Personal Memories of Sacred Heart
Memory One:
After Vatican II, a cousin of my Dutch Reform family married a Polish girl at Sacred Heart. So many of my relatives had never been inside a Catholic Church and weren't going to miss the opportunity. I was amazed at their reaction as I had expected them to shun the couple. They behaved themselves inside Sacred Heart looking all around in amazement as Dutch Reform churches are very plain.
At the reception, they all sat at the same table with their arms folded, glaring at everyone. I thought they were so funny.
Reminds me of when I invited a Polish Catholic boy to a Dutch Reform wedding. He was so gleeful. He exclaimed, "I love weddings; drinking, dancing, eating." I said "no, no not at a Dutch Reform wedding. There will be a full Hellfire and Brimstone sermon and the reception will be in the church basement with the church organist playing hymns on the piano and all you'll get to eat and drink are some nuts, mints and a Dixie cup of Kool-Aid". Oh how he laughed. He still didn't believe me until as the usher began to escort us down the aisle, a man bounded up from the basement with a Dixie cup in his hand. Joe cried out, "Oh my God. I don't believe it." I shushed him, afraid we'd be thrown out.
As we took out seats I was between him and some girl I used to know crying "Oh this is the most beautiful wedding" while Joe slunk down in the pew moaning. As the service ended he dragged me out. When I asked him, "Aren't we going to the reception" he replied, "Good God NO!" Since I had been invited out of spite I had given the couple a $5 painting from Meijers of a bull charging the rear end of a matador but I put a sticker on it from Hefner's Art Gallery.
Memory Two:
The Italians at Sacred Heart according to Eduard Skenzel settled in the area bounded by Indiana Avenue, Bridge Street, Butterworth and Valley Avenue. He mentions many of their names including Bianchi and Romani. I bought my home on Indiana Avenue from the estate of Orlando Bianchi. I was only the third owner in almost 100 years. I found his diary written in Italian and years of accumulated church bulletins from Sacred Heart. Mr. Romulus Romani who grew up in this neighborhood was my principal at Central High School. He was a short little fellow but I still remember the day he held Clarence Carlisle, a football player twice his size, by the collar, placed his foot on his derriere and kicked him out of school. Clarence's dad caught him, grabbed his ear and said, "You just wait until I get you home."
Memory Three:
As a City employee I was forced to attend the Fair Housing something or other every year. We had to listen respectfully while we were insulted. As I knew I would soon be leaving the department, I wasn't so quiet at the last one I had to attend. Some Black man from out-of-state lectured us on how racist Grand Rapids was. As an example he went on and on about Census Track 21 being 100% White. No Black person lived there. It was deliberate segregation. Since I worked with census tracks I knew 21 was Sacred Heart Parish. I told him that it was 100% Polish Catholic and he wouldn't find any Dutch Reform or German Lutherans there either. He didn't understand. He could only see Black and White. He couldn't see Dutch Reform or Polish Catholic.
I, raised Dutch Reform, chose to move to the West Side. The first time was on Sixth Street. Then I lived at 209 Valley the former home of the Malewitz brothers. All my neighbors were Polish Catholic. I can't tell you the look of amazement on their faces when they welcomed me with "Are you going to attend Sacred Heart or St. James" and I answered, "I'm not Catholic". As an adult it was the best place I ever lived with the best neighbors.
I later moved to 152 Indiana Ave SW. When I shopped at the drug store, the clerks spoke Polish. When I shopped at Edzius the meat man spoke Polish. When I had to vote for President of the United States at Sacred Heart Club or what was originally called Kosciuszko Hall, the poll workers spoke Polish.
Actually voting for the President of the United States in Kosciiuszko Hall was most fitting as Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a hero of the American Revolution. He designed the fortifications of West Point that the British could only hope to capture by inducing Benedict Arnold to turn traitor. Congress was so grateful for this and other contributions at the Battle of Saratoga and the Southern Campaign, they made Kosciuszko a citizen, a Brigadier General, and gave him a pension and a land grant. When Thomas Jefferson sent him to Europe on a diplomatic mission, he told Jefferson to sell his America property and use the money to buy freedom for Blacks.
Side note: Pulaski Days. Before I got sick, I visited every one of the 29 Polish Halls. Casimir Pulaski, the Father of the American Cavalry was killed in the siege of Savannah, Georgia.
From Article Catholic
From Heading Architecture
From Website MyGrandRapids.info
Contact Information
- Postal address
- Grand Rapids, Kent Co, Michigan
- Electronic mail
- General Information:
Babs27@Comcast.net
Webmaster: Babs27@Comcast.net