used to perform songs and dances in return for donations from the village people. Quite often, there was some Druidic influence on the nature of these celebrations. However with the rise of Christianity in the British Isles…this Celtic Mummery evolved into a celebratory parade that embraced Catholic and Celtic traditions.
There is nothing like hearing a string band marching up the street…and hearing the tunes that make everyone want to dance…even just a bit on New Year’s Day. When you grow up in Gray’s Ferry…you have to at least know how to raise your hands and strut…like the generations of Mummers that strutted before you. It is a sign of our heritage, a sign of our Irishness and a sign of our Christianity…celebration of God’s gift of life through song, dance and music!
I can here the fading notes every year…..Oh them Golden Slippers….reminding everyone that community participation and celebration are well rooted in the history of Gray’s Ferry and it’s multicultural generations of celebrating residents.

Catholic Identity...parochial school style!

2007-10-08T13:00:00.001-04:00

Growing up in a Roman Catholic, inner-city parish of Saint Gabriel really left little room to think of expressing one’s Catholic identity on a regular basis. For the most part, we didn’t even know there was anything other than Catholicism out there as a means of religious expressionism. Of course, once in a while we would try to get into the local John Chambers Presbyterian Church…to see what it looked like, or maybe even an excursion into the Greek Orthodox Church at 28th and Snyder, but that was about it. The ethnically insulated parish of Saint Gabriel was especially protective of our unique Catholic identity and we expressed that identity on a daily basis even if we did not realize it. Let me give you a few “Catholic-isms” that pervaded our neighborhood. Of course on Fridays, throughout the whole year the fragrances of flounder and other fish by-products, usually Mrs.Pauls could be orafactorilly noticed throughout all of Gray’s Ferry, the fast before the reception of Holy Communion was observed before Sunday Masses(hence the large participation in the 6:30 am Mass), Catholic uniforms dominated the scene every day in Saint Gabriel’s School, every night Catholic sporting events came to an instant conclusion at the ringing of the Angelus and visiting other local Catholic churches was just about as ecumenical as we would dare to go!
Catholic identity is not just part of parochial life in the 1960’s and 1970’s it is really an indoctrination into every aspect of life without question. Expressions of Catholic identity were everywhere, when people walked past the front of the Church, they sometimes genuflected or blessed themselves, grade school boys and girls wore the Rosary on the belts of their pants and school uniforms, Marian statues poked their images of the Mother of God through lace curtains and immaculately clean front windows. Perhaps a lot of this recollection is nostalgia for a Catholic existence that is no longer around…much like the quaint Ireland of John Wayne’s; The Quiet Man is gone forever as well. However my point is simply this…there was nothing wrong with our neighborhood recognitions of our uniquely Catholic and Irish identities on our parish level.
There was always something uniquely reassuring about being Catholic, in a neighborhood that is missing from my modern Catholic parish. Perhaps it is the slower pace of neighborhood living. We walked to school, walked to church and for recreation played sports on the neighborhood gridiron and baseball diamond. There are some people in Gray’s Ferry that never even learned how to drive, because the entire essence of their earthly existence was in the parish Church and neighborhood. Maybe the evolution from a neighborhood parochial system to the sprawling suburban parish complex is part of the blame for the erosion of visible Catholic identity over the past 50 years. Whatever has caused the Catholic individual to loose self identity or religious expressionism needs a serious reconsideration in our modern parish Catholic cultures.
Spiritual exercises like the May Procession, which marched all over the neighborhood is something we as Catholics need to reconstitute in our parish experiences. Catholic pride and the resurgence of such pride might be the key to 21st century evangelization and the acceptance of Catholic moral and ethical teachings. The Gospel message stands alone as the true content of Catholic social teaching and religious evangelization, however a little old fashioned Catholic expressions of faith cannot hurt either.
Perhaps our Catholic parish communities can start with little things to encourage a revitalization of Catholic public and internal identity. Lets start with recognition of the sacred nature of our liturgical assemblies, and understand that Catholic Mass is a transcendent interaction with our Eternal God, not a mere communal social gathering…but an expression of Divine Presence among us. A restoration of sacred signs and symbols and actions such as dressing appropriately in Church, genuflecting in reverence of the Blessed Sacrament, participation in the Eucharistic Liturgy and the common applications of Catholic love and courtesy in all aspects of our lives would be an appropriate beginning to a Catholic evangelization of the entire world.
Little things such as observance of Holy Days of Obligation, Fridays of fast and abstinence, Eucharistic adoration, May processions and similar actions not only enhanced Catholic religious identity in the 20th century it solidified our common Catholic beliefs as a Sacramental People imbued with a unique religious identity and dignity that makes all of us proud to be Catholic.
While the days of parochial schools and isolated ethnic neighborhoods are part of the passage of American Catholic history, some aspects of this cultural anomaly are well worth reviving and remembering. Neighborhoods like Saint Gabriel’s in Grays Ferry nurtured Catholic identity not because Catholic ideals and lifestyles were forced on the parishioners…they nurtured our Catholic identity because we were uniquely proud of our Catholic faith and Irish heritage.
As part of Catholic renewal and evangelization in the 21st century let’s impart a bit of South Philly Catholicism to all of our children and neighbors and show them clearly that being Catholic is a proud theological tradition that deserves emulation and modern participation. Don’t be afraid to show your Catholicity, order the fish on Fridays, go to Mass on a daily basis, vote in elections with Catholic morality in mind and remember all of the Catholic niceties that Sister Mary taught you when Catholic parochialism was the only …ism you have ever known.

