Saint Hedwig and Me

By Michael Krechiock and Michael Krecioch

St. Hedwig and Me is a first-hand account of the joys and sorrows of growing up in an orphanage in Chicago. Book jacket. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890731102
• ISBN13: 9781890731106
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Allegro Pr
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A fun and enjoyable read

An excellent, fun and quick read. His ability to relate special moments and the visual images he created was amazing.

St. Hedwig and Me

A very fast and interesting read of a street smart 8 year old in a Catholic orphanage, and his maturation into a decent young man over the next 8 years. His recollections are amazing, as is the nostalgia he feels. I enjoyed it very much!

Saint Hedwig and Me Life in a Chicago Orphanage

A TRULY GREAT, INSPIRING BOOK SUCH AS THIS HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE 1939! THIS WAS THE YEAR THE AUTHOR, MICHAEL KRECIOCH WAS BORN. THE NOVEL WAS "BLACK NARCISSUS" BY RUMER GODDEN'S. THE REASON FOR THE COMPARISON, NOT SINCE "BLACK NARCISSUS" HAS THE TRUTH BEEN TOLD ABOUT CATHOLIC NUNS. WHAT MR. KRECIOCH HAS DONE IS CAPTURE IN A HUMANIZING WAY THE TRUE ESSENSE OF "BLACK NARCISSUS" EVEN THOUGH IT IS OBVIOUS THE AUTHOR PROBABLY HAS NEVER READ THIS BOOK NOR HAS SEEN THE 1947 BRITISH CLASSIC. AFTER READING ST. HEDWIG AND ME IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN MEMORY THAT NUNS WERE PORTRAYED FOR WHAT THEY WERE. HUMAN. WITH ALL OF THE FRAILITIES THAT GO WITH IT. ALTHOUGH MR. KRECIOCH WAS NOT AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME, IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THEIR IS DIVINE INTERVENTION AT PLAY AND ULTIMATELY MR. KRECIOCH HAS GOTTEN OUT THE STORY OF SISTER MARY (MARCIA) MARCY BALDYS. MR. KRECIOCH WRITES "I HAVE KNOWN AND ASSOCIATED WITH MANY OTHER NUNS DURING MY LONGER THAN EIGHT YEAR STAY AT THE ORPHANAGE. MY INVOLVEMENT WITH SISTER MARCY WAS BRIEF. NEVERTHELESS, THE LONE YEAR THAT WE INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER MADE ME THE MAN I AM TODAY." "SHE TAUGHT ME WHAT REALLY HARD WORK WAS, BUT SHE HELPED ME REALIZE THE RESULTS OF MY HARD WORK AND HOW REWARDING IT COULD BE. FAIRNESS WAS ANOTHER OF THE SPECIAL QUALITIES THAT SHE INSTILLED IN ME. IT REALLY HELPED ME IN MY LENGTHY CAREER ON THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. MARCY WAS NOT A WOMAN'S LIBBER, BUT SHE TAUGHT ME TO RESPECT WOMEN, ALL WOMEN. SHE SAID I COULD NEVER GO WRONG IF I TREATED A WOMAN AS MY EQUAL." "AT A GATHERING OF THE ST. HEDWIG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN OCTOBER 1996 I FINALLY GOT TO PUBLICLY THANK SISTER MARCY FOR GUIDING ME THROUGH SOME PRETTY HORRENDOUS TIMES. SHE WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. SHE TURNED TWO OF THE BIGGEST TROUBLE MAKERS INTO TWO VERY PRODUCTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS OF OUR SOCIETY. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME WHILE I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF THE FINEST TEACHERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. MARY BALDYS WAS BORN TO GENEVIEVE AND PHILIP BALDYS IN WEST HAMMOND, ILLINOIS, ON MARCH 23, 1915. SHE WAS BABTIZED INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BY THE REVEREND B. NAWAKOWSKI AT ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE CHURCH IN CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS, ON APRIL 4, 1915. ON AUGUST 23, 1935, SISTER MARY MARCY MADE HER FIRST PROFESSION OF ANNUAL VOWS UNTIL SHE PRONOUNCED HER FINAL VOWS ON AUGUST 23, 1941. ONE OF HER FIRST TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS CAME IN 1933 AT ST. JOHN OF GOD PARISH IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. SHE TAUGHT THE FIFTH GRADE FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. IN 1935, SHE TRANSFERRED TO ST. JOSEPH PARISH IN CHICAGO AS A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR FIVE YERS. IN 1940 SISTER MARCY WAS SENT TO BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TEACHING AFRICAN AMERICANS AT THE HOLY FAMILY MISSION SCHOOL IN ENSLEY. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR APPROX. SIX YEARS. HER FIRST STINT AT ST. HEDWIG ORPHANAGE, ALSO KNOWN AS ST. HEDWIG INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CAME IN 1946 AS A SEVENTH GRADE TEACHER.

