The historical narrative that follows is, of necessity, a condensation of 50 years activity. Committee members relied on information in Post history books, publications and on recollections of Post members actively involved in events highlighted here. The committee is aware that some events may be inadvertently overlooked, but believes that the narrative gives a reasonably accurate overview of the many and varied programs and activities carried out by the Post. For its achievements, Post 731 has earned many awards, being recognized at both the National and Department eschelons.

Our Beginning

Father John J. Hickey, founder and pastor of Sacred Heart Church, called a meeting in April 1946 to see if there was enough interest to form a Catholic War Veterans Post. The meeting was held in the school hall of the original Sacred Heart School. The proposal was enthusiastically received and the necessary application was sent to the National Department. On May 3, 1946, a charter was issued to Sacred Heart Post 731. Peter McCann was the first Commander and Father Hickey was Chaplain. Currently, the Post is led by Commander Fred Steigerwalt with the spiritual guidance of our Chaplain, Father George Boyle.

Shortly after the Post was formed, the Sacred Heart Parish grew so rapidly that it was necessary to divide the school hall into classrooms and the Post was given use of a room in the basement of the church. The Post was the proud possessor of one of the few television sets in the neighborhood. The meeting room was well patronized, especially on evenings when sporting events were televised. In 1948, an attempt was made to acquire the old Babies Hospital property where the homes on Rockwood Drive now stand. However, the project was found to be too ambitious, and in 1950 construction was started on the present Post Home. The cornerstone was laid by Father Hickey in 1952.

At first, work was done by the members themselves under the direction of Mr.Theodore "Ted" Allen. It was inspiring to see the members with their hammers and saws erecting the forms for the concrete walls and pilasters of the basement. Some present members who were teenagers at the time also helped. However, the work dragged on and it became evident that there was not enough talent of the type needed for construction of the upper part of the building. The balance of the work was put out on contract.

The "Ground Breaking" Photo

Father Hickey Lends a Hand

The purpose of the Catholic War Veterans is the promotion of faith and patriotism, and its motto is "For God, For Country, For Home". The members worked to implement these ideals from the very beginning. Many members had moved to Manoa from large city parishes where they had Holy Name Societies. Since there was no Holy Name Society here, they started a monthly communion Sunday for Post members and invited other men of Sacred Heart Parish to join with them. This continued until 1953 when the Holy Name Society at Sacred Heart Church was formed. Ted Allen, who supervised the construction of the Post Home, served as the first president of the Holy Name. All Post members were urged to join the Holy Name Society.

The Post made a monetary donation to help start Manoa Troop 4, B.S.A. sponsored by Sacred Heart Parish and several members of the Post served as officers of the Troop. This was the start of a close relationship with the scouts that lasted for over 20 years. They were given free use of our hall for monthly meetings, Blue and Gold banquets, and Eagle Scout ceremonies. The sons of a number of our members were inducted as Eagle Scouts in our hall.

A Snapshot From One of the Early Scout Activities

From 1950, Peter McCann served as Welfare Officer for the next 25 years. During the early years of our existence, he was the spark plug in getting Veterans benefits. Permission was granted at Sacred Heart Church and the surrounding parishes to solicit funds for televisions for the wards at the Valley Forge Military Hospital. Families of servicemen who died overseas were assisted in getting their loved one home and military honors were provided at the burial of many who had made the supreme sacrifice. Some veterans were assisted in getting their discharge upgraded so they could qualify for Veterans benefits. Others were helped in filing for G.I. mortgages. Many veterans and widows were assisted in getting pensions, social security, and other benefits.

In the early days, Memorial Day was celebrated with a parade in Manoa. The parade consisted of the American Legion Post 667, V.F.W. Post 311, and C.W.V. Post 731, along with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cubs, and Brownies. It started with a Military Mass at Sacred Heart Church with the Color Guards and members of all posts participating. At our first parade, Post 731 had only recently been chartered and none of our members had CWV uniforms so all were urged to wear their military uniforms. Since they had been recently discharged, the uniforms still fit. It was interesting to see Lieutenants, Captains, Majors and Lt. Commanders rubbing shoulders with privates and seamen. The parade was formed on Manoa Road and marched to American Legion Post 667 where a brief memorial service was held followed by refreshments. Each child in the parade received an American flag to carry.

Memorial Day Memories: The Color Guard

To finance their activities and raise money for the "dreamed of" future Post Home, members sold weekly 50/50 chances, had weekly bingo in the basement of the old church, collected old newspapers, and ran two carnivals on the church grounds. As you can see, the generous support of Father Hickey and the Sacred Heart Parish helped us to achieve our goal of a Post Home.

