Playing At Mass
At one point I realized that going to the seminary was not just a fantasy. But speaking of fantasy, I played being a priest saying Mass. My mother helped me with this fantasy and sewed vestments to wear while I practiced celebrating Mass. Several of my friends played along with my fantasy as well and attended my “Masses”. I never asked what they made of this. None of them volunteered an opinion but went along with it as they did any other game anyone suggested.
Most of the friends I knew realized I was serious about the seminary and would soon be gone from the neighborhood. They all had questions about what the seminary was like and I told them the best I could based on my visits to Holy Cross in Dunkirk. I had no way to know what daily life would consist of once I arrived but did not spend a great deal of time thinking about it. As eighth grade progressed, I began to realize that life for me would be quite different and that all my friends would be headed in a different direction. They were busy choosing a high school, most choosing Aquinas, the Catholic high school closest to home or one the public high schools if they were not inclined for more Catholic education or if the Aquinas tuition created a problem for their families.
The boys in my class were busy looking for girlfriends but I did not know whether any were interested in Rose. It occurred to my that having a girlfriend in the seminary would not be considered proper. To say the least, it would be frowned on. I said goodbye to Rose and did not know if I would ever see her again. I overheard a few boys talking about her and suspected some of them might want to pursue her. I was too intent on my future plans to think about what might have developed between us. I never forgot her and in later years thought of her from time to time.
Before leaving for the seminary, I needed to have a physical. I had always been in fairly good health. I was somewhat overweight. There was some question about whether I might be inclined toward diabetes and tried to watch my sweets. My paternal grandmother was very affected by diabetes and the concern was that I might inherit this from her.
I had to sew nametag labels into all of my clothes since wash was done in bulk in the seminary. I also needed a black suit. I never had a suit before and my father took me to a menswear store for choice of appropriate seminary wear as well as final fittings. This took some doing on account of my being “chunky.” The salesman asked me if I was interested in buying a bra in light of my weight. I was quite embarrassed by this question and could not decide whether he was trying to be helpful or making fun of me.
Finally, I said goodbye to my friends and packed an old trunk which had been in our attic for some time. I was ready for my new adventure. A new life awaited me.