Mr. Lynch Stories Request

I received a request for some stories about our favorite English teacher, Mr. Lynch, and was hoping that members from various BOR classes may be able to help.  Mr. Lynch is retiring at the end of this school year and his daughter Amy has set up an email address here to send your Mr. Lynch stories:

mr.lynch.stories (AT) gmail.com

(Please note, you’ll need to edit that address to replace the _(AT)_ with an @ sign)

Mr. Lynch’s wife and daughter (Ada and Amy) are asking those who know Mr. Lynch to send stories, memories, etc… Ada says if you don’t have a story, at least send a joke because he needs new ones by May 31st. They plan to have the stories bound and will present them at his retirement dinner.

Here’s a story that I had sent and Ada’s response to it:

One of my favorite memories about Mr. Lynch was when we were trying to get him to make a funny face that we could catch on film. Someone came up with the idea to have Mr. Lynch describe the word ’scowl’, knowing full well that he would demonstrate it rather than try to describe it. At the moment he did that, someone popped up and snapped a picture of him. I think it made it into a publication, possibly the yearbook….?

After sending in that story, I received this response from Ada:

“Thank you so much for helping spread the word about Jim’s booklet. I had to write and tell you that you have solved a riddle that Amy and I have wondered about for years. One of her favorite pictures of her Dad is the one you described. She thought it was such fun that she had it enlarged and framed after finding it in a photo album. She owns a restored farmhouse and when you walk into the vestibule there hangs Dad in all of his scowling glory. It is in black and white and of course is a real conversation starter. Your class was one of his favorites and again thank you for taking part in this surprise. I know that this will be the best gift that we could give him. When my grandaughters were home at xmas, I took them to Holy Redeemer to visit him and took their pictures with Jim behind his desk. This will be the cover of the booklet.

It was great hearing from you.

Ada”

So please feel free to pass along any memories you have of Mr. Lynch to the email above, and if you wish to share it will other class members, please copy me on the email and I’ll either post it here or on our Class of 1977 weblog.  My email address is:

lee810@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Lee Devlin
Class of 1977

Easter Greetings

He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. Matthew 28:6

Have a happy and blessed Easter!

Oklahoma!

Hey everyone,

Back on Noverber 16th and 17th, Holy Redeemer presented Rodgers and Hamerstein’s Oklahoma, directed by Thomas Hanlon and assissted by Susan Dennen and Michael Stofko. Set in the Oklahoma Territory in the early 1900’s, Oklahoma! is an idealized vision of a simpler time, a story of tender romance and violent passion. Sean Burns played the role of Curly, a sunny, good-natured ranch hand and Katie Thomas played Laurey Williams, the farmer’s daughter he loves. But menacing Jud Fry, played by Kevin Hourigan, tries to come between them.

Bishop O’Reilly’s own Devin Albrecht, David Baker, and Matt Ruch also played the lead roles of Will Parker (D.A.), Cord Elan (D.B.) and Andrew Carmes (M.R.) along with dozen of other students in the chorus, orchestra, and in the stage and sound crews. And we can’t forget about the helpers on the makeup and costumes crews and the ushers. The play was very well performed and had a great turnout on both nights.

Rallying for Catholic School Teachers

A press release from the website of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers:

A prayer vigil and rally to support the labor rights of Catholic school teachers, who are being denied union representation in the Diocese of Scranton, is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The event will take place in front of St. Peter’s Cathedral, 300 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, and will get underway at 5:30 PM.

The rally is being coordinated by the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers who have invited all area union members, local religious and clergy of all denominations to participate. Also invited are Catholic school parents, students and all local citizens who value the rights of working people and the importance of social justice.

The rally will begin with a prayer vigil, led by local clergy, for the intentions of Scranton Diocesan Bishop Joseph Martino. Teachers have asked Martino to reconsider the Diocese’s opposition to union recognition.

Closed School Lives Again

Well, at least for the time being. From the excellent LeaveNoCatholicStudentBehind.com, we learn that students from Holy Rosary School in Duryea will be temporarily housed in the former Seton Catholic High School building in Pittston until a broken boiler at their home building is either repaired or replaced.