Blessing the Schuylkill River!

2007-08-14T09:31:00.001-04:00

“Wedding and Blessing of the Sea”
It is a custom in many coastal regions in the US and Europe to have special blessings of the water - the sea or ocean - on the Feast of the Assumption. The custom originated in 15th century Italy, when a bishop traveling from Venice, during a storm at sea on the Feast of the Assumption, prayed and threw his pastoral ring into the sea from the ship — and the waters were calmed.
In the US, these celebrations take place annually in Atlantic City, Camden, Long Island, and in other coastal cities and seaports along the eastern seaboard. In some of these “blessings of the sea” celebrations, after the priest or bishop has blessed the water, the people wade out into the water and fill bottles with it, and apparently use it like regular holy water.
The celebration in Atlantic City is called the “wedding of the sea”, and part of the ceremony is the bishop (or priest) throwing a wreath of flowers and a ring from a boat into the water, symbolizing the union of the city and the sea. A similar blessing and “wedding” is an annual event in European coastal cities — and especially Venice, where it is, understandably, a celebration of longstanding tradition.
Taken from website Women for faith and Family.

I have always wondered where this tradition came from and how it made its way to the New Jersey shore. When I was growing up, the Feast of the Assumption was always a time for visitors to our home in Avalon, New Jersey. Everyone wanted to get themselves into the ocean for a good dip into the sea on Mary’s feast day. I never realized that the celebration was so universal in the application…I honestly thought that the notion was just one of Catholic voodoo that had developed in the United States with the Italian immigrants. I never quite understood how my maternal grandmother, with a maiden name of Kilrain would ever get caught up in what appears to be an Italian Catholic observation, but she did. It just shows how various cultures and traditions really do spread their beliefs just about everywhere and everyplace they have the chance to share common ideas.
When people visited on the Feast of the Assumption they indeed did fill bottles with salt water and took it home for use like holy water. What I could never understand was this…if water on that day was blessed…why people didn’t sprinkle water from the Schuylkill River around their houses. Why did they travel to the shore for Atlantic Ocean water?
Furthermore…why was there never a procession from Saint Gabriel Church to the banks of the Schuylkill River to join Gray’s Ferry to the river. After all, quite a bit of the economic history of the neighborhood was associated with the river. I guess the priests at King of Peace, a relatively Italian parish wandered over to the river on August 15. Regardless of place, river, ocean or stream traditions like the annual marriage of the sea are good reminders of our ethnic and cultural roots as Catholics. While today in the 21st century there is little time dedicated to devotional aspects of our Catholic faith, August 15 is a great example of a time revered devotional practice that not only brings us closer to our Catholic heritage, but it gives us a time to step back, relax and spend time with our brothers and sisters in faith.
I guess the reality of the gesture really isn’t about the marriage of the seas, miraculous powers associated with blessed water, or even celebrating the Assumption of Mary…it is ultimately about Catholic fellowship and sharing of our common beliefs in the Divine Mystery.
However, we choose to celebrate Mary on August 15, the notion of blessed water will always make me remember family visits at the shore, Mass in the morning of August 15, and a house full of people running to the beach to partake in the benefits of the water, made holy by not only Mary, the Mother of God, but by our common Catholic desire to share our faith in any way possible among ourselves and to the world.
Finally, I still think there should be a blessing of the waters of the Schuylkill River…God does indeed work miracles through mysterious ways!

Dies caninculae...

2007-08-10T13:47:00.000-04:00

It won’t be long before that old familiar ring of the school bell is sounding for my daughter. Right now everything is perfect in her potential third grade world. She sleeps late, stays up late, goes to the pool, gets off to the Jersey Shore to visit my parents, eats well and just really is enjoying the respite from academic life. However, I fear the time when the days will change in a few weeks. There are already a couple of indications that the summer season is coming to an abrupt halt. For one thing over the weekend my daughter is getting fitted for a new school uniform. That is a sure sign that things are going to change soon.
When my brother and sister and I were getting ready to go back to Saint Gabriel School in August, the sign was always very clear. We spent our summers in Avalon, New Jersey and spent most of the time on the beach. However when August came around, you knew school was not far off when two things happened: First, my mom planned a drive to the shopping mall in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and she started us on the “roughing it” stage in regards to food in the refrigerator. What that meant was that whatever was in the refrigerator would have to last us until we got back to South Philadelphia in a few weeks and the return to school. Well needless to say, I still have reoccurring nightmares about such gustatory delights such as “hot dog casserole” and “for the week” beef stew! I am not saying that my mother wasn’t a good cook, she was (and is) it’s just that these two dishes were sure signs of impending academic exercises at the hands of the I.H.M.nuns.
For the most part, the trip to the mall, (now Shore Mall) in Pleasantville, New Jersey meant of course new school shirts, new pants and some new accessories for the school bag. My memories of this activity are always sort of mixed…after all I was a “husky” type of guy. That meant, I could never fit into the usual stuff from Sears or Penney’s…my sartorial supplier was, Scotty Togs, on Catherine Street, or Christian Street (I cannot remember)! I also look back at those days with sheer horror and agony, especially when I actually look at the outfits we wore, large stripes on the pants, bell bottoms etc.
Of course my daughter doesn’t have to worry about the bell bottoms or the stripes, just the plaid uniform jumper (which takes effect in mid-October), some shorts, polo shirts and new shoes and sneakers. It was always a feat (not a pun) to get us back into shoes after running around at the beach for three months. My sister adapted quite easily. She was happy wherever she could find someone to talk with! My brother however was another story…he feared and dreaded school, he disliked the routine, disliked the uniform of Catholic school and quite honestly preferred to occupy his time with other, more important and interesting things. Well as the dog days (dies canincullae) loomed… we were outfitted, restored to a regimented eating schedule and menu and prepared to go home to Gray’s Ferry.
My daughter is really not too aware of what is in store for her in third grade. I suspect the modern equivalent of long division, some fractions, more spelling words, religion homework, gym and once again a school uniform. However I think the worst thing ever experienced by myself or my siblings is that overall loss of the feelings of absolute freedom as a new school year approaches.
When I was in grade school, I dealt with the horrible “butterflies” in my stomach by christening every nun I ever met on the first day of school. Thankfully, my daughter has a stronger intestinal constitution. However, time is coming when all of the usual rules will apply to all of the usual suspects as we anticipate the return of the school bells. Hopefully a few things will occur in the McNichol household this summer as we count down the days to school. One thing is the annual and obligatory visits to the beach for the last few weeks of summer; another is the compulsory shopping for school supplies and a new uniform. One thing I really hope doesn’t happen is this…hot dog casserole! I have to keep my mother and wife off the phone for the next few weeks, or else I will have to endure the old routine of, “roughing it,” in preparation for a new school year. Giving up the fun and the sun and the beach are things that I can give up for another year…but don’t take away my snacks, my cookies or my television remote!!

