St. Paul Catholic Orphanage (Pittsburgh, Parker: university, maintenance, living)

[cmdwalk]

I was there at St Pauls 1956 - 1964 I had very few visits from my parents. They never really explained why. They are now deceased. I did find out information later that explained complete poverty, alcoholism. But because they kept some of the siblings. It leaves me to wonder why did they toss me away and how can a parent leave their child. I went with a terribly abusive foster family. Presently, I do have a great marriage and three wonderful kids. But when I reflect on my childhood I feel sad. Does anyone understand how a parent could do this to their own child. It seems so cold hearted. Both of my biological parents were in an orphanage and I am sure they felt the same abandonment, loneliness and feeling very unloved I felt all of my childhood. Yes, I am in therapy, after many years of going thru this, I finally listened to my husband. I would love to have some understanding. I could never, never do that to my kids. I would love to have some input.

[Dwaynerh52]

It's been interesting finding this post and reading the different perceptions about the experience of being at St. Pauls. My mother, Angeline Julian and her two sisters Mary and Katherine and her brother Frank were in St. Paul's from 1938 until 1942. Her parents were divorced and her father moved to Indiana, leaving her young and loving but uneducated and work inexperienced mother to care for four children during the middle of the depression. I think it's hard for us to understand how difficult (or should I say impossible) it was for women back in 1938 to find work, particularly with four children. The social services and public assistance as we know it today simply did not exist and the church was one area someone could turn to for assistance. If you chose the church for help then you had to play by their rules which on reflection at times could be harsh and rigid (cleanliness, godliness, and hard work). My mother and her siblings did not want to be at St. Paul's but in time adjusted and my mother came to see it as a positive experience (though they all still wanted wanted to be with their mother). She says that they were clean and warm, had good food, that she got a good basic education, she learned to play the violin, and she also made friends with many other children there . She says the majority of the kids there were not actually orphans but their parents were having difficulty(illness, finances, death of one parent, divorce) and couldn't take care of them. My grandmother got a job at Mayview State Hospital and went to school nights to become an LVN and eventually got all the kids out of St. Paul's in 1942 and they were reunited all the remainder of their lives. My grandmother was pretty incredible herself! My mom got married in the 1940s, had three kids, 2 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. She is the greatest mother. She is 85, in good mental and physical shape and would love to see pictures of St. Paul's and hear from anyone(or their families) who was there when she was. I went there in the 1970s, before the fire, and took some color photos. I will dig them out and try and post them on this site and anyone who would like to have them can also email me. Also keep in mind that if you do research on the orphanage records birthdates, medical and school records are probably most accurate. Home, family and social assessments done many years ago are most likely biased towards justifying a reason for taking children from the home. Social Work has improved tremendously over the years and I guess what I'm saying is if you read something that sounds negative about your family it may not be accurate. In the old days of Social Service the theory was we know best, we are right and you are wrong. Today Social Services looks at the whole family ina completely different "helping context." So be careful you don't get your feelings hurt when reading some of these records (and I am talking from experience). Good luck to everyone searching about their families. Dwayne

[nan1946]

My aunt Peggy and her brother Matthew and brother Bill Waters were there in the 30's

[tbltrl]

My great-grandmother and her brother were at St. Pauls from 1908 to 1913. I am compiling a family history and would love any photos of the orphanage any one has collected.

[maklein55]

I had uncles that were put in St. Paul's in 1931. I am not sure how long they were there. Joe, John, Richard (Dick), Paul (Buck).

Does anyone remember them? Does anyone have any pictures of them. We do not have any pictures of them from the time they were put there until their adult life.
Thanks

[melchillinsky]

my grandmothers mother was a orphan in st pauls she was born june 13 1902 and it said her name was Katherine Mary Muller now she said the orphanage burnt down destroying all records is this true? if so how can i find or search for her real parents or any info on her? please help my grandmother is geting old and would love to give her any info on her mother... thank u

[nan1946]

The Catholic diocese of Pittsburgh can tell you how to get records of people who were in St Pauls.

[dign4family]

I have been working on my families geneology for a great many years and have been trying to locate information about the orphanage as my Mother and her two (2) brothers were there sometime in the early 30's as my Grandmother died in an automobile accident and my Grandfather couldn't take care of the children alone. I would appreciate it if anyone who has information, leads or was there, or has pictures would let me know.
My Mom passed away in 2005 and she never really talked about her experiences there. Her name was Josephine, her brothers were George and Joseph Mayen.
Thank you all in advance for sharing.
I hope that each and everyone of you find some sort of help and or closure in your endeavors. God Bless

I know your post was a while back but I would be so appreciative if you had photo's you could share them with me. My Mom and her 2 brothers were there in the early 30's. You can either post back or reach me at my e-mail [EMAIL="smuiznieks@yahoo.com"]smuiznieks@yahoo.com[/EMAIL] Thanks in advance

[papadon1935]

Twenty plus years ago I decided to begin for my children a sort of autobiography and included a few pages about my time at St. Paul's. The bio has some photos that were taken when I returned with my family as part of a cross country vacation in 1975. I have created a 4 page PDF about my experiences at St. Paul's. If you wish a copy email me at pic000kle@yahoo.com
For those who had relatives at St. Paul's I hope this will give you some insight.

I was at St Paul's from September of 1945 to June of 1948, 4th-6th grades. My parents were both alcoholics and unable to look after their three children. I was the eldest. In June of '48 my mother's sister and her husband brought us to So. California. I do believe my experiences at St. Paul's gave me, above all, a strong sense of self-reliance and personal responsibility. I quickly learned the nuns were not interested in "excuses!"

[vmart54]

My mother, Bertha (Dolly) Metrovich, was at St. Paul's Orphanage from 1936 to 1944, as was her 5 older brothers and sisters (Elizabeth, Mary, John, Joe, and Frank, who died of rheumatic fever while a teenager there).
If anyone recognizes her name she would love hearing from you. She has many, many stories that she tells me about her years spent there. If you care to contact her you can email me at [EMAIL="valeriemartincek@hotmail.com"]valeriemartincek@hotmail.com[/EMAIL].
I never realized there were so many other people out there whose lives were impacted by this institution!