St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church


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St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: BullHubbard (---.dhcp.losa.ca.charter.com)
Date: January 28, 2012 06:33PM

This church at the corner of California and 38th Place (Now Our lady of Fatima) was quite the social center when I lived in the neighborhood in the '60's and '70's. The trouble is, it has been so long since I've been there my memories of the church and its activities may be misleading. Does anyone else here recall, for example, roller skating in the church basement? Were there not novena processions on holy days of obligation? Did they sponsor some sort of carnival in the vacant lot (still vacant, apparently) across California? Anyone with clear memories of these or any other social activities sponsored by the church, please reply. Thanks!

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: Richard Stachowski (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 29, 2012 08:03PM

[b]I went roller skating in the 50's but not sure if it was a basement.[/b]

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: Richard Stachowski (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 29, 2012 08:03PM

[b]I went roller skating there in the 50's but not sure if it was a basement.[/b]

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: March 14, 2012 08:31PM

I can tell you quite a bit about Saint Joseph and Saint Anne Church - (now Our Lady of Fatima). Yes, roller skating in the auditorium (school basement) was a constant at SJSA -- every Friday night was for teens, and Sunday afternoons were for the whole family. If you went to school at SJSA, there were many skating parties throughout the year.

Carnivals were held in June -- they would close 38th Place from California to the alley -- where most of the rides were - and the parking lot was used for booths, food and Darto (since Bingo was illegal!).

The church houses a Shrine of Saint Anne -- the first shrine in the city of Chicago. The parish was established in 1889, and the Shrine to Saint Anne was formed in 1900. During the course of the St Anne novena (held every year from July 18-26), there are 3 outdoor candlelight processions. In recent years, the current pastor has re-routed the procession. Previously, it went from the corner of the church, to Pershing Road, down to Francisco, over the 38th Place and back to the church. It is held each year on July 20, 23 and 26. It is not as large as it was during the 60's or 70's -- but it continues today. (back in the 60's there was also a Polish novena which was held from August 18 to 26. Again, there were 3 processions during that time. The Polish novena was conducted probably from the 1930's to the mid-60's.)

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer!

Larry Haptas

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: Jazzman (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: June 08, 2012 02:10AM

My Orchestra played in the church hall, and for your parish 100th anniversary in 1989 at the Martinique.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: xeroid81 (---.clmsdsl01.fbcom.net)
Date: June 14, 2012 06:46PM

I went to school with a Gerald Haptas. Was he any relation to you? I remember going to the novenas and processions with my mom. The priest on the loud speaker and you got to carry a candle around with you.Seemed like a kick back then.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: rjzak (---.lightspeed.nsvltn.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 14, 2013 09:42PM

My sister & I both went to SJSA in the 60's. I remember our Dad taking us
roller skating (it was in the basement) & hanging onto the rails to keep my balance. I was an Altar Boy at SJSA and did several of those novena's (always seemed very hot in the evening during those processisons).
Does anyone remember their teachers at SJSA? How about learning how to "square dance" In Mrs. Reid's class?

My sister & I both live out of state now but recently have heard that there is an annual "picnic" for SJSA alums being planned for this summer. Anyone have any details on this? How well is it attended? Anyone from the classes of "65 & "66 out there?

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: jak378 (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: January 15, 2013 04:03PM

Did SJSA have a commercial high school as part of it? Long ago my mother talked about attending secretarial school there instead of an academic high schoo. I thought she said Stl Jseph This would have been around 1934 to1938.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: January 16, 2013 02:18AM

Yes - SJSA did have a Commercial School for girls. The Sisters of St. Joseph ran this program so that girls graduating from 8th grade (who didn't attend high school) could get secretarial skills and get a job. I believe my Mom attended about the same time -- probably 1933-34. It was a two year program as far as I know.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: January 16, 2013 02:25AM

The SJSA All Class School Reunion Picnic will be held on June 30, 2013 -- 9 AM to dusk (according to St Joseph and St Anne School on Facebook). It will be held on 95th Street - between LaGrange Road and Willow Springs Road.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: jak378 (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: January 16, 2013 06:39PM

lhaptas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes - SJSA did have a Commercial School for girls.
> The Sisters of St. Joseph ran this program so
> that girls graduating from 8th grade (who didn't
> attend high school) could get secretarial skills
> and get a job. I believe my Mom attended about
> the same time -- probably 1933-34. It was a two
> year program as far as I know.


Thanks for the reply. My mother apparently first went to Mercy H.S., but came under the shadow of her sister who was extremely bright and kind of teacher's pet, I suppose. Anyway My Mom refursed to go back to Mercy and my grandparents got her in this secretarial program. DShe was born in 1921 and would probably have graduated between 1936 and 1939. I'm not sure how many years she went to Mercy, but I don't believe it was more than 2.