My space...Saint Gabes Style!

2007-08-09T11:35:00.000-04:00

Grays Ferry Neighborhood and St. Gabe's Parish & Catholic Elementary School

I was "Googling" around the other day and came across this MySpace entry.
http://groups.myspace.com/oldestgabesgraysferry
Evidently there is a place for past and present residents of Gray's Ferry to communicate online.
What a great idea. I am looking forward to knowing more about the Gray's Ferry My Space group.
I hope all of the Saint Gabriel and Gray's Ferry Diaspora take a look at the entry and perhaps know someone there you would like to get in touch with.

31st & Gray's Ferry circa 1916

2007-08-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

Very few of us can claim to have been around 31st & Gray's Ferry Avenue since 1916, but here is a photo of that corner none-the-less.
Just quickly doing the math, the photo was taken 91 years ago...that's allot of soft-pretzels and cheese steaks!
What really strikes me about this photo is how pristine everything on the corner looks. Hopefully in another 91 years there will be lots of Gray's Ferry descendants looking at our blogs and wondering in amazement how great our neighborhood looked for 2007.
Note the very fashionable Model T Ford I suppose in the left side of the photo!

Gray's Ferry Grade School Reunion

2007-07-31T14:01:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, this is really an announcement blog for a Saint Gabriel Reunion.
Pass it on to anyone that fits into these years and get them to come out to the bash.

ST. GABRIEL’S GRADE SCHOOL REUNION
Years 66, 67 & 68

PLACE: SOUTH PHILLY STRING BAND HALL ON 10/13

WE NEED CURRENT ADDRESS!!!!

COME AND BRING BACK OUR GRADE SCHOOL MEMORIES

Remember:

- Forming lines (boys in front, girls in back)
- Collecting Mallo Cup Cards
- Opening windows with long poles
- Getting under the desks for Air Raid Drills
- Writing the Act of Contrition 25 times for Father Murphy

COME AND SHARE YOUR STORIES, CATCH UP AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

If interested, call Joanne Kopaczewski (Noreik) – 215-336-3729
Or email jjokop826@aol.com or Kathy Kaitz (Keough) – 215-465-8249

Ghetto Flowers, a book by Francis Oliver Lynn

2007-07-26T11:30:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Francis Oliver Lynn on the publication of the book, Ghetto Flowers.
Lynn is a Saint Aloysius School graduate and a Bishop Neumann High School Graduate.
The book description is below and may be downloaded at lulu.com.
It looks like another interesting story about growing up in Gray's Ferry.
I am looking forward to reading the book.
Hugh

GHETTO FLOWERS(book)
Download: $12.50

Hardcover Print: $24.99

Ghetto Flowers is the story of multi-ethnic inner city youth coming of age in the red brick row home asphalt concrete jungle of South Philadelphia. The narrow streets, homes, and alleys form a complex culturally diverse maze of neighborhoods for kids to utilize every available opportunity to thrive in their struggle to survive. The book is semi-autobiographical, using actual and fictionalized events from the author’s life to illustrate the challenges young people face in their attempt to grow beyond cultural circumstances that hinder the discovery and unfolding of their innate potential. Ghetto Flowers is a collection of realistic stories woven into a novel and written so that young people can appreciate and understand the challenge of growing up with unusual educational and cultural influences in what many would consider a world of deprivation. The Ghetto Flowers will amaze you with their ingenious resourcefulness and their insatiable hunger for adventure.

Religion and cultural tolerance in Gray's Ferry!