Even more photos!

I finally added more photos to the Closing Celebration and Last Day of School albums. Here’s a sampling:

More photos here, here, and here.

All Souls Day

On this, the feast of All Souls, please remember in your prayers all those from the Central Catholic/Bishop O’Reilly community who have died.

Does heritage and tradition matter?

During my four years as a student at Bishop O’Reilly, I often found myself gazing at the beautiful mural painted above the front doors in the school’s main foyer. The painting, of course, depicts the local parishes that at one time supported the school. Of course, I’d always eye my own church a little bit longer than the rest. I was so proud to see it up there. It’s the little brick church with maroon doors on the top left hand side: St. Martha’s. My great-grandparents helped to build that parish, mortgaging their farm to help pay for the original structure. They were Polish, as were most of the new Catholic settlers in Fairmount Springs, and the church they built reflected that heritage. Although a lot of people today decry the existence of so many “ethnic churches,” often times located just down the street from one another, I think they still have value. Every church has a history, and so often times that history is quite a story! Ethnic churches are many times the only remaining piece of one’s ancestral heritage. Sure, knowing a few songs in Polish, or learning your Italian grandmother’s cherished recipes isn’t going to radically change life for the better. But keeping these things alive gets to the heart of being human. If we don’t take pride in our past, how can we look positively at the future?

I know I’ll never forget the outpouring of support one year ago when it was first announced that Bishop O’Reilly, and so many other schools, would be forced to close. I try to be optimistic and hope that someday we’ll see a diocese opening new schools (and re-establishing the old ones) and that the tradition of Catholic education will be revitalized. But for now, we must make the best of what remains and work for the success of these schools. However, there’s another battle brewing right now that is will soon be getting a lot more attention. Perhaps the closing of churches is not as emotionally charged as the school crisis was because many of these churches are facing financial hardship and dwindling numbers. However, any church whose parishioners are willing and able to work hard to keep going, there is no reason, neither financial nor the ever-popular “shortage of priests” excuse, to close the church. I’d much rather see a church open for Mass just once a month rather than see a once vibrant church with shuttered doors. Why is this important? I’ve already made the case for churches as institutions of our cultural heritage. Yet there is even more to it than that. A neighborhood church, just like a neighborhood school, is a pillar of the community. It’s a place where you meet your neighbors and together worship God “in the beauty of holiness.” Looking at another angle, what type of message does large, empty churches signal to non-Catholics?

There are two recent situations that prompted me to sit down and write this essay. First would be the closure of Holy Rosary in Ashley. From what I understand, the parishioners of the now defunct parish, whose dwindling numbers could no longer support, requested this course of action. Nevertheless, Holy Rosary is – was – a beautiful church architecturally, both inside and out, and its towering presence now signifies only a sad state of affairs in our diocese. Perhaps even more disheartening is the situation currently taking place in Pittston. This predominantly Catholic city was already hit hard during the last two rounds of school closings. It is painful enough to drive down William Street, knowing that two pillars of Catholic education once located there sit empty. But now the Pittston skyline will also feature the steeples of two closed churches: St. Casimir’s and St. John the Baptist, along with St. Joseph’s in Port Griffith. Once again, is it really necessary to close all of these churches? Is money the primary consideration here? In the weeks, months, and years ahead, we will be faced with the church closing dilemma with increasing frequency. Before you join any committees or form an opinion on the matter, please consider what I’ve said here. Ask yourself the question: Does heritage and tradition matter? I hope you’ll agree that it does.

Today’s Queensmen

Hey all,

It’s sad to say but the Queensmen have become the Holy Redeemer Royals. Even if the name and the colors change the spirit will always be the same.  With more more people to join in the spirit, this will be a great year. We are only a few weeks into the school year and have already had many Royal victories.

Happy Labor Day!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy labor day! Tomorrow marks the first full day of classes at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre. Be sure to keep the administration, faculty, staff and students in your thoughts and prayers as they help to launch a new era and a new school.