11/22/43

Monday Night

8:30 O’clock

Hello Joe;

            I received both your beautiful hanky and your lovely Christmas Card.  I appreciate them very much.  Joe, I am going to continue to send your mail to your address in Brooklyn, N.Y. until I hear otherwise.  I do hope that you received them.  Since you had a Canada stamp on both envelopes, I took for granted that that was where you are.

            Joe, do you remember Thomas Summers who was studying for the priesthood, well, anyway, he was ordained last Wed. on the 17th in Baltimore and he said his first Solemn High Mass, Sunday at 11 O’clock in St. Patrick’s Church.  The Church was packed.  It was beautiful though.  Two buddies of Fr. Summers from the Seminary served with him and so did Joe Summers, so was his other brother Louis, who is in the Navy somewhere, but he didn’t get home.  Donald + George Owens Jr. served night also.  But, of course, all the altar boys were on the altar, especially little “Joe” Mehfoud.  He did real well.  To the surprise of everyone, Sister Vincent was able to come to the celebration.  He (Thomas) also received a beautiful gift from Sr. Scholastica, although she couldn’t come.  After Mass, he blessed everyone individually and then Fr. Brennon, I mean Meg Brennon gave a dinner for Thomas and his mother and father and 45 other priests.  And also from 7 to 10 P.M. his family gave a reception for the whole parish and anyone else that wanted to come.  They had a large crowd.  Your two sisters Lizzie and the other short one were there.  We had a nice long conversation.

            Well, Joe, changing the conversation, last Saturday, the 13th, the J. M and T. J game was played.  I went for T. J because I work girls from there and naturally T. J won 25 – 0.  It was quite one sided because J. M. has not much of a team this year.  There were about 14,000 people at it.

            Joe, I received a letter from Russell and I just finished answering it.  I sent him your address and Lawrence Fibbioni’s too, he is new in Seattle, Washington, studying to be an aerial gunner.  But Joe, guess what I received today.  “A Xmas card from Robert Seelmann,” you remember him, don’t you?  All he had on it was “Remember me, Robert.”  He is still in Texas.  I am going to send him a card too and write a few friendly lines on the back.  I do hope it cuts some ice, but I doubt it.  It nearly knocked my feet, when I got it.

            Joe, so you have any idea whether you’ll be home for Xmas or not.  We all will pray for you all.

            Well, Joe, I have run out of news for the time being so I will close for this time.

 

                                                                                                Always

                                                                                                Mary Jane