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Mary Zurko interviewed by Denis Mercier --9-- 8/21/72 Tape 21

12-1

256

DM: Now, wait a minute here. The nuns? From where? Freeland?

MZ: See, there was a convent in St. Ann's, you know, over at Woodside. There
was a convent. And the nuns came over here. But then when the church done
away with Woodside, then they built in Freeland, where St. Ann's is now.
Well, there was a convent there, and the nuns were there. Those nuns came
over and instructed the children. But they didn't come over after mass on
Sunday. They came over on Saturday to hear--and the priest came over here
to hear confession and communion on Saturdays, after there was no...

DM: After there were no regular priests here?

MZ: Priests here, yeah.

DM: But, ah--you brought something out, I can't remember what--oh, ah, the nuns
would instruct the kids for confirmation here in this church, but they were
received at another church?

MZ: They would instruct them for...

DM: This was after this church ceased to function?

MZ: No, they would go to, no, they never, they didn't, they went to Sunday
School up here, if they were Polish or Slovaks, or if they were Italians, or
whatever, you know. they went to Sunday School here. And those nuns would
instruct them for, you know, catechism.

DM: Was this before or after you taught Sunday School?

MZ: This was after.

DM: Yeah, okay.

MZ: And then, well we instructed them, but the priest would come over, too, you
know, to instruct them for first communion.

DM: Yeah, I would think so.

MZ: Yeah, the priest came over. At our confirmation, you know, and...But then,
you didn't get confirmed up here. You got confirmed in St. Ann's, see.
Because they didn't have all the equipment there that...

DM: Oh, I see. I wondered why they would leave and go some other church.
Okay, that makes sense.

MZ: But when they were confirmed, you see, the Greek children, when they're
baptized, did you know, that when they're baptized, they get confirmed and,
baptized and confirmed at the one time. But, you see, Polish and Slovaks
and the Irish kids, and, you know, German or whatever you are, you know?
They get confirmed in their own church, you know?

DM: But once upon a time, they would get first communion instruction up here,
confirmation instruction, the whole business. Would the bishop come and
confirm them?

MZ: Oh, in Freeland, yes.

DM: I mean, were they ever confirmed up here?

MZ: Oh, years ago, yes they were.

DM: This was part of the bishop's...

MZ: Yes, yes. But I wasn't confirmed here. I was confirmed at Woodside.

DM: We can only go back so far, you know. The people here don't go back as far
as their church does.

MZ: Sure. There was a lot of changes made, you know? So...

DM: Was there any school that that church was affiliated with, other than the
Sunday School? Any other instructions for kids. Anything like CCD, for
kids who don't go to a Catholic school, or anything? You know, the equivalent
of a CCD now? You know what I mean? Any kind of instructions for
kids who didn't go to a Catholic school?

MZ: No, the only instruction was for the Catholic kids, that's all. Well, if
they wanted to be a Catholic, you know, they'd have to go through a little
rigamarole.