Do you know if there any records available? I wonder if the Archdiocese office would have records. I do have a snapshot of most of her class at a ipicnic or something. I will dig it out.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: January 16, 2013 08:10PM

If any records are available - the Archdiocese would be the place to check. I'm certain the parish has no records for the business school.

My Mom was born in 1919 -- I also have a Class photo. It's possible your mother may be in it!

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: jpitts (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: July 28, 2013 07:00PM

Simeon Bessette on ofour founders of the Parish of St Joe and St Annes= cousin Br. Andre Bessette had come to visit him and our parish anout 1907 and there was a picture taken of Br Andre Bessette praying at the Shrine of St Anne.
During the the 2001 -2003 the Picture of Br Andre Bessette praying at the Shrine was displayed in the Sanctuary and it was also put in the parish bulliten with a short story concerning his visit here. Does anyone have a copy of the picture or of the bulliten. of The NOW St Andre Bessette at the Shrine of St Annes
We wpould a copy of this picture or bulliten withhis picture and story. It had been a quite well known historical atory.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: Anon (36.81.76.---)
Date: November 22, 2013 10:43AM

I remember a little about SJSA...
- I think you had to enter the auditorium by walking down stairs to the basement level where there was both a cafeteria and the auditorium.
- Roller skating was in the auditorium on some Saturdays with 25-cent admission. If my memory serves me, a gentleman named Omar played the organ. I think Omar also worked as an all-around handyman/janitor as well.
- Some of the teachers I remember were Sister Hubertine, Ms.Powaga and Mrs. Reid.
- Lunch was in the cafeteria and cost 25-cents a meal. You could not speak during lunch. The Thursday menu was always stew.
- For the SJSA students there used to a movie/film in the auditorium, I think once a month during the school day. Again, 25-cents and you got to go, and if not, you simply stayed in a holding classroom and kept busy.
- One parish pastor passed away while serving at SJSA - Father Hughes - there was much mourning and a very large neighborhood funeral.
- The summer Carnival was held in the empty lot diagonal across California Ave. The festivities also included a smaller vacant lot between two houses directly across California Ave. This lot also served as a Sunday parking lot.
- The summer St. Anne novena was a big event and many folks had shrines in front of their houses and others simply brought their own shrine and put it on the sidewalk. Lots of people with many candles.

It's been ahwile since I thought about SJSA.

Thank you for this forum thread for hosting.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: December 30, 2013 03:16PM

The man you're thinking of was Ovide -- Ovide Morrisette (not sure of the spelling of his last name). For a little guy -- Ovide was pretty tough - and a great skater! He was the skate guard along with a few others, but didn't play the organ. They played tapes in a sound room above the board that announced "All Skate", Couples, etc. Ovide was the janitor of the parish. He ran a tight ship!

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: rjzak (---.lightspeed.nsvltn.sbcglobal.net)
Date: February 08, 2014 04:09PM

What day of the week was is "hamburger" day in the cafeteria? Does anyone remember bringing your $.02 for a carton of milk (more for chocolate milk) for lunch and or breakfast to eat at your desk after attending mass in the morning and having to "fast" before rec'g communion? I seem to remember the 7th and 8th grade boys as "patrol boys" on the corners of Pershing & California and there was an area that the patrol boys nicknamed as "Siberia" as it was several blocks away and cold to stand out there. Did they not have patrol boys in the lunch room too? I told my wife, who did not attend SJSA, that we ate lunch w/out talking - was this every day or days in which the nuns were upset with us.

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: lhaptas (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: February 08, 2014 11:02PM

Here's what I remember~

Hamburger Day was on Thursday -- with Yoho Potato Chips! I didn't usually eat lunch in the cafeteria - but when I did, we were allowed to talk. The nuns had a reel to reel tape recorder - and we had Broadway hits (instrumental) played as we ate. We did have patrol in the cafeteria -- and teachers and nuns roamed as we ate. I think the patrol boys were only there as we walked in and out.

Siberia was 38th Street and California. I remember watching for the "all clear" -- waving arms from 39th telling us to come back to school.

In later years, they had stopped us from eating in the cafeteria (faculty) complaining that it was too hard on their ears because we were so loud!

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Re: St. Joseph and St Anne's Catholic Church
Posted by: nordsider (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: February 11, 2014 04:06PM

Some old photographs of St. Joseph and St.Anne church; ca. 19003, 1911, 1912

Search: St. Joseph and St.Anne church

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/

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