This morning I laid on my couch, drinking a cup of coffee, admiring the sun lighting up the trees and watched the birds. There were blue jays, red-winged blackbirds (a sign of spring), red bellied woodpecker, juncos (a sign that winter is still here), doves and chickadees. And I thought a week ago we buried Maria, two weeks ago she was here in this living room alive and well. But I'm not ready to write about Maria - when I do I want to write with joy not sorrow. So today I am going to write about St. Sylivia's school and convent. Why? Because I collect postcards of Tivoli and this is one postcard that I have coveted for years, seeing it only once on E-Bay and I lost the bid. The school was a wood framed two story house that lay east of the church next to the Demboski house. It was used as the school and convent from 1888 to 1962. (We moved to Tivoli in 1967.)

I found the following in a booklet on the 75th anniversary of St. Sylvia's church. Mrs. Redmond of Tivoli wanted to have a school in Tivoli "for the moral training of the children".

"The superiors told Mrs. Redmond if she wished to have the Sisters (for teachers) she would have to build a convent. Mrs. Redmond made a promise, she would build a convent if the Lord would bless her with a child. The promise was fulfilled. The first child, Johnston, was born on the feast of St. Vincent, July 19, 1988. On August, Achbishop Corrigan stopped over at Tivoli to baptize the baby and bless the convent which was opened on August 15, 1888. "

So the convent was there before the church was built in 1903. I remember the convent, it was used by the Girl Scouts for meetings in the 70's, probably torn down about 1975. At that time Father Geissler was the pastor. Father Geissler and I had a past together, he was from Beacon and had married me as well as my sister Maureen. (Neither marriage worked which might just be a coincidence.) Anyway, I typed for Father Geissler, typing for Jesus, I called it, the Sunday bulletin that was passed out. The convent was almost bare of furniture, as I recall, but there were two or maybe even three pianos still there. When I learned the building was to be razed, I asked Father Geissler if I could buy one of the pianos. He responded that I could have one, but not to tell anybody since Tivoli was a small town, and to make a donation in the collection box. Well, we didn't exactly sneak the piano out of the convent, my husband and friend Mike Stofa put it in the truck one night, Mike in the back with the piano, playing it down Broadway on the drive to our house. It stood in the living room, massive in the small house, and Sabra took lessons for some years. I remember Laura making her tap dance and play the piano at the same time and I remember when Maria broke her collar bone, she lay on the floor, her pillow under the piano....I think there was a Blum boy with her on the floor. Anyway, if anyone ever sees a postcard of the St. Sylvia school and convent, please get it...I'll pay anything for it. Well, almost.