Ron Clancy
Ron Clancy loves Christmas and most of all Christmas music, especially the fine old carols that have been passed down from generation to generation.
You could call him a modern day Scrooge, who after seeing the light, “holds Christmas in his heart and tries to keep it all the year.” Except in this case, Ron was not an old man when he received his epiphany.
As he’s told his story many, many times, he was a little guy of 6 years old, one of the new kids at the old St. John’s Orphan Asylum in West Philadelphia. It was Christmas Eve, and he was roused from sleep and taken to the beautifully decorated chapel for his first Midnight Mass.
What enthralled him the most were the sacred carols so sweetly sung by the Sisters of St. Joseph who were his caretakers. Sixty-two years later that memory is still as fresh as yesterday in his mind.
In the late 1970s he began attending as many Christmas concerts as he could, and to collect the best Christmas music he could find. To discover the origins he spent hundreds of hours poring over music collections in libraries around the country.
At first he gave CDs and explanatory notes from his collection to his friends, some of them as Christmas presents. It was at his friends’ suggestion he set out to compile the ultimate collection of good Christmas music, and also obtaining the necessary copyrights in order to sell it.
At this point, through his company, Christmas Classics Ltd., he has not one but four collections available for purchase.
(See related story: Ron Clancy explains his Christmas music collections)
If anything, Ron’s personal journey is more inspirational than the music he loves.
He was only six months old when he and his older brother Vincent and sister, Eleanor (Bunny) were placed in St. Vincent’s Orphanage in Lansdowne, where Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast High School is now located. It was run by the Daughters of Charity, and “I have very good and fond memories of St. Vincent’s,” he said.
But St. Vincent’s only kept very little boys, and so at 6 he was passed on to St. John’s. When he was 7 his mother took her children back home and he lived with her for two and a half years, but his home life was so chaotic, first his brother, Vincent ran away and a few weeks later Ron did too.
The judge in Family Court asked him where he wanted to go, and he told him, “I want to go back to St. John’s where my friends are.”
Today it is social service gospel that orphanages are the very worst places for children. Ron and many other institutionalized children of his generation know better.
“I still maintain relationships with the Sisters at St. Joseph’s Convent as well as Chestnut Hill College,” Ron said. “Two sisters proofread two of my manuscripts. I guess to a degree I look upon the sisters as mother figures. My sense about them is more of a great admiration and deep sense of gratitude.”
Sister Marie Carmine, S.S.J., leads the boys of the former St. John’s Orphan Asylum in West Philadelphia, circa 1950s, in bedtime prayers.
Well over half a century later he can still remember their names: Sister Lucia Marie Donze (nicknamed Luchy), Sister Egberta McGee (Eggy), Sister St. Zita Haley, Sister Finbarr McHale, Mother Immaculee Gormley, Sister St. Carthage Carroll, Sister Gertrude Marie Gilligan (Gertie) Sister Clare Genevieve Clinton (Clary) Sister Cor Mariae McGarrity (Corrie), Sister Mary Esdras Allwein, Sister Eileen Dolores Duffy, Sister Helen Constance Clark, Sister Mary David Karis, Sister Marie Carmine.
“Sister Lucia was known throughout the orphanage as the friendly one, an easy mark to speak, and the boys were happy to be in her grades,” he recalls. “I had Sister Clare Genevieve for three years and I had great respect for her. She carried herself with dignity, was an authority figure yet didn’t act the part. I hope to see her in the after-life.
“Sister Eileen Dolores was very light-hearted, comical and creative in the classroom. She was one of my favorites. Sister Mary David was the ‘looker’ and she loved boxing.”
All of the sisters had qualities to be remembered; some were stern, others not. He has affection for all of them.
Thanksgiving through Christmas was a very special time at the orphanage. The Knights of Columbus would serve Thanksgiving dinner. Students from Villanova College would take the boys into town to see the wonders of John Wanamaker’s, Lit Brothers, Gimbel’s, or Strawbridge and Clothier; buy them a gift and treat them to dinner at the Horn & Hardart’s Automat. And of course, there were always holiday carols.
Children who had reasonably stable relatives would go home for Christmas, Easter and a short summer vacation; those who did not would go the homes of kind volunteer families. Ron and Vince spent holidays first with the McLaughlin family and later with the Macatee family.
“My memories of spending Christmas, Easter holidays and summer vacations with the Macatees are especially nostalgic and I have had a close relationship with that family ever since,” he said.
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Typically boys would age out of St. John’s at age 11 and be sent on to either St. Joseph’s House, conducted by the Holy Ghost Fathers or to St. Francis Vocational School, conducted by the Christian Brothers.
At times, if the sisters thought a boy especially promising, they would keep him at St. John’s and also send him to St. Thomas More High School. Several of these young men went on to become priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Both Vincent and Ron were retained by the sisters, but after Vincent graduated from St. Tommy More, Ron, who had completed one year there, asked to be transferred to St. Joseph’s House, because that’s where most of his buddies went. The Sisters reluctantly transferred him.
