Back to the chains of events that led me to the project of entering dominican order in autumn 1960.
It begins in the kindergarten.
1 Sisters of Wisdom
The Sisters of Wisdom were, I think, less than ten in the convent located on the parish. Each sister, normally, went after a few years and was replaced by another one.
The Sisters I have seen had, all day long, clothes and head-dresses exactly like in the photograph below. Their body dresses were of a light enough gray and were sufficiently long to leave only appear their ankles. The width of their sleeves were very large on all the length of the sleeves, down to the wrist. They had a huge rosary hanged to their belts; the grains were black, polished, and bigger than beans. They had all, also, permanently, a crucifix on the breast, exactly like on the photograph.
People could often see one or several of them walking without slowness in the streets of the neighborhood. In winter, they had a black pleated cape with a large pleated hood which covered them completely.
In the middle of their convent, they had their own chapel but a few of them were always present in the church of the parish at sunday mass and all other ceremonies. I can say it since, my family was assiduous too to all what happened in parish church.
The Sisters of Wisdom had the responsibility of the parish kindergarten and girls primary school. I spent the major part of my time at kindergarten in ++436++'s classroom. In fact, this sister was the only one with whom I had relations. At last, she showed special affection to me. The playlet where I said "On the contrary, it is very fine !" (see below) was organized by her. I continued to see her at catechism lessons after I leaved the kindergarten. She had the responsibility of first year catechism for boys in the parish. Lessons took place in one of the parish rooms. After that, ++436++ went elsewhere.
2 Kindergarten
I cannot say exactly howmany years I spent in the kindegarten before 1947 summer. The kindergarten is animated by two sister of wisdom nuns : ++435++ who has the age of a grand-mother and ++436++ who has the age of a mother. Despite its name, the kindergarten is a true first level primary school.
Religion is always present, centered on Gospel but not only. I remember that ++436++ explained that in the old days there was, in God's world, an important angel whose job was to carry the light. And I imagine that this world, with clouds and no earth below (certainly because of religious pictures) was dark because it needed some light. And ++436++ explains that the angel was too proud and became the first devil by cutting himself from God. In my mind of little boy, I don't doubt at all about the truth of this story.
I left the kindergarten to enter primary school in October 1948.
3 The playlet
This is the major event. It's a little fete which takes place in a classroom of the catholic primary school for girls of the parish. At (1) , ++437++ is in an arm chair. It is his birthday At (2) it's me and the crosses represent boys. I am not sure of it but I think that the palylet was played only by boys. The playlet consists in saying what jobs we will have in the future. Each boy expresses his project (not real, the dialogs are already learned) but I keep silent and don't want to express my future. A boy must say " It is so bad ? " (the tune is that of a question) and he says it. I must answer " On the contrary, it is very fine ! " and I say it. And finally I explain that I shall be priest.
P. M.
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