2007-07-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

Gray's Ferry was years ahead of its time. Over the past few weeks there has been alot of attention given to Ave Maria, Florida and it's attempt to integrate a Catholic identity into its new town. Well, Gray's Ferry has been working on the premise of religious inclusion ever since its development.
Growing up in Gray's Ferry had just about every denomination of Christians you could imagine. Catholic Churches lived in harmonywith Episcopalian, and Calvinist and Evangelist and just about everyone else. There has always been communal integration of religion and ethnic diversity in Saint Gabriel Parish. Catholics, non-Catholics, Jewish,and Islamic believers find Gray's Ferry as religious home in this ethnically diverse neighborhood.
We used to call it a parish and a neighborhood. Just about any type of cultural experience could be found when growing up in Gray's Ferry. I don't remember any particular animosity against anyone group of individuals either. Religious groups of individuals mutually co-existed in Gray's Ferry and lived out their lives.
The Ave Maria, Florida project is an attempt at building a community of diversity based upon Catholic moral and social teachings. Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's pizza has been the brainchild of this town, which reflects his Catholic roots and heritage.
Well, I guess Gray's Ferry was the result of the Catholic community as an American parish in the 19th and 20th century. Nearly all of us lived within walking distance to our Catholic Church, most of us went to Catholic schools, and most of the local residents worked in local factories and jobs. That was our neighborhood.
Ave Maria, Florida is the same type of Catholic neighborhood, except on a more updated and modern scale.
It is really refreshing to see a city's downtown developed with proximity to a Catholic Church. Gray's Ferry is a great example of how a neighborhood either thrives or deteriorates according to the success or failure of the local Catholic Parish. When the Catholic Parish is strong, there is a strong community that loves and worships together. That is the goal of Ave Maria, Florida...a community that lives, prays , worships and is educated together in the precepts of Catholic moral and social teaching. Well that really has always been the results of growing up in Gray's Ferry as well. A lifestyle that is defined by family, faith and local community. Gray's Ferry exemplifies a neighborhood that has always permitted the freedom of religious expression, the inclusion of racial and ethnic diversity and the social success of its residents regardless of faith or ethnic background.
It is especially significant to note that even after difficult periods of racial and ethnic violence in Gray's Ferry the goal has always been towards healing and restoration of a harmonious family and faith filled life.
Ave Maria, Florida is a nascent city in developing a neighborhood and religious based lifestyle. Gray's Ferry has developed this mix of cultural and racial diversity for years and should be applauded for its complex growth.
The American concept of religious freedom of worship is rooted in Gray's Ferry, so too is the understanding of cultural and social diversity in the neighborhood.
While there have been many successes and failures in cultural assimilation in Gray's Ferry it should always be applauded for its continued attempts towards diversity and equality.
Hopefully the new city of Ave Maria, will use Gray's Ferry and it's neighborhood identity to develop and perfect the concept of Catholic cultural inclusion among its developing group of faithful Catholic residents.

Night Blooming Cereus

2007-07-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

This is not really a Gray's Ferry Grapevine entry, but rather a plug for the preservation of botanical species. Gray's Ferry had of course the Bartram family and their extensive collections of botanical species collected by the always curious Dr. Franklin and his buddies.
In a similar manner, I guess the Bartram influence has rubbed off to me as well. The photo shown is a flower from my in bloom night blooming cereus. The botanical name is hylocereus undatus. While it doesn't live in Gray's Ferry the species was known to have been collected by John Bartram at his Gray's Ferry estate.
Anyhow...as with everything I seem to accumulate and collect there is a story associated with this plant.
Around the summer of 1984 I had the chance to visit with the local Elkins Park potter...Bill Daley. After a great evening listening to him explain his techniques for pot making ( the pottery kind...nothing illicit), he gave me a plant which he described as having a truly magnificent white flower.
Well this plant and it's subsequent cuttings have been with me ever since. The plant has resided at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, in Avalon,New Jersey, in Naples,Florida and finally here in suburban Wilmington, Delaware. For most of the journey the thing never came into bloom.
For the last 8 years or so I have been fortunate to see the plant finally flower. It has become pot-bound and difficult to deal with when there is only a green foliage. However, when it blooms...all of the wait is well worth the time and pampering I give this plant throughout the year.
Anyhow, Bill told me that the plant was from a cutting taken and grown by one of his colleagues at the Philadelphia University of the Arts.
The fellow artist, whose name eludes my mind, was a Holocaust survivor and has had a piece of this plant growing since after the Second World War.
I will call Bill and once again ask him for the name of his fellow artist and plant lover.
So de facto, this plant and its descendants has been around for quite some time. It is very interesting how it has come to symbolize summers of great anticipation as I wait for the yearly blooms. It also reminds me allot about the short and precious time every living thing has during their lives. You see, the plant blooms during the night, and by 800 am the next morning the bloom closes and dies...then falls off the plant.
During the summer, I have been very blessed to have a few dozen flowers that come and go on this plant.
Perhaps that is the point of the story...we all come and go to different places and directions in life, but we share a common neighborhood (Gray's Ferry), a common faith (Catholicism) and a common desire to be happy in our lives.
While my personal plan is not to go the way of the night blooming cereus flower anytime soon...it really is out of my control. So...story short...we need to be thankful for all of the people that in the past, present and future that will bloom in our lives.
Initially, I thought the plant was a dud! It never flowered, never did quite anything but grow green leaves.
I guess the plant is like us...we sometimes take a long time to grow, develop and flourish...once we do however the blooms never stop.
Salutations to all of the night bloomers our there....:)

It also reminds me of the fig tree that always grew at 28th and Morris Streets...across from John Chambers Church. In the spring the hard and unripe figs made great projectiles for all types of city games and purposes. I don't think I ever ate any of the figs, which even now are one of my gustatory favorites. But I do remember the fig tree in the front yard of that house on the corner, directly across from the dry cleaners. Over the years I have had alot of fig trees,
but I always fondly remember the one that was like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree....growing inbetween a concrete wall and an asphalt curb in the heart of urban Gray's Ferry.
I guess we are all like that fig tree...urban figs now growing everywhere in contempory suburbia.

