Area Orphanages

1945 to 1956 Mt St Michae's Catholic School anybody???????????

I went to Mt St Michael's for 3 yrs.1953 to 1956...It was more like a reform school than a "Catholic Boarding School"...we worked in the laundry all year, 4 hrs a day. One girl purposely put her hand under a hot press to stop having to work in that hot laundry room. She will be scarred forever! We supposedly went to school 4 hrs a day but that was a joke! Nuns were our teachers but they hardly taught much. Most of the time they didn't even stay in the room to teach. Mother St Michael was Mother Superior or Principal at that time. She was really mean, scary really! It seemed like she enjoyed being mean to many of the girls. I know she disliked me immensely!! I was told one girl jumped to her death from the attic right before I got there. A few yrs after I left there I heard that Mother St Michael was transferred somewhere else because of her behavior or ??? I remember Mother St Theresa was really sweet..stern but sweet. She was very talented in music and dance. She also taught Catechism when I was there. She told us about her life before becoming a Nun and the boyfriend she dated and was suppose to marry. She was a very petite and pretty young woman when I was there,
I 14 when I went there and 16-1/2 when I left.
The food was horrible. We had lots of day-old bread every meal, a cup of warm milk with clabber on the top (fresh from cows). and a bowl of mush or oatmeal for breakfast...only on Easter and Christmas did we get a decent breakfast. Lunch was mostly a cheese sandwich and a cup of
punch, and a bit of rhubarb of which I always gave away. Dinner or Supper was like Mac and cheese and white bread and butter and maybe a vegetable!
I remember when we had some free time a group of us girls would hide down in the cellar where all that Rhubarb and Mayo was stored among other old canned food, we would steal a loaf of bread off the crate sitting outside of the kitchen and take it down in the cellar and eat Mayo sandwiches, which obviously was better than the food we were being served! Imagine that!!!
Most of the girls I suppose were wards of the State for no fault of their own, really. Some, like me, ran away from an abusive situation at home. I was not a ward of the State. My parents were divorced, I lived with my dad and he physically abused me once and I ran away. I refused to go back to live with him and chose to go to this school while waiting for an opening at the Lena Pope Home but that never happened. I have never allowed anyone to physically abuse me. I had watched my mother go through that and knew at a very young age that I would never stand for it!!
So, my point is, this school was not a school for "bad girls" or girls who had committed crimes!

Television!! We were only allowed to watch when BISHOP SHEEN was on!!!
There is so much more I could tell you about this school, this time, this period in my life, and the people I knew there. I am 80 yrs old now and doubt if any of the girls I knew are even living today. If so, I would dearly love to hear from them and to know how their lives turned out. My life was a whirlwind for 25 yrs but for the rest until now my life is and has been magical!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2021 12:01AM by carolyn.

Carolyn, I haven't seen you post before, though I saw that you have been registered for several years. Welcome to the "phorum."

Thank you for speaking about your experience. I am sorry it was so unpleasant.

Congratulations on a long life, evidently eventually well lived despite difficulties in youth. I will turn 76 next month, and I also feel that my life has been a good one. Perhaps you can relate more to us of the good things you experienced.

Dave McNeely



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2021 11:07AM by old man from dallas.