Donny,

Thank you for taking the time to create and maintain this website. I'm a professional web developer and I hadn't even bothered to do this. I give you a lot of credit. It's organized nicely with loads of great pictures and info. I can see you put a lot of work into this and did so from the heart. It was definitely worth your efforts!

Thanks for all your hard work!

God bless!

~Barbara

Hi,
I'm so happy to have found your website. I did not live in Brooklyn, but my parents did in 1933, and raised my older sisters there until the late 1940's. My father was baptized at the church in 1917. I remember going every month to visit my Grandmother who lived in an apartment on the corner of Seckman and Herkemer. There was a candy store on the ground floor.
My grandmother's sister lived directly across the street. I also had an aunt who lived on Truxton St. with her family. I found your site while looking for family ancestry info. You have managed to preserve beautiful memories for so many. I lost my parents in '07 and '08 both at the age of 92. I only wish I would have found your site sooner. They would have enjoyed having me read the entries to them. They both really loved the old neighborhood! I recall so many family names from their past conversations along with the people and things I remember as a child.(the bocci park, going to the bakery with my uncle Nicky for bread to enjoy with the best macaroni ever, going to the feast, going to the soda shop with my cousin Barbara, listening to the family stories, walking past the tinsmiths shop on our way to the park and just seeing all the relatives who somehow had trouble remembering me, because I was born in New Jersey, a good 12 years after my sister.)
Thank you again for bringing me back to a wonderful place and time, where so many wonderful lives, families and memories started. I'm sure all who have passed away are smiling down upon us, and saying an extra special prayer for you!

PS: It's great how everyone got together to save Our Lady of Loreto Church. Bless you all.

Donny,
Finding the OLL site was a major nostalgia journey for me. In light of our phone conversation last week, I'd like to add a note of appreciation for your time and effort putting the web site together. I note that most of the people contributing memories are from the '70s (my apologies if I missed any from earlier days in the neighborhood). I grew up attending Our Lady of Loreto School, living on Stone and Liberty in Brownsville) during the mid-'30s thru the end of WWII. I remember Fr. Capobianco was the pastor and Fr. Russo his assistant. My Kindergarten and 8-a teacher was Sr. M. Donat. Our ending class, 8-B was taught by Sr. M. Virgilius. The Principal was Sr. M. Hyacinth, a very tough lady. She had me scared half to death when I was in Kindergarten. Our class (Jan-46) was the first to graduate after the end of the war. With a contingent of pals from OLL, a bunch of us went on to Boys High School.
One thing I remember was standing on the Church steps watching Fr. Russo chase a bunch of kids from the back of a small factory across the street. Evidently, they broke into a back window and were in the process of stealing web belts made for the military. I never found out if the good Father ever caught any of them. Lots of memories about Italian bakeries around the corner from the school making some of the most delicious cakes and pastries-wonderful cannoli and sfogliatelli.
I'm not sure if any in my age group(78-79)will remember me or if they are searching this site, but if so, send an email to me. I've been retired from the defense electronics industry for 21 years and have plenty of time to "chat". God Bless everyone.

Hi,
I lived at 273 Stone Ave. (now demolished) and my grandparents lived at 2198 Dean St. I attened OLL in the 1st and 2nd grade. I remember the nuns' names were Sister Mary Ida Joseph and Sister Mary Evangelista (a meanie). We then moved to Canarsie and that's where I actually grew up. I remember "The Cow", on Eastern Pky. (a deli I think)...there was a cow in the window. Also, Pellegrino Pastry Store and a chicken market where my mother use to have a live chicken killed (UGH) . I also went with my mother to Belmont Ave. to shop at all the pushcarts. I now live in Staten Island.

Hi Veronica

Cool that you remember the "Cow in the Window. On the same side of the street a couple of doors down my parents used to own a luncheonette/candy store called the J&J. It was kind of an after school teenage hangout as I recall. Do you remember it?

Thank you for taking the time to build this website. I enjoyed the pictures and the trip down memory lane. We left OLL and East NY in 1962. I would have graduated in the class of 63. I remember fondly Father Baretta. We hail from Dean Street across from the 'pickle factory'. Great memories - a lot simpler then.

In Florida and NJ now.

Bob

I was there 1967/ 68/ 69 MR MASAIOCIO DO U REMENBER HIM? HE GOT MARRIED THE FRIST YEAR HE WORK AT THE SCHOOL AND WE WENT TO HIS CHURCH CEREMONY IN NY. IF U KNOW OF THIS EMAIL ME PLEASE THANK YOU