Wyeth and Wilmington?

2007-07-06T16:57:00.000-04:00

Whenever we think of certain things around the world, there is an immediate connection between the object and its place. For example, when one thinks of the Great Pyramids, Egypt immediately comes to mind. When you think of Paris, the Louvre pops into popular attention, Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell, Simon and Garfunkel , the Philly cheese steak and so on.
That connection is the same with the Barnes Foundation and Lower Merion. Anything else other than this combination would be quite misunderstood and foreign to our Delaware Valley ears. I cannot imagine Hershey, Pennsylvania without chocolate; it is the same as with the Barnes Foundation and Lower Merion. Their seemingly love-hate relationship has come to epitomize the eccentric relationship Dr.Barnes would have relished…just like a hot dog with mustard, or New York with the Empire State Building! For years now there have been multiple attempts to move the beloved collection from its Lower Merion home to a new place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The completion of such a move would wreak havoc on not only popular public legend and lure, but it would be terribly devastating to the enduring sour relationship provided by Dr. Barnes in the establishment of his peculiar artistic legacy.
Imagine, an art community that no longer has an issue to discuss about the state of the Barnes Foundation. Such an intellectual pursuit of perpetual discussion would be the demise as catastrophic as the blissful relationship between Mickey and Minnie Mouse. It would be right up there with the exploits of Tom and Jerry if the perennially mischievous cat would ever get his way! I must confess however, I am still not quite certain which is Tom and which is Jerry! But that is part of the allure…the perpetual struggle to achieve feline domination over the rodent world!
What would we do if the legacy and image of Dr.Barnes were transformed into a cheery happy faced humanitarian individual that wanted the entire world to experience the magnificence of his art collection? Such an image would be akin to Joseph Stalin having a huge smile or Hitler sans moustache! Freud without the id, ego and superego...it would really mess things up!
Besides offering a quirky and often misunderstood legacy the Barnes Foundation is the quintessential peanut butter and jelly sandwich entrée that goes perfectly hand-in-hand with a Delaware Valley rags to riches story, just like Chadds Ford and the Wyeth legacy belongs together. Or was that Wyeth and Wilmington….i can’t remember!
Or was that ham and cheese, Boston and the tepid tea party, Valley Forge and the Continental Army, Lord Nelson and the Spanish Armada, Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, Benny and the Jets, Peter, Paul and Mary and so on. I think you get my message...just like Romeo and Juliet!

Goretti lambs an endangered species!

2007-07-06T15:50:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. Today is the celebration of the feast of Saint Maria Goretti. It is especially important as a celebration day for all of those females that went to the venerable institution of that name in South Philadelphia.
The powder blue uniform of a Saint Maria Goretti student is really a seminal image in Philadelphia. Armed with their cord festooned locker key, Goretti girls have quite honestly gone all around the world as successful mothers, journalists, businesswomen and so on.
Even my own mother is a graduate of Saint Maria Goretti High School. I often think about all of the women that have benefited from all of the experiences at 10th and Moore Streets and recall fond memories. I participated as a student in Goretti's proms, dances and other events. Equally I had the pleasure of knowing well two of the high schools late principals, Rev.Msgr.James Wamsley, and Rev. Peter J.Slane. Both of these men were exceptional examples of the great priests that ministered at that school.
I suppose the statue of St.Maria Goretti that resides at the school entrance is often overlooked. Considering the new name of the school is Saint John Neumann-Saint Maria Goretti High School the school's illustrious past should never be forgotten. All of the girls in Gray's Ferry gave a particular flavour to the schools personality as they took the bus to school over many years. Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Kathy Gandolfo about the sadness of the school's merger with its male counterpart. She agreed, she will always be a true Goretti girl.
The powder blue uniforms might be a thing of the past, and the halls at 10th and Moore are now integrated with males from the former Saint John Neumann High School, but there will always be a special memory of Saint Maria Goretti High School and its female graduates.
If it weren't for those female students, the Saturday night dances, the Turkey Trot and the Ring Dance at Neumann's gym would have never taken place, nor would they have been a quintessential milestone in the healthy development of both school's graduates.
Happy Feast Day Saint Maria Goretti!
Your graduates truly reflect the virtuous life your patron saint inspired!

Gray's Ferry Reunion at the shore!

