Pax Americana: A Brush with the 1950's

My uncle died as a teenager in the 1950's. It was very hard on my grandparents, and the family doesn't often talk about it. However, in the course of events, I recently was given custody of my uncle's holy cards, and other assorted items.

There are about 60 holy cards in all. Some are of St. Henricus, his patron saint; a lot of them are holy cards from the funerals of my great-grandparents or of distant aunts and uncles. The older ones are in German. Three of them were printed in honor of a parish mission, which I thought was particularly cool.

The most beautiful card is a smaller-than-average German holy card of Our Lady, with the verse:
"Ganz schobist du, meine freundin und keine Makel ist in dir."
I have no idea what that means, but if any of you do, let me know.

On the back of one of the holy cards, one of my uncle's teachers had written:

A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Thanks for your letter. So you didn't forget me. Yes, I also miss Holy Name School and you children. Glad that yhou like school. Your letter was well-written.
May the Infant Savior bless you and keep you close to Him. Greetings to your Mother.
Please pray for,
Sister Rosine, SDS

Incidently, one of the holy cards contained a second-class relic of the SDS (Sisters of the Divine Savior) co-foundress, Ven. Mother Mary of the Apostles Since the 1950's, Mother Mary of the Apostles was declared Blessed, and the SDS community has became rather what you probably expect.

There were three other interesting pamphlets:

Examination of Conscience for Boys and Girls (first printing, 1927)

Venial sins are shown like this.
Venial sins that may become mortal sins are shown like this.
MORTAL SINS ARE SHOWN LIKE THIS.

First Commandment:
- DID I DENY THAT I WAS CATHOLIC?
- Did I neglect pray for a long time through laziness?
- DID I WILLINGLY ATTEND NON-CATHOLIC SERVICES OR SUNDAY SCHOOl?

Second Commandment:
- Did I curse?
- Did I anger others to make them curse?
- Did I use God's name in an improper manner?

Third Commandment:
- DID I MISS MASS ON SUNDAYS OR HOLY DAYS THROUGH MY OWN FAULT?
- Did I come late to Mass through my own fault?
- Did I misbehave in church?
- DID I WORK FOR A LONG TIME ON SUNDAYS WITHOUT NECESSITY?

Fourth Commandment:
- Did I disobey my parents?
- Did I disobey my teachers?
- Did I make fun of old people?
- Was I mean towards my parents?
- Was I mean towards my teachers?

Fifth Commandment:
- Was I angry? Stubborn?
- Was I unkind or mean to others?
- Did I look down on others in pride?
- Did I wish evil to others?
- Did I hate others?
- Did I try to "get even" with others?
- Did I fight or quarrel?
- Did I make others fight?
- Did I lead others to sin by my bad example?

Sixth and Ninth Commandments
- DID I WILLINGLY TAKE PLEASURE IN USING IMPURE WORDS?
- DID I WILLINGLY TELL IMPURSE STORIES AND TAKE PLEASURE IN THEM?
- DID I LIKE TO LISTEN TO IMPURE TALK?
- DID I TAKE PLEASURE IN SINGING IMPURE SONGS?
- DID I WANT IMPURE THOUGHTS, AND DID I TAKE PLEASURE IN THEM?
- DID I TEACH OTHERS TO COMMIT IMPURE SINS?
- DID I TAKE PLEASURE IN TOUCHING MYSELF OR OTHERS IN AN IMPURE MANNER, OR LET OTHERS DO SO TO ME?
- DID I COMMIT AN IMPURE ACT?
- DID I REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT IMPURE THINGS OR PICTURES?
- Did I go to places that lead me to sin: saloons, poolrooms, bad movies?
- Did I read bad books or magazines?
- Did I go with bad companions?

Seventh and Tenth Commandments
- Was I jealous or envious?
- Did I wish to get, in a wrongful way, what belonged to another?
- Did I cheat?
- Did I steal anything?
- Did I help others steal?
- Did I tell another to steal?
- Did I take or keep stolen goods?
- Did I spoil another's property?
- Did I fail to return valuable articles when found?

Eighth Commandment
- Did I say mean things about others in their absence?
- Did I tell lies?
- Did these lies injure others?
- Did I talk about the sins of others without necessity?
- DID I WILLINGLY LISTEN TO ANOTHER'S CONFESSION OR TELL OTHERS WHAT I OVERHEARD?

Church Commandments
- DID I EAT MEAT ON FRIDAY OR OTHER FORBIDDEN DAYS?
- WHAT IN MORTAL SIN, DID I GO TO CONFESSION AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR?
- DID I FEAL TO RECIEVE HOLY COMMUNION DURING THE EASTER TIME?
- DID I MAKE A BAD CONFESSION (hide a MORTAL SIN from the priest)?
- DID I RECIEVE HOLY COMMUNION WITHOUT FASTING? IN MORTAL SIN?

Other Mortal Sins Older People Sometimes Commit
- NOT GETTING MARRIED BEFORE A PRIEST
- GETTING A DIVORCE
- MARRYING A DIVORCED PERSON
- KILLING OR TRYING TO KILL ONESELF
- KILLING ANOTHER, except in self-defence
- NOT PAYING LABORER FOR WORK DONE
- ROBBING A CHURCH
- TAKING A FALSE OATH.
- BELIEVING IN FORTUNE-TELLERS
- GETTING HELPLESSLY DRUNK
- NEGLECTING PARENTS IN OLD AGE
- JUDGING ANOTHER OF SERIOUS SIN WITHOUT GOOD REASON.
- JOINING SECRET SOCIETIES.

Coming up some time soon...
"Ad Altare Dei Requirements"
"My day... A Mass"