Orphan's Asylum

Book excerpt: Welcome to Orphans Asylum by Mike Krecioch. The author has experienced orphanage life and now has written his story. How the author and his two siblings wind up in a large orphanagewhile both parents are aliveis the central issue of the story. You will be transported back to the early 1950s to experience the orphanage life with all its smells, sounds, and tastes. What was it truly like to live within the confines of an orphanage with all the daily routines? This is a story about another time and place, told with grace and honesty. Saint Hedwig Orphanage (19111961), located in Niles, Illinois, at Harlem and Touhy avenues, was more than an orphanage to more than seven thousand children. It was a familya family of predominantly Polish children. Some were true orphans; others were children of broken homes. Under the direction of Monsignor Francis S. Rusch (18841959), the task of parenting and educating the children was entrusted to the Felician Sisters. The site of Saint Hedwig Orphanage, is now comprised of modern multifamily condominiums. But to those who attended Saint Hedwig, their time there will never be forgotten. All the children who called Saint Hedwig their home from 1911 to 1961 will always be remembered. Saint Hedwig alumni and their families continue to keep in touch through a newsletter entitled The Hedwigian II, which is published three times a year. When Saint Hedwig Orphanage was established, it consisted of one building. On July 12, 1911, sixty-three Polish children were transferred from Saint Josephs Orphanage to Saint Hedwig. Further construction took place, and ultimately, Saint Hedwig consisted of ten buildings on more than forty acres of land. These buildings remained the orphanage home up until 1961, when the buildings were renovated to become the junior college department of University of Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary. In 1968, the school became a four-year college and was renamed Niles College of Loyola University. The Archdiocese of Chicago ultimately sold the site to developers, who razed the orphanage buildings and constructed multifamily condominiums. For those who would like to find out what orphanage life was like during those times, you must read Orphans Asylum.