2007-06-21T16:17:00.000-04:00

This coming weekend Gray's Ferry will be represented in force by various alumni et alumnae of all of it's Catholic parishes. Faithful Gray's Ferry -ites, past and present will be in North Wildwood for a pseudo-reunion that will benefit educational causes in Gray's Ferry.
In tandem with this noteworthy gathering, the old guard of Southeast Catholic, Bishop Neumann, St.John Neumann High School will raise a few pints of rum to recall their high school exploits at the annual, Pirates of the Point reunion.
It is really a good thing that all of these men and women celebrate their Gray's Ferry roots, their Catholic roots and their communal educational experiences. Really, this weekend...any conversations that might occur between Gray's Ferry Diaspora will seem like they are still enjoying a game of stick ball at 29th and Tasker!
It is a unique thing about neighborhood ties that bind us together. It must be something about Gray's Ferry, about being Catholic, and about being of Irish descent...no matter how long it has been since you have seen the old gang...the conversation just picks up from where it left off. I guess that is the benefit of Gaelic Blarney and a few well placed pints of Guinness.
Quite frankly it seems like yesterday since I prowled the streets of Gray's Ferry and trudged through the halls of Saint Gabriel School. However, I guess everyone will say that this weekend. While it is a good thing to remember the past...it is always a better thing to see all of the gang alive and well in the present. So hopefully I will get to see some of the Ramcats and the Pirates at the Jersey shore this weekend. I have so many allegiances and connections...I don't know whether to wear green and gold, or orange and black! Perhaps I will just compromise and wear a green carnation.Hopefully I will make the gathering. However, my daughter is in a dance recital so that comes first. Besides whenever you guys see me....you ask about my sister Karen. I guess she will pop in and make an appearance and give everyone a few well placed laughs!! Anyhow...best wishes to all of the Gray's Ferry crowd and the Pirates this weekend...the shore will never be quite the same.
Slainte! and God Bless!

Gray's Ferry and Old Glory!

2007-06-14T07:56:00.000-04:00

Today is Flag Day. In the United States we remember the primary symbol of our nations freedom and democracy with the flag. Of course there is a connection with the United States Flag and Gray's Ferry. To consider the connection we need to go back once again to the Schuylkill Arsenal, which was the Quartermaster Depot for the United States military since the 1790's. One needs to recall that Philadelphia served as the nations capitol for a while after the Articles of Confederation and the American Revolution. Additionally, the city was a "sewing" industrial hub of the original 13 colonies.

While Betsy Ross didn't live in Gray's Ferry. If she did, her name would most likely have been Betty. The Quartermaster Depot did exist in Gray's Ferry. In a previous post I mentioned all of the canvas uniforms and accessories that Gray's Ferry provided to all of America's war efforts. Well...the Schuylkill Arsenal was also the largest supplier of American Flags, and military flags including the presidential flags until the demise of the Quartermaster Corps in the late 1980's.
So when you see all of those old John Wayne movies, either in the Mexican War, the Civil War, The First World War, The Second World War, Korean War as well as Vietnam...the Stars and Stripes charging into battle was most likely made in Gray's Ferry.
Such a connection really gives me a new perspective on not only the historical connection that Gray's Ferry has to all of America's military history, it makes me want to dig a little deeper to find a Betsy Ross in Gray's Ferry connection. Keep reading, and I will keep you posted.

Saint Anthony in the Devil’s Pocket!

2007-06-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

For most of us that grew up in Gray’s Ferry there was always Saint Anthony’s Parish which was, up on Gray’s Ferry Road. It was a great parish church, at one time offered a large parochial competition to all of Saint Gabriel’s sporting teams and included an area little known outside of us real cognoscenti called The Devil’s Pocket. Not it is not a spin off of the Bermuda Triangle or any other mystical catastrophic event it’s just the expression used to describe the rough and tumble antics of Gray’s Ferry kids at the turn of the 20th century. From what I can research from the golden jubilee book of Saint Gabriel’s Parish the founding pastor Fr. Mellon used the phrase to describe the mischievous activities of Gray’s Ferry youth. He reportedly said, the kids from my parish are so mischievous they would steal the watch from the Devil’s pocket!” The phrase might have been forgotten, but the Devil’s Pocket started to mean all of the spirited and mischievous pranksters that roamed and lived in the Gray’s Ferry area during their youth. So once again there is a clerical influence, namely Father Mellon to our vernacular terminology.
Something to note as well. Saint Gabriel Parish was carved out of territory that was previously part of Saint Anthony’s Parish…up the road. But any how the celebration of Saint Anthony of Padua is uniquely associated with a very historical and colorful section of South Philadelphia. The parish ceased to exist sometime in the late 1980’s. However I have great and font memories of helping out Fr. Joseph Meehan at various points in the liturgical year, especially during Holy Week. The parish church was a magnificent sacred space, with an upper church and a lower church, something we didn’t have at Saint Gabes. Also the church was the national shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua. I don’t know if many people knew this, but I think the plaque is still mounted on the church building. By the way, the church is now a church for another worshiping denomination. However, I am sure remnants of local Catholics are always welcome to make a visit.
When I was a small child, my maternal grandmother, who was from Saint Anthony’s Parish always had, what I thought was a huge statue of Saint Anthony in her bedroom. The story was that her grandmother had rescued the statue from a pawn shop on South Street for just a few pennies. She couldn’t bear the thought of, “Poor Saint Anthony” hanging out in a pawn shop window! Well that is a great testimony to the simple faith of the people in Gray’s Ferry. They were mostly Irish immigrants, laborers and Catholic. They worked on coal barges, factories, mills, some were policemen, some were firemen, and some even worked as domestic help for the newly built hotels in center city Philadelphia. Most of the parishioners in Saint Gabriel and Saint Anthony Parish always invoked Saint Anthony’s help when they lost something and needed his help to find it. To this day, I still at one point during the day…ask, “Dear Saint Anthony, please come around…. It might be a simple statement of faith in the saintly Anthony’s abilities, but I always locate my car keys! Also for the record, my mother still has that old chalk statue of Saint Anthony. It really isn’t six feet tall, as I thought when I was a kid; it’s about a foot an a half. He has a chip out of his neck a few scuffs and nicks, but I think he made out better with my grandmother than he would have in a pawn shop window. He is even doing better than me; he lives full time in my parent’s house in Avalon, NJ. Not a bad place to be an iconic image and an antique representation of a saint!
Any how the real point of all of this is to call attention to the truly unique and special experiences that we experienced in The Devil’s Pocket, at Saint Anthony’s Church, at Saint Gabes Church and all around in Gray’s Ferry. We need to remember that whenever you hear that someone is from, The Devil’s Pocket…they are not to be toyed with lightly. The section will always represent the rough and tumble days of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as a place that made a lot of memories for a lot of people. And remember when you run into a person that hails from “The Devil’s Pocket” take some time to exaggerate about all of the great adventures you had as a child in that area of Gray’s Ferry. Maybe even get them to brag to you in the quintessential Irish-Catholic manner over a cold pint at Dean’s Bar.