Shortly after the Post Home was completed in 1952, a mortgage was secured so that debts could be paid. A liquor license was obtained but the income from the bar and hall rentals was not sufficient to cover all of the expenses. In spite of all the fiscal problems, we kept up a full schedule of C.W.V. activities and it soon became necessary to have fund raisers. The Cross of Peace and poppy sales covered the Youth and Veterans Welfare programs. A Monte Carlo night, raffles, and socials were held. The most popular of the socials was the Dollar Nights. For an admission price of $1.00, you had all the shrimp you could eat and all the beer you wanted. There was also a combo for your dancing pleasure.

Vince Hanna Might Have a Few Stories About This Picture (he's seated at the left)

In 1954, the owners of the corner lot next to the Post Home offered it for sale. A down payment was made and the owner took a mortgage for the balance. Now there were two mortgages to pay off. Bingo was started again and became an important source of revenue.

On November 26, 1955, the Post was saddened by the sudden death of our founder, Father Hickey. The National Department granted our petition to change the Post name to Father John J. Hickey.

On January 25, 1956, the first Past Commanders' Banquet and Memorial to Father Hickey was held. Each Past Commander received a "trophy" gavel and Father Falls, our Chaplain, was presented with a chalice in memory of Father Hickey. This chalice was to be given to a seminarian at St. Charles Seminary who was about to be ordained. Incidentally, the cost of the first banquet was $5.00 per couple!

In February 1954, the first issue of the Short Sheet was published. It was one sheet that gave a Commander's message, a schedule of events for two months, Ladies Auxiliary news, and details of a Valentine party. Short and sweet! Except for a few breaks of several months each, the Short Sheet has been published monthly over 43 years by 7 editors. The Short Sheet has won many first place awards from the National and Pennsylvania Departments. One editor, Bob Rachor held the job for 28 years.

From 1958 to 1988, we sponsored a "Small Fry" Baseball League for boys ages 8 to 11. Bob Finley was the sole Commissioner of the league for 30 years and Post members served as coaches and umpires during this period. Initially, we had 6 teams of 15 players taken from the Cub Scouts. In 1961, the league expanded to 8 teams with 120 players. Each season started with a parade of players in uniform from the Post Home to Manoa Field. The Commander threw out the first ball. The season ended with an All-Star game and a banquet in the Post hall.

Since 1957, the blood needs of members, their families and the Sacred Heart community have been satisfied by our Post's participation in the Red Cross blood program. Semi-annual blood drives at our Post Home continued for 40 years. For 35 of these years, Bill Rachor ran the blood drives for both the Post and Sacred Heart Parish. The Post over this prolonged period has many times won first place honors in the Department of Pennsylvania Medical Officer's program. Currently, we are co-sponsoring semi-annual blood drives with Sacred Heart Parish.

Jack Lynch: One Of Many Donations

Bill Rachor Hard At Work

In 1968, a glee club called the SINGING CORSACS was formed consisting of 18 members. The CORSACS steadily grew to 25 members. Under the direction of Bob Rachor, they performed at a variety of affairs for 28 years. They entertained annually at Christmas time at nursing homes and at convents for retired sisters. Some members met sisters who taught them in grade school. They also entertained at Veterans hospitals in Philadelphia and Coatesville. When they performed at the Department of PA convention at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, they added comedy skits to their repertoire. They put on the same show at the CWV National convention in August 1978. The SINGING CORSACS were enthusiastically acclaimed at both affairs.

Our membership started with the 91 members, 86 men and 5 women listed on the Post Charter. In 10 years, we more than doubled that figure to about 200. Over the next 10 years, our membership reached 300. We were usually among the 10 largest posts in the country. This reflected the hard work of the second vice commanders who served conscientiously over the years. In 1975, the Post was cited by the Department for being the largest post in Pennsylvania. Membership drives were held at the surrounding parishes. Also, we secured prospective members from our participation in the annual Delaware County Veterans Fair.

In 1974, the Post joined with the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia and others in an attempt to get prisoners released and those missing in action accounted for in accordance with the Peace Agreement signed in Paris on June 27, 1973. Post and Auxiliary members wore bracelets with the name of an MIA inscribed and prayed for their safe return Letters were sent to President Ford, Secretary of State Kissinger and our congressional representatives urging them to pushed for the accounting of these prisoners and MIA's.