He was happy there too. Writing for a St. Joseph’s centennial book in 1988, he recalled, “We were always up to something, pulling off pranks, agitating the authorities, but always in the spirit of good clean fun. Things never got out of control though, because discipline and respect were guiding principles.”
Addressing the common misconceptions about orphanage upbringing, he wrote, “Was I unfortunate …? Not hardly! Not when I review the ravages of our drug-infested society, particularly among inner-city youths, and the scourge it has placed upon us as a nation. Not when we witness the utter deprivement of little children whose psyches are wrecked by the proliferation of divorce, or broken homes, or child abuse from emotionally troubled parents, or in some cases to be brutally mutilated or even killed. Add to this the unsettling trauma of abortion and it becomes a pretty sordid state of affairs we find in our midst.”
At St. Joseph’s Ron was a good athlete, and he received a major break when with the help of his coach, Joe Paluck, he obtained a basketball scholarship to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Although he ultimately dropped out of the basketball program, he continued with his college course load, financed by a full-time position he obtained as an elevator operator on Capitol Hill.
Now a technology recruiter and author, Clancy stands with one of his books next to a plaque near a church in Savannah, Ga.
He went on to a career as a corporate recruiter in the technology field. Married, he and his wife Renate live in the Cape May, N.J. area.
His expertise in the field of Christmas music has gained him national recognition, and he has been featured in a multitude of newspapers, magazines and radio and TV shows. So far his company, Christmas Classics Ltd., has produced four comprehensive sets, noteworthy not only for the music but for the lavish artwork and commentary that go with it.
While they have all been critically acclaimed, Ron will probably never get rich from them.
“I still have not recovered from the amount time, effort and financial resources that have gone into my ‘exotic’ dream,” he said. “The satisfaction is from the gratitude expressed by my customers, media folks and even musicologists. It vindicates my vision to raise Christmas music above the mundane.”
(Clancy’s collections of Christmas music may be ordered through ChristmasClassics.com, or through Amazon.com in partnership with CatholicPhilly.com’s Marketplace — see Featured Books on our Marketplace.)
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Lou Baldwin is a freelance writer and a member of St. Leo Parish in Philadelphia.
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Great reading your story and the many comments. I also grew up in an orphanage: St. Thomas and St. Vincent Orphanage in Anchorage,Ky. from 1948 to 1962. It’s amazing the experience posted on your site can be replicated in the orphanage I grew up in. I have written a on-line book ” Growing up without Love”, it’s free and only takes about 2 hours to read. YBIC, JOHN MAERZ. Austin , TX.
I am a hearing impaired person (deaf) but I went to an oral school for 9 years and Remind me that I went to the deaf school in Randolph (Boston School for the Deaf now closed on June 1994) ran by Sisters of Saint Joseph (some of stern nuns and some of not stern nuns). Some deaf kids were abuse by the stern nuns in the classrooms and dormitories too When I was 8/9 years old in the school year of 1965-1966 and I was in classroom my 2nd year of school with a stern old nun Sr. M. Marjorie Harrison who were abuse the deaf kids at her desk to correct the school works to punch on the deaf kid’s head with fist hand and pull the hair out her hand on the deaf kid’s hair.
I got here on my 4th birthday 1953, and got out in 1957. Remember Sister Carmine who I really liked, and still have nightmares of Sister Finbarr McHale who made me eat the remainder of stringbeans left in the pot. She made me clean up the aftermath, and I am damaged goods to this day. I hate the very word stringbeans and I get dry heaves at times with the smell. Why do wedding receptions typically serve these disgusting things.
Another very traumatic event was when my relatives would visit on occasion, and I got a Flash Gordon shirt (4yrs old). The Nuns took it from me before I could wear it. When we had playtime we would run to bins to grab toys, and I saw a kid had my Flash Gordon shirt, so I got a toy guy and whacked him on the back of the head with the butt of the gun. I wound up getting the worst of it after the nuns worked me over.
Now that I’ve shared the worst experiences, I have to say that overall it was a good experience. I still clean the bathrooms in our home, so my wife appreciates the discipline we received.
I was at st.John,s from 1945-1951,I remember most of the nuns listed. Most of the times I was happy there. I got my earned beatings and I do not hold any bad feelings towards the nuns.Happy to see some names I reconized. Hope to see some of the homies at annual hut Picnic Sept.13. It is on the old hut grounds, next to LaSalle Vocational school. By for now. Dick Kolb,57.
