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centennial Opens: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in herrin begins celebration

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

If you wanted action, reaction and interaction, you could find all that and more at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Herrin as the school’s 100th anniversary celebration began with the 11 a.m. liturgy with pastor, Msgr. Ken Schaefer.

The standing-room-only crowd watched as members of the various elementary school graduating classes walked in procession carrying signs representing their graduating classes.

“This is just the beginning,” Msgr. Schaefer said during his homily. Throughout the school year, a variety of events are planned that will culminate with the end of the school year in 2012, he said.

A member of the class of 1938, Sam Garnati said he remembered about 30 students in his eighth-grade graduating class.

He also remembers his teachers, Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Ruma. “They were nice and strict and you’d better do what they told you; if you didn’t you got moved to the front.”

Sam said he spent a portion of his time sitting in the front. He also remembers the school rest rooms were outside. “In winter, you didn’t linger too long.”

While Marlene Koerner didn’t graduate from the grade school, she did go to the parish high school that didn’t operate for very long. It had, she recalled about 30 students in freshman, sophomore and junior years, which made it unworkable because of the low numbers.

She said students did receive class rings. “It was a lot of fun. We had to wear ankle socks,” she said. The girls were told that without those socks “it would “inflame the boys passions. We were very sheltered and didn’t know what they were talking about.”

However, Marlene now has great grandchildren at the school, making those youngsters the fourth generation in her family to attend the parish’s Catholic school.

A 1972 graduate, Tom Cundiff, said the School Sisters of Notre Dame were teaching in the school when he became a student.

While he remembers the teachers being “strict,” he also remembers they were “always held in high esteem.”
One particular incident remains memorable for him.

The principal played softball with the students one day, and she was pretty good, he said. “She wore tennis shoes,” something that must have been unusual.

Students had been in trouble in the past for hitting the ball onto the gym roof “several times,” he remembered.
After the principal launched the ball onto the roof, students were no longer punished for the infraction.

Tom’s twins, Matthew and James, also went to OLMC, he said because he believes they received a better education.
“The children are more disciplined and they do better under that kind of system. They’re Christ-centered, and it’s important to keep God in the schools.”

So many children have been educated since that first three-room school opened in September, 1912 with104 students registered. Miss Bertha Baker was in charge and Miss Ann Venegoni her assistant.

ASCs began teaching in the school in 1914 until 1946 when the SSNDs became teachers there.
Other modifications and additions were seen over the years.

On Feb. 1, 2001, the parish purchased Southern Illinois Beer Distributorship adjacent to the parish property. The building was formally renamed in honor of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini who passed through southern Illinois in 1912. The building was renovated to include seven classrooms, a large multi-purpose room and office space. Cabrini Hall, as it is called, was dedicated on July 16, 2001 at the closing of the parish Centennial.

Presently, the parish is working to purchase the properties west of the church in anticipation of a new school to house all classes in the same building. The school year began with 285 children in kindergarten through eighth grade and 40 in pre-kindergarten using the space in the lower gym.

The school has children from the three other parishes in Williamson County: St. Joseph in Marion, St. Paul in Johnston City and Holy Spirit in Carterville. The school employs over 50 full-time and part-time people to serve the children in the school.