Closing of Sacred Heart would be ‘tragic’

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Of course, on Saturday afternoons, I would confess that and other sins, too, in the somewhat daunting confessional. I can still hear the echoes in that nearly empty cathedral, with the afternoon sun lighting up those beautiful stained glass windows.

Seemed like that old-style church had more of a presence of God feel to it than today’s houses of worship.

The high school as we know it was being built during that time, and what a beauty it was. Very modern and state of the art, as I recall. I remember once, after a movie at the Landis Theatre, my friends and I took an unauthorized tour of the partially built school, giving it the highest approval rating.

Later on I would play freshman basketball in the lovely gymnasium. Fell on that vinyl-covered cement floor in that game and thought I was going to die. I didn’t and the floor was eventually replaced with a wooden, more forgiving surface down the road.

In my teen years, that gym would host some of the most popular dances in South Jersey, drawing the top DJs from Philadelphia WIBG fame.

Those Friday night “record hops” gave me some of the most beloved memories of my teen years. The local priests would chaperone, along with a local policeman or two, and the occasional fist fight never really amounted to much. I’m sure that many young romances started in that gym, especially during the ladies-choice, slow dance songs. The boys in my crowd would drink a little pre-dance beer just to get into the “mood” a little quicker. They were mostly the three quarts for a dollar quality of brew.

That hard vinyl floor enhanced the twist and the mash potatoes and great times were what the Sacred Heart dances were all about.

Through the years I attended many great Lions basketball games in the “Den” that would almost have the roof blown off by the ravenous fan base. The Hearts fans were always the most devout in the area and basketball was their other religion.

I coached my son’s CYO boy’s basketball championship game on that gym floor. Beat St. Isidore for the county title that night. One year and done. Retired, Coach Charlie, undefeated, Sacred Heart Gym 1993.

My God, the demise of Sacred Heart High School to me is more than heartbreaking — it would be tragic, simply tragic.