What I Remember — From Second Grade (1958–1959)

Drawing by Jeff Mosher

I’ve heard it said that a child remembers nothing from his or her first three years. I’ve also heard it said that old people like myself — I turned 73 recently — remember more about their youth than they do about last week. Thus, as I prepare to attend my 55th high-school reunion of the class of 1969 later this summer, I thought it might be interesting to see what I actually remember from those early years, kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Catholic schools I attended in upstate New York. Since I don’t honestly remember much from those early years of school, I thought I would post my vague memories, and perhaps they might stir up the memories of others who attended school during that same era.

For those of us who were raised Catholic, we often associate second grade with our First Holy Communion. That’s definitely true in my case, and I can specifically remember having to study and memorize portions of the New Baltimore Catechism. In fact, even though I often struggle now to remember recent details of my life, I can easily recall a definition I learned in religion class well over 60 years ago.

“What is a sacrament? A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.”

Believe me when I say I did not look that definition up on the internet. It’s been embedded in my brain during all these…