“What kind of “Schedule” did the ORPHANS have?”

Oct 20th “What kind of “Schedule” did the ORPHANS have?”

While I was writing about some of the “GOOD OLD DAYS” at the Orphanage – I was asked by someone – “what kind of food and or meals did you have and when did you start your day?” This came across to me as something that maybe more people would like to know about – as there just are not too many “ORPHANS” around from the Orphanage – that is from the 1940s and 1950s – only a good handful that I Know – that are still living!

Since this was a Catholic and German Orphanage – there were very strict rules and punishments that would follow for a variety of offences – so at whatever your age – you soon were keeping your eyes open and your mouth shut! For everything that would happen – at the specified time of the day – there was a “BELL RINGER” – so, to start the day that “NUN” rang the “BELL” at 5:30 AM – and immediately – everyone was getting out of their beds and in each dormitory you were saying the standard morning prayers – as you were making your bed. You would as fast as you could make your way down three flights of steps to the “WASH ROOM” – there were 24 sinks in the center of the room and around the wall – you would find the hook with your number above it and your wash cloth and hand towel – getting ready for CHURCH.

Each child had a place to sit at one of the 10-foot long picnic tables in the “PLAY-ROOM” – at your designated spot – you would finish getting your hair combed and dressed into the school uniform that was worn for school and Church. All other times you would change into some play clothes that you would hang very carefully in your designated locker – which you would have for a six-month time frame – as all locker changes were made in September and February In the month of June when the “Graduates for that year would leave the Home have taken all of their things out and now are leaving lots of lockers empty – the children would now move their private belongings down the line to the newly vacated lockers by the previous class of children – who were lucky to leave!.

Just a few minutes before six o’clock – the children would form into a two by two column –all saying a certain prayer aloud and then march quietly down the corridor and then up to the second floor and file in to the Chapel and into their designated seat and kneel down. At six o’clock sharp – Mass would start and lasted one half hour. After the Mass – the reverse of what we did so – and to the “PLAY-ROOM – and now we would all change to our play clothes and run as fast as you can to the designated area for you to work – until it was time for all the children to return to the PLAY-ROOM to file into and to the “DINING ROOM for you and your family – at your designated and assigned table for all your meals.

If your family had as the eldest in the family a girl – your family all went to the “GIRL’S Dining room and the same for If a boy was the eldest – your family all went to the BOY’S Dining room. This is the same procedure for all meals – Dinner at twelve noon sharp – and Supper at 6:00 PM and we did not get to the good part – what did we have for the meals???