Power outage?

2007-06-12T15:10:00.000-04:00

It has only been about a week and my daughter is BORED with summer vacation. Personally I think she needs to spend some time at 29th and Tasker learning how to pitch pennies, swing a sawed -off broom stick, spread her cheeks on the gushing waters of a fire plug and learn how to run away from anyother kid thats bigger than you and WILL tune you up.
Every electronic gadget know to a childs universe gets plugged in at the McNichol residence...but she is BORED.
I don't know about all of you other Gray's Ferry alumni with children...but what do you do with kids that are in a state of suburban boredom.
When I wandered Gray's Ferry, we looked for pocket change that people had lost on the street, retrieved old half balls and pimple balls from being stuck on the roof, rang the bells of people we wanted to watch pop out to see who was ringing the bell, scoured the streets to look for glass bottles to take to Jerrys or Pops for the deposit. It was always great too when the pretzel guy came around, they were only 5 cent a piece. I say 5 cent because it drove the IHM Sisters nuts when you said cent instead of cents. Ah the little things that really keep city kids going:)
We used to get water ice...I mean real water ice, made by some old man or old lady made at a corner store, not the parody of Italian water ice we call Rita's today!.
If we had some money we went into a corner store, tried to hang out and exhaust their air conditioning before they threw us out onto the street. Malls didn't exist. When we were kids in South Philly you had to do things the old fashioned way...with sweat. Maybe it is just me, maybe every generation says the same things...but how can any kid be bored? The great part of being a kid in Gray's Ferry was that there were hundreds of other kids you could find to hang out with, play baseball with, or just about any other "with" you could imagine.
It makes me crazy when I hear about kids that are bored with the electronical equivilent of IBM's mainframe at home. They have cable TV. We didn't have cable for a long while. You were lucky if you could get the VHF and UHF channels to appear without a shadow. We had Sally Starr, Captain Noah and Gene London. They have the Spice Girls, Disney Channel, Pokemon, Gamesboys (and girls), video on demand, internet access, Ipods, downloading CD's, electronic games, AIR CONDITIONING,
rides to and from indoor and outdoor pools, 10 bathing suits, 250 channels, instant messaging, email, voice mail, U.S.mail and even ice cubes and water that come out of the front of the refrigerator. But they are bored. Well gang take it from an old city kid. If the electrical service ever goes out on America's teens and kids they will need lots of sedatives. They will have no idea what to do with themselves! Well, for my sake I hope the power doesn't go out either...my daughter would drive me crazy!

School's out for summer!

2007-06-07T11:32:00.000-04:00

I am sure all of my fellow Gray's Ferry alumni remember the feeling that comes with the last bell at Saint Gabe's. Every year I would count down the days until we were out on summer vacation. It always seemed like an eternity before we were able to walk in a nonparochial line past 29th and Dickinson. However, once the time came, it was time for stick ball, fire hydrants and getting to sleep in. Well for me, it is the start of a summer off for my daughter. She finished second grade at Saint John the Beloved School outside of Wilmington, De. It has only been 1 day and she is getting house crazy. That is one of the real drawbacks about not living in the city. When you live in the suburbs everything requires "a ride". Kids don't play in cul-de-sacs. They don't even seem to come out of their homes until about 4:00pm. My daughter never even sees another grade school companion without an organized play date. What a crock. We never had to set up, "play dates" in Gray's Ferry. You were tossed out the front door and told to..."go play." In most cases that meant unrestricted freedom to roam the neighborhood. I don't remember ever feeling restricted in Gray's Ferry by any sense of the word. We wandered to and from all of the playgrounds, make excursions into the foreign parishes of Saint Aloysius and King of Peace. If you were really brave...you might have wandered to the lakes to create some trouble there. Play dates....a suburban invention meant to tie up all of the yuppie parents that relive their childhoods through their children. Sports, recreation and play in Gray's Ferry went from stickball to street hockey, to baseball at Anthony Wayne and basketball wherever there was a hoop and a couple of people. We never arranged to "let" people play. You just went out there and played. If your didn't get along together...well you settled it the Gray's Ferry way. I really think all of our children need a extended visit to Gray's Ferry during summer vacation. This way they could learn about alot of things...especially a lesson, in self defense as well as interpersonal relationships in the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong...I am not in favor of any "bullying". But...I know my daughter would benefit from a Gray's Ferry Summer Camp. It is really quite amusing that when we were kids, there was Camp Overbrook, which took parish kids out to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary to swim. What is amusing is the fact that no one was waiting to board a bus to come into Gray's Ferry in order to learn the fine art of being a "neighborhood kid".
Well, I for one think there should be such an exchange of children and activities. The next time your children complain they have little or nothing to do....bring them down to Vare or Lanier, or Finnegans (as Susan Davis reminded me) and let them experience being a kid without all of their electronic accessories and predetermined play dates. It would be like being on 28th Street, when my mother told us....get out and play.
Frankly, we couldn't get out of the door fast enough.
Anyone up for some pimple ball?

