The following are memories that have been submitted by our Alumni and Parishioners.

To submit your "Remember When", please click here.

I remember having to shovel coal into the furnace in the Winter and 10 cent movies at the Church!

Tom Matusz, Class of 1948

The Detroit Zoo commercial that began "All the animals in the zoo are jumping

up and down for you...."

And those plastic elephant keys that you could buy to turn on the recorded messages at the cages.
(For all I know, they are still available. It's been about thirty years since I was in the motor city.)

Those who said "Lahser" and those who said "Lasher."

Robin Seymour and the afternoon music show on
Channel 9. And the one semi-regular British-accented girl who was in love with George Harrison.

I remember ringing the bell from the old wooden belfry which I believe was the first church. 

I also remember ringing the electric chimes at the altar in the present church as an altar boy.

 I also remember being glad to get out of school as an altar boy when we served mass at the funeral, accompanied the presiding priest to the home or funeral home,

and then the mass and then the cemetery.  Sad!

I also remember people singing at the grave side especially I think, Witaj Krolowo Nieba. 

This is very said and tear wrenching.  Even today when you may attend the rare funeral at which people still remember and sing in memory.

I also remember shoveling the coal into the metal bushel baskets, and then dumping them into the 'stoker' for the furnace in the basement of the convent.

I remember as an altar boy vying with the other altar boys to see who could get the hottest little pieces of charcoal to get the cloudiest clouds of incense wafting through the church.

Do you remember Louis Poniatowski the organist?
Remember singing the Polish Christmas carols from the black books?

Remember the church (before the present one)?

It later became a hall at which we watched movies, and cartoons too?

Remember the outdoor processions, especially in May with the society banners flapping in the wind?

I also remember seeing the biology specimens in the storage room of the school, that I think

Fr. Kilar was saving for the day that he would start up a high school.

I respected Fr. Kilar so much. What a hard working man.  I used to take care of him at

Gamalski Hardware at Charles St. and Mt. Elliot when he would come in for 'stuff'.
 

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN OLD DETROITER IF...

You ever played in the "Big Ditch" as I-94 was being built.

   
You took a "moonlight cruise" to Bob-Lo with Captain Bob-Lo or took the bus to Edgewater Amusement Park.

You remember cheering from one end of the tunnel to the other to Belle Isle & the big stove was

on Jefferson Ave at the entrance.

You rented bikes or rode horses or the horse drawn carriages on Belle Isle,

or golfed after dark at the lighted par-three course.
 

You shopped at Hughes and Hatcher, B. Siegel, Peck and Peck, Himelhoch's, Federal's, or Berlin's.

The "Street Cars" ran on tracks down the center of Gratiot. The "car barns" were at Gratiot and Harper

and the turntable was called the "Ca-ga-loop."

You've ever played on the escalator at J. L. Hudson's downtown. 

You rode the elevator, which was "run" by an elevator operator.

You remember when Eastland and Northland were NEW and not enclosed malls.

You remember any mayors other than Young and Archer and you know who Cobo was.

          You remember a Winkleman's store in your neighborhood.

You thought driving to Southfield, was going "out to the country."

You remember the mineral bath smell of Mt. Clemens.

You remember the "Big Snow."

Buffalo Bob, Howdy Doody, Clarabell, Phineas T. Bluster,

Princess Winter-fall-summer-spring.  Plunk your magic twanger, froggy.

You remember Twin Pines Dairy delivered milk and juice to the chute on the side of your house. 

And Milky the Clown performed magic with the magic words "Twin Pines."

You saw Marvin Gaye (or The Beatles) sing at the Olympia Stadium or the Twenty Grand Lounge.

Sock Hops at Notre Dame High School with Stevie Wonder and Father "Hollywood" Bryson.

You remember Olympia Stadium.

Waterford was where your neighbors cottage was.

You remember when Vernor's was made on Woodward and the bearded troll was on the bottle.

       

You drank Towne Club pop (or Grilli's or Oh-So or Atlas).

You bought groceries at Big Bear, Great Scott, Lipson's, Dixfield's, National or Chatham's.

Your Mom saved Holden Red Stamps, H&S Green Stamps or Gold Bell Stamps.

Kresge's and Woolworth's were "DIME STORES."

     

Your school took a bus trip to "the cider mill" and had donuts and cider after the tour.

Your school took a bus trip to Kellogg's in Battle Creek.

You had an Uncle in the furniture business (Joshua Doore).

You shopped at Arlans, Shopper's Fair, Federals, Korvettes.

You remember this telephone number: Tyler 8-7100 (Belvedere Construction) and the slogan "We do good work."

You know who Bill Kennedy is.

 

Your phone number may have started with Tyler, Kenwood, Diamond, Trinity, Twinbrook,

Melrose, Madison, Townsend, Plaza, Olive, or Cadillac.

You saw the Detroit Lions play football in Tiger Stadium.

    

You shopped at Crowley's.

You watched Rita Bell's Prize Movie.
 

You know who Sonny Elliot is. Do you remember him using the chalk on a map of Michigan?

Or holding snakes at the Children's zoo on Belle Isle?

You remember Jac LeGoff and Van Patrick.

You remember Soupy Sales, Johnny Ginger, The Friendly Giant, Uncle Bob, Poopdeck Paul and Captain Jolly.

You visited the Wonder Bread Bakery and got to take home a mini loaf of bread.

You have a picture of yourself sitting on the pony that seemed to make it down everyone's street.

Your zip code was only one or two digits - Detroit 19, Michigan

You had a (Shaffer's) breadman and a (Brickley's) milkman.

You remember Black Bart, and the Faygo pop song being sung on the Bob-Lo boat.

Or how about, "Which way did he go? Which way did he go?"

You remember "Get on the right track, to 9 Mile and Mack. To get the best deal in town. At Roy O' Brien"

You remember the PURE and GULF gas stations. The "Gas Wars."

Your house had a laundry chute and a milk chute.

You remember Primo's Pizza, The Red Barn, Powers, Henry's, Top Hat,

Herc's Beef Buffet, Big Boy's Drive-In, and Tom's Tavern.

You remember the Good Humor man in a white uniform, ringing the bells and riding down your street.
 

You attended a wedding reception or a banquet at Roma Hall.

You banked at Detroit Bank & Trust.