Monsigneur Scully

[mary lamasney]

I am interested in any comments or memories of Monsigneur Scully particulary his physical appearance as well as any personal interactions with him. Does anyone remember when he arrived on the scene? Was it before the Cross Bronx Expressway was dug? When did he die? Can anyone share their memories of the collective response to his sudden death? I would also appreciate any comments about the effect the Cross Bronx Exp. had on the parish. Thanks. Mary

[Les Sherwood]

Mary
As now one of the “older’ persons I will try to pass on some “memories” of Fr. Scully.
From the 100th Anniversary booklet I see thatFr. Scully was the pastor of St. Anthony’s from 1950-1962.
According to the write up in the booklet the renovation of the church(1952) and the new rectory and school annex was completed by 1955 and the new floor for the auditorium was completed earlier. I would like to point out the new floor was never used for basketball, at least when I was there . We used it for dance classes with Mrs. Shields and ….While this may have limited my ability to get the NBA, I did learn to dance a “mean” foxtrot and "ja-ja(?)", at least in my mind.
I think Fr Scully was there during the construction of the Cross Bronx exp. I was part of the “destruction” team, as well many others in the neighborhood that helped in tearing down the many houses in its path. I know the CBE changed many neighborhoods in the Bronx but I was too young to understand the impact on the neighborhood but it did not do any good.
As to what type of person Fr . Scully was I can only give my opinion. In an earlier post I recounted my “experiences” with him as a altar boy which were not great. I felt he though he was a “patrician” among us “plebians”. He was always dressed to the hilt including the shiniest shoes with taps that heralded his presence. He looked like a rich dude and not like the workers types most of us looked like.
However, he did a lot for the materialistic aspects of the parish as noted above. Personally, I and many others liked priests like Fr. Mike.
Les

[Marty Gavin]

Mary,

As part of the Les Sherwood geezer group, I'll attempt to answer your question by attaching a couple of photos of Rev/Msgr Scully.

Look to the 100th Anniversary Booklet for a laundered version of his history.
To be charitable, he was a good business man. To be equally charitable, he was a tad lacking in Pastoral skills.

Enough said.

Marty Gavin

[John P. O'Neill]

My opinion is very similar to that of Marty and Les. Msgr. Scully was distant and blunt in his directions to altar boys like myself who he seemed to think of as beneath his status. We liked the fact that he said the quickest Mass of any priest in the parish, and you were usually out of the Church in a half hour or less when he was the celebrant. His sermons were not memorable and reeked of authoritarianism but then that was what we were all used to and what we expected a sermon to be in the 1950's. Father Tom and Father Mike seemed to depart from that authoritarian priestly posture and to be fair, most of the diocesan priests at Cardinal Hayes were more approachable than the parish priests I was used to.

Regarding the Cross Bronx......it served to separate those in Blessed Sacrament parish from those in St. Anthony's parish with a few exceptions......like the O'Hagans from Taylor Ave. The previous dividing line had been Westchester Ave.......and after the Cross Bronx was built, it became the dividing line just as Tremont Ave and White Plains Rd. were in other directions.

[GoomMartin]

As a graduate of St. Anthony School in 1961, I was invited by Msgr. Scully to work in the rectory part time when I became a freshman in high school (Cardinal Spellman.) I worked answering the phone, serving the priests their dinner and greeting visitors to the rectory, who came to meet with a priest for marriage prep or to get a mass card. That means I started working there in the fall of 1961. During the summer of 1962, I was on vacation with my family and when I returned had found out that Msgr. Scully passed away. At the young age of 14, I had never seen a dead person before. Msgr. Scully was laid out in the front parlor of the rectory and I was assigned to work early Sunday morning there. I let myself in with my key and paid my respects to Msgr. all by myself. I swore I saw him breathing! I remember him as being very strict. I think he was followed by Msgr. Coleman (?) Other priests there at the time were Father Thennen (German), Father Staubach and Father Grogan (who married my husband and me in 1967.)

I remember learning to ride a two-wheeler bike on the Cross Bronx Expressway while it was under construction - don't remember the year. I lived at 1531 Taylor Avenue. Now live in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

[Rich Burrell]

1531 Taylor ? this has got to be Irene from Apt. 17. you graduated with my sister, Marion, in 1961 and you both went on to Spellman. I remember your mom fondly. I was a lunch guest of hers for a few weeks in 1963 when my mom was hospitalized. Your dad, who reminded me of Barney Rubble from the Flintstones, alway called me "whole in the head" for the frequent head stitch-ups I required.
Hope all is well with you and Frank and your kids.
Regards,

Richard