Elementary School - Basic Faith
By Clyde Borg
Queen Of All Hearts Magazine

January-February, 2005
 
The school is no more, but the building that housed it still stands solidly on its foundation, as does my Catholic faith.  My grammar school education at St. Bernard’s elementary school, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, enabled me to maintain my faith so that it has never wavered or seriously been challenged.

St. Bernard’s was forced to close in June of 2001, after 86 years of service to the Catholic community.  Staffed by the Sisters of Charity, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and dedicated lay people, it educated the Irish-Catholic working class children of Chelsea and Greenwich Village.

Beginning in 1942, and for the ensuing eight years, the teachers at St. Bernard’s contributed to me becoming a good strong Catholic gentleman.  Sister Clara, my first grade and later my third grade teacher, enriched my life with stories from the bible.  Every Friday afternoon, she would display a large colorful picture of a bible scene and she would narrate the story it depicted.  I can still feel the warmth and love that permeated the classroom as she related the biblical tales to the class.

Sister Patrice taught the fifth grade the parts of the Mass, and I remember how she drilled the class as hard as when she taught the multiplication tables.

In the sixth grade, Miss Begnell encouraged the students to attend daily mass at 6:30 A.M.  She commuted from New Jersey and had to rise early in the morning to be there at that time.  Miss Begnell certainly set a good example.  She designated the students who attended mass with her each morning Soldiers of Christ.

Brother George was the boys’ seventh and eighth grade teacher and Sister Regina was the girls’ teacher.  It was Brother George’s job to mould the male students into Christian gentlemen.  He was a strong disciplinarian and he always treated the class firmly but fairly.  His general demeanor, as an educator and as a Religious, made him an excellent role model.  Because of him, I chose to enter a Brother’s high school, LaSalle Academy.  I became what they affectionately refer to as a Brothers’ boy.

Two major events, during each school year at St. Bernard’s, were the Christmas play and the St. Patrick’s play.  It seemed like everything stopped for a few weeks, before each play, as the entire school practiced and practiced their individual class performances, but education was continuing.  As the pupils sang and rehearsed their parts, they learned about the meaning of those events.

The principal, Sister Rosealba, saw to it that everyone went to Mass on Sundays and the holy days of obligation.  The classes would meet each Sunday morning and anyone who was not present would have to give an explanation to Sister, on Monday.

Catechism lessons were not the only form of education doled out at St. Bernard’s school.  Instruction for the preparation of first Communion and Confirmation were also afforded the students.  The classes were brought to Confession monthly, in preparation for first Friday Mass. The Stations of the Cross were said in preparation for Easter.  On Ash Wednesday, the classes were given the opportunity to receive the ashes at church.  The Rosary was recited each day and the students were introduced to the various Religious Sodalities.

The pastor, Father Joseph Holland, made weekly visits to each class.  He reinforced the Catholic principles that the classes were learning and was a major contributor to my education.  Father Holland was highly respected by the Catholic community of St. Bernard’s parish.

With such a solid religious education it is obvious why over the years my faith has been so strong. Like the foundation of its building, the fruit of what the school has accomplished lives on in its graduates.  St. Bernard himself was a doctor of the church and a staunch defender of Christian doctrines.  He believed our faith was very important and that we must defend ourselves against attacks on our religion.  St. Bernard’s school prepared me very well for that condition.