Class Photo, 1963

At the March 13 gathering at St. Martin de Porres/St. Thomas Aquinas individuals from many different classes attended.  One individual who rallied her classmates was Diane Wixted.  She not only encouraged several of her classmates to attend, she also generously brought pastries to share will all of the attendees.  Recently, she sent a copy of her 1963 class photo.  Unfortunately, the reproduction is of poor quality.   But, the faces can be deciphered and the names, if you enlarge the photo, can be read.  If anyone has a better scan of the photo, send it along and it will be posted.

Siblings of the Class of 1960 in this photo include Bill Houlihan, Tom Hughes, Tom Kelley, P. Mangan, A. Salemi, B Redding, Bob Stocker and Jim O'Connor (brother of Tom).  Possibly one of those McGraths belong to our Tom?  Are there more?

To enlarge the photo, click once on the image.  When it opens in a separate window, click on the image again to enlarge to full size.  Thanks Diane for sharing the photo.

Photo courtesy: Diane Wixted, Class of 1963

First Holy Communion, Class of 1961

At the March 13, 2011 reunion at St. Martin de Porres/St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Marion Stocker, Class of 1961, brought her First Holy Communion photo.  Dan Carr photographed it.

Although it was in "delicate" shape, the rephotographing of it, has preserved most of the individuals' faces.  Thanks Dan for the preservation!  Bill Stocker thinks the damage was done by their parakeet chewing on the corners!!!  I think that is a much better line than "my dog ate it." 

I do see at least one 1960 classmate standing to the left of Msgr. Long --- it is altar boy Thomas O'Connor.  Do you see others?

Note, this photograph is dated 1954 as is the Class of 1960's first holy communion picture.   How can that be??

Joan Nallen Blasi knows why.  She shared with us that her mother had written on the back of their photo that the First Holy Communion Day for the class of 1961 was on Thanksgiving Day, 1954.   Both Joan and her brother made their First Holy Communion together.  Joan is pictured on the left side, second row from the top, third in from the left.  Thanks Joan for clearing up the mystery

To view a larger image, click on the photo, once it opens in a separate window, click on it again and it will open to full size.

Priests and Nuns: STA 1942-1951

Here is a bit of STA trivia for students from grammar school years (1942 - 1951) supplied by Bill Moorhead, Class of 1951.

Priests at the parish:

• Rt. Rev. Msgr. William P. Long, pastor.
• Rt. Rev. Daniel F. Cunningham, in residence while Catholic Schools Superintendent. Later became pastor at St. Angela Parish
• Fr. Vitha, later became pastor of Queen of Martyrs, Chicago
• Fr. Henry, later became pastor of St. Phillip parish, Northlake
• Fr. Buck later became pastor of Our Lady of Hope, Rosemont (one of his first curates was a former student at STA, class of '53 who was ordained in 1965, John Dewes. A classmate of John's was John McCarville who later became a pastor at STA. Fr. Dewes is now pastor emeritus of St. Anne's (Barrington)
• Fr. Dorney went from STA to St. Angela's
• Fr. Rabbitt

Teachers at the school:
During Bill's time the were no lay teachers - only nuns. Very rarely did he have a lay teacher as a substitute.  He remembers very clearly his teachers who are listed first.

• Sr. Mary Marcia, Room 3, 1st grade and Sr. Mary Immaculata
• Sr. Mary Borgia, Room 1, 2nd grade and Sr. Mary Rita
• Sr. Mary Ambrosine, Room 6, 3rd grade and Sr. Marcella
• Sr. Mary Selma, Room 11, 4th grade and ???
• Sr. Mary Tarcisia, Room 14, 5th grade and ???
• Sr. Mary Carina, Room 10, 6th grade and Sr. Mary Magellan
• Sr. Mary Annette, Room 9, 7th grade and Sr. Mary Francesca
• Sr. Mary William, Room 16, 8th grade and Sr. Mary Tarcilla

Principals: 
There were three during Bill's 8 years at STA

• Sr. Mary Fabian
• Sr. Mary Isabel
• Sr. Mary Giovanni.

Bill, thanks so much for sharing this information with us.  Perhaps someone from the Class of 1951 knows who the missing teachers are?  If so, please share this information with the rest of your STA classmates by clicking on "comments" below and letting us know.  Thanks also to Charlotte Corcoran for providing the name of the nun in the "other" Third Grade classroom.  Just two more to identify.

First Holy Communion, 1954

Many members of the class of 1960 made their First Holy Communion at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in the Spring of 1954.  The girls were dressed in beautiful short white lace and organza dresses with veils that hung down their backs, reminiscent of miniature brides. The boys looked angelic in their white ties and shirts with dark trousers and black shoes.

In the photo, Msgr. William Long proudly stands amid us as we smile for the camera, pointing our hands upwards to God.  The mural reproduction behind the altar of "The Apotheosis of Saint Thomas Aquinas" by the Spanish Renaissance artist Francisco de Zurbaran has the unique feature of Msgr. Long's likeness added to the person to the immediate left of the bronze Eucharistic tower.  At least two of the altar boys are siblings of the communicants, perhaps they all were?  Who are those two girls front and center?  Don't think they are part of those receiving First Holy Communion.
 
We prepared for our First Holy Communion by making our first confession earlier in the week.  A somewhat scary event taking place in a dark, wooden, closet-type room.  One communicant remembered at our 25th reunion how difficult it was to go to Confession with Msgr. Long due to his apparent hearing disability! If you joined us on March 13, you would have noted the confessionals looked much the same as they did in 1954.

It is hard to image what kind of an effort it took for the photographer to get 120, 7-year old children lined up, smiling, and facing forward long enough to take the photo.  But then again, we were much more obedient in those days!

How many of our classmates can you identify?

This photo can be enlarged by double clicking on the image.

Photo courtesy: Elaine McIntyre Beaudoin