Bishop McDevitt High School, Class of 1967: 09/17/17

A Family Bible Went To School

By Jim Barbush

I want to tell you about our Family Bible, one that I used in junior high school and senior high school. This Bible is pretty much as it was in 1967, when I graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in 1967. It still has its Bishop McDevitt High School book cover.

A Family Bible can stay in a family through the generations, like the one I have that was passed down to me. My parents had it in their small library. Now that they are gone, I still have it. Today, that Bible looks very old. The binding is all taped up holding it together. When I was a kid, it looked old then, but I don't know for sure how old it is. There is no published date in it. At least I cannot find one. I did find the year 1920 stated in the introductory pages. So, all I can tell is that it was published after 1920. Similar Bibles were published in the early 1900s. Since it was old when I was a kid and it looks very old now, I suspect that it is about 90 plus years old. Based on my observations and an internet search, it is a real possibility that it was published shortly after 1920.

As stated on the inside cover page this is how it is titled:

The Holy BibleTranslated from the Latin Vulgate

Diligently compared with Hebrew, Greek, and other editions in various languages

Old Testament first published by the English College, Douay, A.D. 1609

New Testament by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582

https://library.villanova.edu/Find/Record/1078031/Similar

AN EARLY RECOGNIZED NEED TO READ THE BIBLE

As a child, I did not read the Bible, but I knew that my parents had one. I knew that my mother posted significant dates in it, such as, births, baptisms, and marriages. I suppose in a child's way of thinking, I did not understand that I had a need to read the Bible. However, when I was in Edison Junior High School, Harrisburg, PA, the need for me to read the Bible was presented to me. It was probably when I was in the 7th grade. That would have been the 1961/62 school year. I was 12 years old when I went into 7th grade.

In 1961/62, we were still "allowed" to read the Bible and pray in public schools. That all changed in 1963. In homeroom every morning, we said The Pledge of Allegiance and a student read something from the Bible. We probably said a prayer too. Each day, a student had to select a Bible passage and read it before the homeroom classmates and teacher. We were made aware ahead of time when it was our turn to read.

My turn came up to read the Bible before the class. I remember being at home the night before and being stressed out about what I was going to read. I had no idea what to select. I remember sitting on the living room floor, with my back against the couch and the Bible in my lap before me. I had no idea where to even start looking. Of course, there was the popular, easy to select Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want". I did not want to read that because many others did. I struggled to find my selection. Well, the next morning, I took the Family Bible with me to school. I was nervously prepared to read. If I remember correctly, I read Psalm 23.

ANOTHER RECOGNIZED NEED TO READ THE BIBLE

I do not remember connecting again with that Bible for the next 2 years. But, after 2 years at Edison Junior High School, 7th and 8th grades, I enrolled as a freshman at Bishop McDevitt High School. There, I needed the use of our Family Bible again. It was in Father O'Neill's Religion Class. Father O'Neill was an Oblate priest, always wore one of those log black robes. He was somewhat stern as a teacher and often walked around the class with a long wooden pointer in his hand. That was used to get and keep our attention. We students called him Father Pop-Out because our workbooks had tear-out pages for homework assignments that we submitted.

For Religion Class, we needed to bring a Bible to class. So, I again went to the dependable Family Bible to use for class. I dressed it with a Bishop McDevitt book cover that all of our books were required to have. I'm sure we used it somewhat, but I don't remember any specifics.

NOTE:

I am not absolutely certain

whether this was freshman year or another year.

It was a long, long time ago, over half a century.

AN EDUCATED LOOK AT THE FAMILY BIBLE

So now, here I am, 56 years after reading the Family Bible in Edison homeroom, and 54 years after using the Family Bible in 9th grade Religion Class at Bishop McDevitt. Most significantly, here I am at the threshhold of my 50th High School Reunion for the Bishop McDevitt High School Class of 1967 to occur Fri/Sat/Sunday, September 22/23/24, 2017. And once again, I pulled out the old Family Bible. Now this time, I am not at a loss in understanding what's in the Bible. Over the last 3 decades, I have avidly read and studied the Bible. My wife and I have many Bibles at home of various translations. We have read out of all of them. Some I have read completely through. Others I have read certain portions. It's good to read different translations to help gain more understanding of what God is speaking to us through His Word. The King James Version is somewhat difficult for me to read since it is in the old English speak with thees, thous, findeth, doest, and otherests. I prefer a version that uses modern day English and sentence structure.

SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF THIS WRITING?

It's simply this. At this threshhold of my 50th Class Reunion, I have a piece of memorabilia that takes me back 50 years and more to my Bishop McDevitt High School days. The Family Bible is still on my bookshelf with many other Bibles and books. Uniquely, this Family Bible still has its original Bishop McDevitt High School bookcover. That is unique - - a 54 year old bookcover from Bishop McDevitt High School. The cover is somewhat beat up. The Bible's binding is patched with tape to keep it together and keep the front and back covers on. Can you match that? Maybe I should take it to the reunion. I just might, along with a few other things from a half century ago.

Bishop McDevitt High School
Class of 1967
50 Year Class Reunion
September 22/23/24, 2017