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David Mitchell
Back around Post #4764, John Jackson mentioned Father Foley's Bingo obsession at OLP. I am reminded of a speccific Sunday when his "sermon" was on that very subject. And you "I.C.ers" especially may recall some of the characters in this episode of life on the wild side at OLP.
As John explained, the weekly bulletin listed those ladies of the parish who were assigned to bake the pies for the coming week of Bingo nights. And he also explained how upset Father Foley would get when anyone failed to produce.
We were sitting in our (plain-as-dirt, ugly - built to be a gym) church one Sunday about half way back on the left side of the center aisle, a bit behind our next-door neighbors (and dear friends) the Russeaus (Jack, his wife Betty, and the 3 girls, Susie - your IC classmate after 2rd grade, Mimi - since then a popular singer with "Spittin Image" band, and Becky - (the twin girls and John followed later after they moved into the big house on North Broadway).
Anyway, Jack and Betty and the three girls always sat in the front pew, right in front of the small pulpit on that same left side. And on this particular Sunday Father Foley was smoldering as he began his (so-called) "sermon". It was another of his angry tirades agasint the women who had failed to make their assigned pies and cakes for the past week's bingo nights. He gradualy worked himself into a rage, screaming while he shook his head side to side, and his spit flew out both cheeks. I can recall the main words clearly because I heard my father re-tell this story for years. At the height of his anger he was screaming - or to be more accurate - bellowing (he always bellowed when his huge leg with Elephantisis was hurting), "And this parish is a stench in the nostrils of God (because you women did not bake your pies).
At that point Jack Russeau stood up in mid-sermon, and leaned over to grab Betty by the arm, and motioned for the girls to get up. They walked out of the pew and right down the center aisle and out of the church. As they walked down the aisle, I watched Jack turn and look at my dad, while he shook his head in a sideways ("No") motion and mouthed what appeared to be the word "enough"!
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Father Foley had grown up, I beleive, a "southy" - Irish Catholic South Boston - tough neighborhoods. He had grown up tough and rumored to be a semi-pro boxer while still in the Seminary. He claimed that he snuck off campus to go fight for $4 or $5 and then dropped the money off at his mother's house in some clay jar on her porch - and then snuck back into the Seminary after hours.
And he was in that era where the Pastor ruled absolutely - with an iron fist. He was a control freak of the highest order. He loved making money with Bingo - well, he simply loved raising money period. He insulted the "Stupid nuns" in front of us saying, "Don't you little "monstas" listen to a thing these stupid nuns are telling you. It's not what you know in life, it's who you know. And don't you little "monstas" ever forget it."
His violence and classroom beatings came with every grade card - which he handed out personally to every grade. If you had a "C" in conduct you got hit. John Jackson and Michael Stanton and Keith Groff and I were goodie-two-shoes so we never got hit. But how I dreaded those days, waiting for Tommy Cennamo or Robert Armstrong to get it. And poor Robert was not a bad kid at all. He jsut couldn't sit still and would talk under his breath alll the time. I just remember he came to school everyday looking like a pig pen. His dad was a cop and was hard on him - or so we heard. Robert was simply "different". I hated those grade card days.
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At some point (about 6th grade ?) Father Foley decided to mount a loud speaker on the roof of the church, with the speakers pointed west toward High Street. He had a contol box with microphone in the rectory. He could simply go to the control box and flip on a switch and speak (or rather, yell) over the luodspeaker and be heard for quite a distance around Beechwold.
The first time he ever used it he caught us by complete surprise. We were totally unaware of the device on the church roof. I recall with perfect clarity his words that first time - I think because of the shock. It was mid-recess when out of the blue we hear a loud amplified voice yelling "get in school you little monstas. Get in school. EVERYBODY, ,,, get in shcool." We were terrified! We ran back inside fearing for our lives. And the nuns were also caught off guard - and confused and angry.
A few times, Father Foley forgot to turn off the device. It was reported one time (due to calls from neighbors to the police) that voices were being heard on a loud speaker from the church. It was night and the voices were clear and reached pretty far. Father was having one of his regular poker games in the rectory with his usual collection of odd characters. The group supposedly included Mr. Jackson, owner of the Jackson's Sunoco station a block away, and a local small-time Mafia character, along with some random others. Poeple reported hearing them talking over the game and some details of their conversation - including placing bets and bad-mouthing the Bishop. I beleive he was forced to remove the speakers after a few of these incidents.
Speaking of loud speakers, he had the bingo in the school basement (cafeteria), and the church was attached to the school with ventilation ducts coming up from the basement into the church (which is now the gym it was designed to be).
I recall going to confession with my dad on a Good Friday. And we could hear the bingo caller's voice in the confessional - "I - twenty nine". I knew dad was upset while we drove home. After we got home Dad waited till bingo hours were past and he called Father Foley and read him the riot act. Dad was so mad I had to go into the living room and get behind some furniture. That was one of a few time dad went after Father Foley. And beleive it or not, we had Father Foley as our dinner guest several times. Somehow, he had a calmed-down, even charming and funny side to him. And Dad and Mom were always the "ambassadors" for peace in the "village" - be it the parrish, the neighborhood, the family or whatever.
I have a few "epilogues" I will save for later
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