The Post adopted Lt. Commander Paul L. Worrell as our special MIA. On December 2, 1964, while on a mission from the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was shot down and had been missing since. A special Mass was said at Sacred Heart Church for Lt. Commander Worrell and the other MIA's. The celebrant was Post 731's Chaplain, Monsignor Thomas B. Falls who gave a warm and personalized homily. Mr. and Mrs. Worrell were present along with a large delegation of friends and relatives of other MIA's.

June 15, 1975 was proclaimed "Lt. Commander Michael W. Doyle Day" by the Haverford Township Commissioners. On that day, the Post planted a "Freedom Tree" and dedicated it to Commander Doyle, an unreturned prisoner of war. Years later, Commander Doyle's body was returned and a large delegation from the Post went to his Mass of Resurrection in the Chapel at Ft. Myers and to his burial in Arlington Cemetery.

In January 1975, we hosted the 25th Chapter convention, which started with Mass celebrated by Father James Grogan, Chapter Chaplain, Father

George Boyle, National Chaplain and Father Soccorso Saldutti of Sacred Heart Church. The convention pledged to continue the fight against abortion and obscenity and to press for an accounting of MIAs and unreturned POW's.

On Memorial Day, May 26, 1975, St. Denis Parish observed the 150^th Anniversary of its founding with a Field Mass celebrated by Bishop Gerald McDevitt, Monsignor Falls and Father Sherman, O.S.A. concelebrated. The Post Color Guard, rifle squad and members participated in the MASS and the Corsac singers led the singing. Following the Mass, the church bell tower was dedicated to the more than 700 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who are buried in St. Denis Cemetery. We also participated in their Memorial Day Field Mass held in their cemetery for about 10 years.

His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, visited Philadelphia and celebrated the Eucharist on the Parkway before the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on October 3, 1979. The members of Post 731 were marshals for the celebration. All wore gold baseball caps for the occasion.

In August 1979 at the National Convention, Florence Murphy was elected National President of the Auxiliary. A bus load of Post and Auxiliary members went to the Lord Baltimore Hotel banquet hall to see her honored. The following year Florence was again honored with the prestigious St. Agnes Medal, the highest National Auxiliary award.

1980 was an exceptional year for reflected honors for Post 731. Our Chaplain, Monsignor Falls, received the Celtic Cross Award in recognition of his work as a pastor-observer at the Second Vatican Council. After working long into the night to finalize the document, he was designated by his fellow pastor-observer to make the presentation from the pulpit in St. Peter's Basilica to bishops of the world assembled in Ecumenical Council. It is believed that this was the first time in the history of the Church that a parish priest addressed such an assembly.

Also in 1980, the Father Washington Medal was awarded to polio victim Ed Coyle whom Post 731 nominated. At the age of two he contacted polio and was on crutches until age nineteen. He managed to overcome great obstacles and gained a degree in Exercise Physiology. He is an inspiration to all because of his courage, citizenship, his love and concern for his fellow man, and his unselfish devotion to God, all the characteristics of Father Washington who gave his life so that others might live.

Ed Coyle Receives Father Washington Medal

Sam Zampino, Philly Lazarewicz, Ed Coyle, and Bill Sheridan

After Monsignor Falls retired as pastor of Sacred Heart Church, he continued as chaplain until 1990, covering a period of 35 years as our spiritual leader. In 1991, Father Boyle, newly appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, became our chaplain and is still our spiritual leader for which we are thankful.

In addition to the Corporate Communion Sundays, C.W.V. Post 731 has participated in many religious and civic activities including:

Annual Holy Thursday Adoration - We attend as a group for a special hour with our God.

July 4^th Parades and Memorial Day Programs - We observe these events with the Haverford Township Veterans Council. On Memorial Day, we gather at the Post and proceed to pay our respects at the graves of our deceased comrades

Youth Programs - C.W.V. Post 731 reaches out to 14 parishes and their schools. Currently, we have the "Keep Christ in Christmas" poster contest, Spelling Bees (winning State and National awards), and the Children's Christmas Party (started by Father Hickey). We are starting a scholastic program with the "William J. Rachor Outstanding Community Service Award."

Welfare Programs - We are involved in Poppy sales, visits to the Coatesville, Philadelphia, and Spring City VA Hospitals and Veteran Centers. Gifts, entertainment, and refreshments are provided. Most recently, we were able to provide and deliver picnic tables and an organ to the Spring City VA Center.

We are fortunate to be able to continue these programs as we move towards the future.