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by Irene Pfleger Wachdorf

people mentioned:

California friends Ruth Kelly, Janet King, Mary Armstrong, unsure who Catherine is.

dad = her husband, Edward Wachdorf Sr.

Lawndale--Mar 14--62

Dear Ones:

    First of all thanks for my birthday gift and for the pretty card + for the lovely family pictures. I just love them + could sit and look at them all day. Can hardly wait until I see the new baby in person.

    Had a real wonderful birthday. Mary picked me up at 5:45 A.M. on my birthday and we went to a Byzantine Rite Catholic Church to Mass. It was very ceremonious and we were given a Mass book so we could follow the services beautifully. There were about a dozen visiting nuns at the Mass besides a strange priest too. There was one woman that sang the Mass in Greek and she had a voice as clear as a bell and beautiful. When it was time to go up to Communion the priest stood in the middle of the Sanctuary with a saucer with bread on it that was soaked in wine and we all went up one by one and he put a piece of the bread in our mouth--he had a very small spoon and told us to keep our tongue in and he put it in the front of our mouth and didn't touch a thing. Well soon after that the Mass was over and again the priest stood up in front in the middle of the Sanctuary and we were told to kiss the hand of our Lord and kiss the wood of the Cross too and he gave us a piece of dry bread that we could either eat right away or take it home with us. Well I guess everyone in church ate it right away as we did too.

    We then went home, ate breakfast, and Mary again picked me up at 9 o'clock and we went around visiting churches. First we stopped at an Orthodox Greek Cathedral--we can't attend Mass at an Orthodox Greek church as they don't take orders from the Pope--so we just went to see it. It is the most beautiful church I have ever been in. It cost $4,000,000. As soon as we went in the man in the vestibule hit all the lights and soft music started to play. We looked around for about 15 minutes and then went to see St. Vivian's Catholic church where the Cardinal presides (Ruth and Catherine, another woman Mary takes to church every morning went with us) and from there we went to see the oldest church in L.A. the little Plaza Mexican church where they have Perpetual Adoration it is only about 1 block from the depot.

    Finally we started for home after first stopping at a religious goods store where Mary did a little shopping and went to Mary's house where she had a very lovely luncheon all prepared for us. Then we went home and I got there just in time to help Janet get dad's lunch. Well after that Janet visited a little while I washed the dishes made the beds straightened up a bit and it was time to go over to Ruth's for a very lovely chicken dinner that she had all prepared for us with all the trimmings and a beautiful birthday cake too. Well it was certainly a big day for me and I really enjoyed it immensely.

    Well darlings  I sure hope you are all well after the very severe winter you've had and that we have heard so much about and that soon you will be enjoying some beautiful Spring weather. We are all O.K. here--so hoping to hear from you soon. I am as ever with God's Blessings on you all,

Mom

To go to next, click here: 1962 April Irene