My April column covered a range of topics pertaining to Mendel Catholic High School, from teachers and tunnels to dances and athletic events. The number and passion of the responses from Mendel Monarchs was overwhelming, showing me how much their experience at that legendary high school meant to them. The only way I could do justice to the tidal wave of nostalgia that washed over me was to print it word for word. The enormous number of comments I received demonstrates what a welcome part of my reader’s lives Petals from Roseland is, and the opportunity to connect with their …

We’ve survived the winter months and celebrated Easter with its spirit of renewal and rebirth, and the best way to celebrate that spirit is with a procession. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about the processions of our youth. With the Catholic parishes representing the multiethnic makeup of Roseland, there were many processions held throughout the warmer months. Throughout my childhood, I experienced Kensington’s St. Anthony of Padua’s processions. After I graduated in 1961, I headed straight into studying for the priesthood for the first year and a half of high school. I attended the Scalabrinian Order’s Sacred …

I’ve recently heard from a number of Mendel Catholic High School graduates. I was reminded of their motto — “Mendel Men are Gentlemen” — and asked when I was going to write about Mendel. Many Roseland residents have offered comments throughout the years on the good times they have had at Mendel, either by attending as students or going to their events. I’ve put the word out and I am going to do my best with this month’s column to give everyone that’s been affected by Mendel the spark to bring up those great memories. Let me begin with something …

With the frigid temperatures (hopefully) a distant memory, we can now set our sights on the warmer months to come. The one pleasure of surviving a Chicago winter is planning to make the best possible use of the coming good weather. Right now, we’re in the midst of Lent which began on February 22, and we’re looking forward to our Easter celebration on April 9. Easter was always a big deal at St. Anthony of Padua Parish on Kensington Avenue. Back in the 1950s and before, Catholicism was in full stride in our part of Roseland and the many reminders …

When it comes to love and the month of February, we don’t have to look any further than the good old days in Kensington, Pullman and Roseland. The mere mention of a time, place or event from those neighborhoods brings back a flood of fond recollections about growing up in the greater Roseland community. When it comes to our love of all things Roseland, who doesn’t remember the earliest days of their youth running around the neighborhood with the other kids. Sometimes, the best memories were created with siblings and other times with the kids next door or across the …

Here we go again, rolling into another year whether we’re ready for it or not. After all these years, one thing we’ve learned for sure is that we’re moving ahead regardless of how we feel. Let’s take a look at some of the happenings from 2022 as we look forward to good things to come. Pullman is always a happening place, ever since President Obama proclaimed it a national monument. As a part of the National Park System, the Ranger staff is always busy doing their job of promoting the park and enticing new visitors. The programs they have promoted …

Christmas is a time for celebration, but how we celebrate has changed over the centuries. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you embrace the more secular version embodied by Santa Claus with his big bag of presents, or the more religious one in which gifts are given in recognition of God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ? One tradition I embrace is the Christmas story told by Mario Avignone who is the originator of this column. Fr. Pierini asked him decades ago to start writing Petals as a way of keeping Roseland alive in our hearts. In my …

This year’s Labor Day weekend celebrations were looked forward to with great anticipation and, though the weather wasn’t exactly as we had hoped, all events were successful. For me, the eventful weekend began on Sunday when the first Sunday of the month walking tour took place. More than 50 individuals participated. The group was so large that it was split into three, each with their own tour guide, proving Pullman’s emergence as a “must see” Chicago sight. What made this tour group special for me was that my friends Diane De Re and Sonia Carli, along with their four friends …

Once again, we’ve seen a summer come and go and, as usual, we get to look back on what we DIDN’T manage to get done, or attend, or see, or listen to. But let’s look at the bright side and focus on what we actually DID accomplish! Summer in Pullman began its countdown to the always festive Labor Day Weekend with the annual Pullman Family Picnic. It was the first blazing hot Saturday in August, so it wasn’t as well attended as we had hoped. However, that didn’t stop attendees from having a great time. The smaller crowd actually allowed …

In the past year or so, I’ve been telling people that I’ve been writing Petals From Roseland for 12 years. Now that September has rolled around, marking the first month I took over from Mario Avignone, I stopped to do the math and realized that I’ve actually been writing the column for 14 years! It was September of 2008 when I was first introduced as the author of Petals from Roseland. I personally paid my thanks to Mario by visiting him in the Manteno Veterans’ home a few times. I also attended the premiere presentation at Casa Italia, along with …