My Name is Don Allen and I went to St Peters
Chapel School on Lyons Avenue in Newark from 1954 to 1962. I did
a search on your website but surprisingly enough I did not find
any reference to this Newark Landmark.
SPCS was located on Lyons Avenue at the end of Dewey Street. The
other end of Dewey Street ended at Hawthorne Avenue to give you
and idea where it is. Geraci's barber shop was right across the
street from it. Joe Geraci was a part time magician also, He used
to make cigarettes disappear into his pant leg and come out of his
ear. At any rate, SPCS was a CHAPEL to St Peters on Belmont Avenue,
which was the mother church. SPCS had a school that went from first
to eighth grade ( one classroom per grade). It also had an orphanage
attached to it so if I'm allowed to mention names I would like to
remember Louis and Margaret Messenger and Ronald Brown and Tommy
Zoola just to mention a few that I remember fondly.
Also St Peters had its own FARM, that's right I said FARM. Right
smack in the middle of Newark. It also had beehives and different
animals but it grew most of its own vega tables. Out in the spacious
playing fields during lent we used to have processions in which
everybody would dress up and two by two go out into the fields led
by the Father Kounselman( spelling) Or Father Brozat and pray at
the different Altars they would set up out in the fields.
I went there, my brother and sister went there, and so did my aunts
and uncles. This turned out to be normal for this particular school.
It seems that all my classmates family's also went there and we
were merely following in their footsteps.
I remember fondly the yearly Christmas plays we would put on every
year in the auditorium below the church itself. Each grade would
be led by one of the Sisters to put on some kind of simple play
that included the whole class. Unless you got in trouble and you
got kicked out of it and had to explain why you weren't going to
be in the play to your parents which inevitably led to a spanking.
But, in the end the sister or STER( shortened version of SISTER)
would let you back in in the last minute before the play.
I know I have not done these memories justice. I wish I had the
creative talent to share my wonderful amazing happy memories of
my childhood with you guys so forgive my attempts or the lack thereof.
As you all can tell I was raised in a very loving strong neighborhood.
The kind of neighborhood Newark was famous for.
Again, webmaster thank you for your efforts and God Bless all of
you guys. Anybody who went to SPCS in those days please feel free
to email me at this address.
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