Sundays at Pat & Matt’s

St. Anthony’s is still my parish, and on Sunday mornings, you’ll find me at the 9 o’clock mass, just like when I was a good St. Anthony’s School student. One major difference is that the disciplinary Sisters of St. Joseph aren’t there to make sure I followed their laws. For the boys, that meant no hands in pockets and taking your hats off. For the girls, it meant making sure you had a head covering scarf or hat. Those were the good old days when, if you broke their laws, you could get a surprising smack on the head to alert you that your wrongdoing was noticed.

That risk disappeared after church, which was our time for whatever pleasure each family decided to make their ritual. For some, it was heading to Jolly Inn on 115th to get a bucket of chicken for a Sunday family dinner treat. For my large family, once a month my mother would put out a spread for the 10 of us plus all the kids my older sisters had.

The Sundays I really enjoyed were the ones where I got to roam free after church. I would get to hang out at the favorite gathering place for many of the adults and kids from St. Anthony’s. There were plenty of things to do for all ages because the place was a sociable mix of restaurant, bar, newsstand, Italian cigar and newspaper store, and best of all a candy store.

That neighborhood mecca was Pat & Matt’s! It was a cornerstone of St. Anthony’s social life. A big part of parish life was the Holy Name Society Bowling League and Pat & Matt’s always sponsored a winning team, which brought in a lot of Sunday customers.

The other notable connection to St. Anthony’s was the many young members of the parish who passed through the doors as employees. My sister Rosie was one of them, along with Frankie Calderone, Larry Avignone and many others.

My friends through Bonny Sandona’s Spaghetti-Os, Joe and Eleanor Calderone, were kind enough to give me a copy of their photobook of Pat & Matt’s to use as I would like and those are the photos in this column. There are a number of people in these photos whose names I don’t recall. I hope that some of the long-time readers of Petals from Roseland can help me out by letting me know the names of people they recognize.

When you walked in, you faced the cigar case and newspaper shelf that held the Sun-Times, Tribune, and the two or three Italian newspapers in print at the time. Subscribers to the Italian papers were able to pick up their papers every Sunday as they came in for their weekly coffee or beer.

On your right as you walked in stood the God’s gift to children otherwise known as the penny candy display case. I can’t recall the salesclerks that worked on the candy sales, but I do remember being a frequent customer. It made Sundays the best day of the week. That along with going to church (in case one of the nuns is reading).

The variety of penny candy to choose from was mind blowing. The fact that they have stopped making pennies shows you how far in the past that was!

I recall being especially fond of Bazooka Bubble Gum for a while because each piece had a comic. The comics were funny, but they were also a coupon to save for merchandise. I remember saving enough comics to get a pocketknife and a rabbit’s foot another time.

The second half of Pat & Matt’s was a restaurant with three or four booths along the wall and spinning stools along the counter. The seating at the counter was soda shop stools up front and bar stools in the back, making it an all-ages arrangement.

The green tiled soda counter had a black marble top and was where I sat when I would stop by in eighth grade to buy a slice of cherry pie and a cherry coke. I was living high because I had a South End Reporter paper route as a source of teenage income and meaningful tips.

The adult customers at Pat & Matt’s were a colorful bunch, from Gasparini to the brothers Lido and Lili. Gasparini had the shoemaker’s shop next to Pat & Matt’s. He also led the Italian Band during St. Anthony’s numerous annual processions and festivals. Lido and Lili were a little on the slow side and were under the protection and care of all St. Anthony parishioners, along with another favorite son, Big Christie, who worked at Illinois TV. The members of the Holy Name Bowling League were there, too, because many of them also served as ushers at that 9 o’clock mass.

Speaking of the ushers, I just had a memory of them when the new church opened in August of 1961. We were all surprised to see them appear in white dinner jackets. It turned out that it was one of Fr. Nalin’s special requests to make the ushers stand out.

Pat & Matt’s was always busy on Sundays and there was always plenty of loud conversation. As a matter of fact, I recall when it was so loud everyone missed an event on the TV that I couldn’t believe I saw.

It was November 24, 1963. I had just finished buying my weekly bag of penny candy and happened to look up at the TV. It was the exact moment when Lee Harvey Oswald was being brought out of the jail to be transferred, and Jack Ruby shot him on live television. I was too stunned to say anything, and it took a minute for everyone to realize what had happened.

As I mentioned earlier, if my readers recognize anyone in these photos or if you care to share any of your personal memories or stories from your Pat & Matt days, please do. From neighbors and parishioners to employees and customers anyone else who has a memory, please send me your comments after enjoying this look back at a very memorable time in our lives.

“Petals from Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman and Kensing Neighborhoods” is available from me for anyone interested in sharing or revisiting their life Roseland at $20 + $5 s&h. Contact me at petalsfromroseland@gmail.com or 11403 S. St. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60628; 773-710-3559. My book is also available at D & D Foods, 1023 S. Halsted, Chicago Heights, at Bookie’s New and Used Books, 10324 S. Western Ave, Chicago and at Miles Books,2819 Jewett Ave., Highland, Indiana.