I was at St.John,s from 1945 till 1951. Most of my memories were happy ones, Sure I had some punishments, some deserved others not. But I can look back now and say most times I was happy there. People asked me how was it in the orphanage and I tell them i knew no better. I am still in touch with many of my homie buddies from St. Francis and St. John,s. Many of the guys from the Hut are still active with St. Francis/St. Vincent,s Homes for Children in Bensalen,Pa. The Organsation is Called the Friends of St.Francis/St. Vincents.We give each boy a Birthday gift on their birthday. BY for now,Dick Kolb.
I was in there foe a short time in the early fifty’s . The only memories I have are of being beaten for no good reason.
My dad was at St. John’s Orphanage Asylum in West Philly from about 1946-1952. He barely speaks about it, but I have heard stories from his family that the St. Joseph’s nuns were pretty cruel to the children -stories that have left me beyond disheartened… Hence, I clearly find the account you share, on “CatholicPhilly.com” of all places, somewhat suspect, but kudos to you if your time spent there was so pleasant. Sounds like you were extremely lucky. I wish my fathers early life, and the lives of many other young boys I’ve found on line that were placed at this orphanage to be cared for by these nuns were half as lucky as you…
Came from St. Vincent’s to St. John’s around August of 1954 and left Nov 1955.. The only thing I remember was the big play ground area behind the main building…had good memories and got lucky and was adopted in Nov 1955…best to all the St. John’s boys
I was at St Johns for two years . I can’t recall anything good about the place . I do remember when the guys from Villanova would take us out around Xmas but Idon’t remember what we did because I was to worried about asking them to buy me new pajamas and slippers . We were told if we came back without them we would be beat . The guys from Villanova would pick us one by one until they were done. What people don’t know is that alot of kids were never picked . If we came back with new toys, the nuns took them and locked them in a room. I never played with a new toy. This is just one story of many.
I came across this article while surfing for general information about St John’s Orphanage Asylum. My brother (76 now) and I (77 now) were there sometime between 1945 and 1950’s because my father could not find work (divorced) and watch us. We both were sent to St Francis Vocational School in Eddington, Pa., and left in the early 1950’s.
Recalling a few memories:
I was really surprise to see the picture of Sister St Marie Carmine who was in charge of “K” grade. Everyday after school, we would fill the brown wooden boxes, marked “A” to “K”. John Yaroush and I would fill the boxes with the exact count for each grade with whatever was available that day, mostly the long stick pretzels. A lot day old stuff was donated from various stores in the area. I delivered the box to “K” grade everyday.
From what I can remember, the priest was Father Cartin, and I was assigned along with John Yarosh to the dry food storage area (we both had Sister Clare Genevieve at this time). This area was supervised by Sister St Carthage who was in charged of the dining facilities, including the washing the plates and silverware with assistance of John Falkner, a very out going and friendly guy and much older than us. John Falkner lived onn the premises above the garage next to the street entrance. The dining hall was hugh with long plain tables (no table cloths here) and chairs made of all wood painted green.
Well, I could go on and on…but my brother and I got a good education and a lot of discipline…sometimes unwanted.
I was at st johns in the 40’s and 50’s. my experience was much like yours but I don’t remember the nuns names. very nice story, brings back so many
memories >>.
Greetings,
Thank you for a wonderful story. I especially enjoyed being reminded of the nuns by their names. I was institutionalized at Saint John’s Orphan Asylum during the 1950’s and 1960’s on two separate occasions totaling about two years. All of my orphanage experiences were not pleasant, but I was well educated and my basic needs were satisfied. The living conditions were far superior at Saint John’s Orphanage than those at home with my family. I appreciate the sisters of Saint Joseph, the Catholic Bureau, the volunteers from Villanova University, The Knights of Columbus, and GOD.
Thanks for this its a great story. As a single parent my mother came to the US from Jamaica to respond to an opportunity to be a “Nanny” when I was 6 years of age my brother 5. We didn’t have any family here in the states and attended Our Mother of Sorrows church. She placed my brother and I in St Johns Orphanage in West Philadelphia when she had to have surgery. We spent a year in St Johns and were always giving the best of care. I don’t know what my mom would have done if not for the Church and the Orphanage. I have many a fond memory.
reminds me of my years spent at the Catholic Home for Girls,in north Phila.
it’s nice to read about somebody else who spent most of their youth with the Sisters of St Joseph.they were the best as mothers and mentors. although we could get mad at each other as family members do.
Haven’t seen or heard from anybody who lived at the home when the Brennan girls were there,but I remember them and the Sisters in my prayers. Yes, it could have been worse! thanks Ron for your younger life-story!
My Mother and her Sisters were at the Catholic Home for Girls back on the 40’s and early 50’s. Her name was Kathleen (Katie) Coons and her sisters were Claire, Mary, Theresa and Lillian. Their brothers were also at the home for Boys back in the late 40’s and 50’s. My Mother just came in contact with a women who she was in the home with after 60 some years. Please contact me if you knew them.
Wonderful story, Lou. Merry Christmas!