Musings, Memoires and Misadventures

"I applaud the work of Andrew Stevans to celebrate the fine, whole-person education provided by the Congregation of Holy Cross at its Prep Seminary (“The Little Sem”) on the Notre Dame campus. Many of my colleagues in Holy Cross speak with great affection of their days there and of the committed religious who prepared them so well for life and ministry. These are stories that need to be told.”  - Edward A. “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C., President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

PREP SCHOOL DAYS The Seminary at the University of Notre Dame, a new release available now on Amazon.com and KINDLE

Excerpt from the book:

Older brother, Norm, emphasized, "At Holy Cross, there’s no physical contact except on the playing fields." I surmised I’d have to give up fist fights, a survival occupation in our home town, the railroad, coal mining & steel mill city of Pittsburgh.

Speltz possessed a practiced skill at painting. I attempted to keep pace. Green locker paint flowed down the brush handle onto my hand, making the brush hard to hold. Speltz laughed and threw me a towel. “Make sure most of it gets on the lockers,” he said. His confidence was disconcerting.

“Where’s the furnace?” I asked. The steam man slipped on leather gloves and threw open two five-foot iron doors. The blast of heat was considerable. Algeo’s face lit up, his freckles as bright as the fire in the furnace.

Father Simmons was a square dance director for the Holy Cross musical “Oklahoma.” The practice sessions became hilarious. Some of us practiced in the recreation rooms, in the classrooms before classes, and on the basketball court before—and sometimes during--games.

Notre Dame students walked from main campus up St. Mary’s road to the women’s college. The Holy Cross Junior and Senior playing fields bordered the road. Football players would stop to watch one of our games, or throw a few passes, or talk football with us.