Tuesday, August 10
From the Annals of the Family
(An interesting excerpt from a recently-compiled family history)
"It was the custom (at the turn of the 20th Century) for the farm children to board with the Fransiscan Sisters' house for several years while they prepared for the First Holy Communion. This usually took place around the 6th grade. The boarders had a regimented schedule and were expected to take their turns with kitchen duty. Here they worked with Sr. Marianne, who gave them the mothering they needed. The food was provided by the families. The girls slept on the second floor and the boys in the attic. The beds were arranged in dormitory style; they worshipped in the first floor chapel, and had their study hall and dining hall in the basement. Sr. Lucia was once grounded by Mother Superior for going out belly flopping with us. Hank [my Grandpa] was first to go.
"Father Daniels would insist that we knew our catechism in German. He would ask us a question, and if you wouldn't answer it right, he threw the book down and hollered at Sister: 'I won't come back until they know it!'
"Father Daniels insisted on pride in all things German and strived to keep alive the mother tongue of the earlier immigrants. In retrospect, it was a losing battle. He got up in the pulpit and would say, 'Deutsch uber alles!' When they greated him walking on the street, they were expected to address him with the German prayer, 'Praise be Jesus Christ.'"
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