Happy Feast of Saint Norbert!

2007-06-06T12:35:00.000-04:00

Painting of Saint Norbert by Robert McGovern

Alot of things have been associated with Gray's Ferry over the years. The Norbertine Fathers of Daylesford Abbey have always been closely linked to the South Philadelphia community and especially Saint Gabriel. Most of the male Gray's Ferry grade school graduates went to Southeast Catholic, Bishop Neumann, Saint John Neumann High School. The priests in the white habits were always there to provide academic instruction as well as spiritual inspiration. All of us guys that went to Neumann remember fondly Norbertine Fathers, such as Fr. George Feider, Fr.Tim Mullens, Fr.Al Koob and many others that are part of the celestial priory.
Today is the liturgical feast of Saint Norbert. It is a special day of devotion for the Norbertine Fathers. It recalls the life and legacy of their founder, Saint Norbert. Congratulations to the entire Norbertine community on this their patronal feast. Also too, we need to remember and thank the community for all of the great contributions they have made to our Gray's Ferry Community. On a regular basis, Father Mike Lee, and Fr.Jim Rodia minister to the people of Saint Gabriel's Parish. Great work in keeping the sacramental traditions of St.Norbert alive in Gray's Ferry. While the community no longer staffs the boys Catholic high school...all Neumann graduates have a great story to tell regarding the Norbertine influence in their lives.

...enjoying the Snow Cone!

2007-06-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

I have been a bit laxed recently in keeping up with the Gray’s Ferry Grapevine. No reason really, other than the usual stuff, weekends at the shore, Katie to and from school, getting some work done, and really just living life. That is quite honestly what it is all about. Living life, living it well and enjoying the world around us. This time of year gets hectic and busy. In May there was the perpetual cycle of First Communions, Confirmations and Baptisms. Of course the pivotal day in May is Mother’s Day, and all of our activities focus on this Sunday. Here we are in June, and the end of school is looming over me as a parent. My daughter will soon become a Nintendo addict for the summer season, trips to the shore and maybe Hershey Park will highlight our latter June. Tonight we have launched the start of the summer season with our parish carnival. All of the old mechanical favorites have made their return at Saint John the Beloved Parish. They are quietly teasing the grade school children all day…as he clock ticks down towards afternoon dismissal. It is a part of Catholic School. Watching the clock and waiting. In the case of Gray’s Ferry we watched the clock in anticipation of Neumann’s carnival. We knew that at about 600 pm, one of the intrinsic rites of Catholic social activity would happen. The carnival would open. Everyone would get themselves ready to be seen at the event. It was a time for flirtation and fun as young Catholics coupled carnival activities with a bit of amateur romance. The carnival was a big thing especially if you were going to meet up with “somebody” there. The event today in suburbia has not changed either; the familiar smell of hairspray chokes the crowd when you pass the ladies room. Packs of wolverine boys hang out on the peripheral edges of the food concessions and popular rides. They are waiting to talk with that special girl, but are too shy to act. As a result the guys hang out, the girls hang out and it is a good Catholic carnival, romance is in the air, but the players remain set apart. Of course there is always the rare occasion when guys and girls do get together, usually on the ZIPPER, or the Ferris wheel or maybe at the water guns. It’s where all of the male testosterone is exhausted by trying to win a .50 cents stuffed animal, in hopes of making a good impression on the girls. We did all of that at Saint Gabriel’s when we went to the Neumann Carnival. It is a rite of passing to spend time at the parish carnival. The goal is not to win stuffed animals, nor to really enjoy the rides. The goal is to uniquely show your own identity outside of the plaid uniform skirt, or the shirt and plaid tie school attire. It is a good part of being part of a faithful parish and neighborhood community. It is an activity whose sights, sounds, smells and noises will remain with all of us for our lifetimes. Today my daughter clearly gave me instructions not to embarrass her tonight. I guess that means my little girl is becoming part of the preteenager group. So, like hundreds of thousands of good Catholic parents before me, I’ll hang out, out of view as my daughter enjoys the sights and sounds of the parish carnival. From a distance, I will keep an eye on her while her parochial grade school friends move from ride to ride and gustatory consumption to gustatory consumption. All the while, I will also remember that nothing really changes in our lives. Some things remain constant. The only real concern I have about going to the parish carnival is making sure my daughter wears something that I consider appropriate…and that the boys leave her alone. In the next couple of years I won’t even be able to do even that, so I am going to enjoy my snow cone, keep an eye on Katie and watch the next generations of young Catholics enjoy their parish carnival experiences.