ST. HEDWIG AND ME: LIFE IN A CHICAGO ORPHANAGE

I AM THE AUTHOR'S SON AND RIGHT NOW YOU MAY THINK MY OPINION IS BIASED. BUT IT'S NOT BIASED IN THE WAY YOU WOULD THINK. READ ON AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND HOW EVEN I HAVE GONE FROM BITTERNESS TO FORGIVENESS. A TRULY GREAT, INSPIRING BOOK SUCH AS THIS HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE 1939! THIS WAS THE YEAR THE AUTHOR, MICHAEL KRECIOCH WAS BORN. THE NOVEL WAS "BLACK NARCISSUS" BY RUMER GODDEN. THE REASON FOR THE COMPARISON, NOT SINCE "BLACK NARCISSUS" HAS THE TRUTH BEEN TOLD ABOUT CATHOLIC NUNS. WHAT MY DAD HAS DONE IS CAPTURE IN A HUMANIZING WAY THE TRUE ESSENSE OF "BLACK NARCISSUS" EVEN THOUGH MY DAD CAN HARDLY REMEMBER THE NOVEL, LET ALONE THE CLASSIC BRITISH MOVIE FROM 1947. AFTER READING "ST. HEDWIG AND ME" IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN MEMORY THAT NUNS WERE PORTRAYED FOR WHAT THEY ARE. HUMAN! WITH ALL OF THE FRAILITIES THAT GO WITH IT. ALTHOUGH MY DAD WAS NOT AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEIR IS DIVINE INTERVENTION AT PLAY AND ULTIMATELY MY DAD HAS GOTTEN OUT THE STORY OF SISTER MARY (MARCIA) MARCY BALDYS. MY DAD WRITES "I HAVE KNOWN AND ASSOCIATED WITH MANY OTHER NUNS DURING MY LONGER THAT EIGHT YEAR STAY AT THE ORPHANAGE. MY INVOLVEMENT WITH SISTER MARCY WAS BRIEF. NEVERTHELESS, THE LONE YEAR THAT WE INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER MADE ME THE MAN I AM TODAY. SHE TAUGHT ME WHAT REALLY HARD WORK WAS, BUT SHE HELPED ME REALIZE THE RESULTS OF MY HARD WORK AND HOW REWARDING IT COULD BE. FAIRNESS WAS ANOTHER OF THE SPECIAL QUALITIES THAT SHE INSTILLED IN ME. IT REALLY HELPED ME IN MY LENGTHY CAREER IN THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. MARCY WAS NOT A WOMAN'S LIBBER, BUT SHE TAUGHT ME TO RESPECT WOMEN, ALL WOMEN. SHE SAID I COULD NEVER GO WRONG IF I TREATED A WOMAN AS MY EQUAL. AT A GATHERING OF THE ST. HEDWIG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN OCTOBER 1996 I FINALLY GOT TO PUBLICLY THANK SISTER MARCY FOR GUIDING ME THROUGH SOME PRETTY HORRENDOUS TIMES. SHE WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. SHE TURNED TWO OF THE BIGGEST TROUBLE MAKERS INTO TWO VERY PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS OF OUR SOCIETY. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME WHILE I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF THE FINEST TEACHERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. MARY BALDYS WAS BORN TO GENEVIEVE AND PHILIP BALDYS IN WEST HAMMOND, ILLINOIS, ON MARCH 23, 1915. SHE WAS BAPTIZED INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BY THE REVEREND B. NAWAKOWSKI AT ST. ANDREW THE APSOTLE CHURCH IN CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS, ON APRIL 4, 1915. ON AUGUST 23, 1935, SISTER MARY MARCY MADE HER FIRST PROFESSION OF ANNUAL VOWS UNTIL SHE PRONOUNCED HER FINAL VOWS ON AUGUST 23, 1941. ONE OF HER FIRST TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS CAME IN 1933 AT ST. JOHN OF GOD PARISH IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. SHE TAUGHT THE FIFTH GRADE FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. IN 1935, SHE TRANSFERRED TO ST. JOSEPH PARISH IN CHICAGO AS A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR FIVE YEARS. IN 1940 SISTER MARCY WAS SENT TO BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TEACHING AFRICAN AMERICANS AT THE HOLY FAMILY MISSION SCHOOL IN ENSLEY. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR APPROX. SIX YEARS

Saint Hedwig and Me by Michael Krecioch

Very easy reading. An interesting story about life in an orphanage where the children were taught morals, values, obedience, discipline, and the work ethnic. But where was the love that all children so desperately need during their formative years? The author was able to overcome this obstacle and become a worthwhile, productive member of society. This is a attribute to the values taught at the orphanage. This book gives one an opportunity to compare his/her childhood with those who were reared in an orphanage setting. A thought provoking and interesting reflection of the author's childhood.