The test of what the potter molds is in the furnace.

As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
so in tribulation is the test of the just.
                                           Sirach 2:5

Happy Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time!

I was going through old boxes this week and came across The Power of Faith: Stories of St. Therese Community, 1926 – 2000, an oral history written in 2000 by a committee of parish historians, whose names rang many bells in my memory: David Averill, Bertha Elfalan, Charles Gill, Carmen Holen, Mary Kenny, Jane Pugel, and Nancy Rawles. The illustrations are by Susan Roberts, still vibrantly engaged in the parish as the lonely alto in the Spirit Choir.

Our time of tribulation began in the 1960s when many white families fled to the east side, which was just beginning to be developed. Charles and Gwen Gill moved into St. Therese in 1960. “You could feel the coldness,” Charles said, but he remembered Duncan Connor and Matt Renner made every effort to welcome him.

Beginning in 1965, the parish had the misfortune to be pastored by Fr. Andrew Prouty, who had grown up in the parish when it was white and very affluent. Fr. Prouty was a terrible racist who used racial epithets freely and was known to turn his back on black parishioners to shake the hands of affluent white members. Jose Elfalan, Charles Gill and others went to the Chancery to ask for Fr. Prouty’s removal and then picketed the church, an action that brought out the TV crews. 

White parishioners were leaving the school, and there was pressure to merge the school with St. Mary’s. But the Kennys, Elfalans, Gills, and others worked hard to raise funds. Annabella Morgan and her husband hosted a spaghetti dinner in her home and raised $2000 selling and letting parishioners view their antique collection. This was the beginning of Annabella’s soul food dinners, a St. Therese tradition for nearly the next fifty years.

Fr. Joseph Erny was assigned in 1971 and began a healing process. He started a Pastoral Council and school board, began having Black families bring up the gifts, and had the Black National Anthem sung at Mass. In 1976, Fr. Marlin Connole was named pastor and continued to build a multi-ethnic parish.

Wayne Melonson was hired as a part-time P.E. teacher in 1970. He had gone to St. Therese when it was about 50/50 Black and white but returned to a predominately Black school. He moved into the classroom and was hired as principal by Fr. Connole. Wayne stabilized the school and improved its academic standards. He left in 1990 but returned about 25 years later to mentor Principal Matt DeBoer.