As a young girl, every Sunday morning I attended catechism classes at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Niles, Ohio. The classes were held in the church basement and were taught by nuns assigned to prepare youngsters for First Communion.
After having completed all lessons and being able to demonstrate knowledge of church laws, our class was deemed ready and eligible for First Holy Communion. Our priest, Father Oreste Cerbara, commended us and announced that the sacred ceremony would take place