Before I tell you how and when God cleared up the mess in my life by the vicarious life of His Son, Jesus Christ, I would like to bring out some things that He would eventually eliminate, and some that He would use for His honor and glory.

The Move to Kearny

As I said in the previous account, the time came when my parents would move from Jersey City, NJ, to nearby Kearny. We made our new home at 681 Chestnut Street, one of a number of attached houses. The urban legend then was that George Washington had housed his horses in those buildings at one time. I would say that was very unlikely. Those buildings were not that old. There may have been other buildings there for that purpose in the 1700’s, but who knows? Our first President seems to have been everywhere in some peoples’ minds.

Saint Stephen’s School

One of the first orders of business after moving in was to get me ready for my first dose of school. Dad was Russian Orthodox and Mom was Roman Catholic. Church law insisted that any children from a mixed religious union would be raised Roman Catholic.

So I was carefully warned by my sister Pat that nuns, who were mostly the teachers then at Saint Stephen’s School, wore habits. I would probably be looking at a woman dressed in black or very dark gray whose head would seemed to be enclosed in a box. I guess Pat knew I was a nervous tyke to begin with, and that little warning actually helped.

Tuition was paid at Saint Stephen’s School on Midland Avenue and off I went. I really enjoyed it. The only time I remember being scared was when the nun put a record on for us to listen to and left the room. The song ended before she came back in and the needle of the record player kept hitting the dead-end of the final circle, making a repeated thumping noise. I was afraid it would explode.

Images from author’s personal collection

Anyhow, it was the usual kindergarten stuff. Perhaps the other thing I might not have liked as much was the insistence that we boys mingle with the girls. Above, in the picture on your left you will see me dancing with one of my classmates. On the right is a picture of my grandparents, Paul and Anna Macinta, walking home with me after I graduated from kindergarten. Mom is behind me. I just had to include that picture, since it is the only picture that I know exists of my grandfather, Paul. We are walking along Chestnut Street, crossing Columbia Avenue. Just behind us is the Chestnut Street bridge that went over the railroad tracks at that time. In the background is the top of Saint Stephen’s School.

Roman Catholic Training

As you know, I am a born-again Christian today and respectfully do not condone much of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and, in fact, teach against them. However, there were a few things that were instilled in me that later helped to bring me to true faith in Jesus Christ. There are three topics I specifically remember that had an impact on me: each human has a soul and is a living soul; God is good; and the end of the world was to come.

Images from author’s personal collection

I think it was during first grade that I received my first Holy Communion. Above, the picture on the right shows my mother and I, and our spaniel (which soon died of distemper). What an outfit I had to wear! In the picture on the left you can see I am not pleased to pose with my grandmother, Anna Macinta. Like I alluded to in the previous account, at that age I did not like being with the older ladies, though my sister was only nine years older than me.
 
Up until the time I became a satanist (I avoid capitalizing that name), I was a pretty good Roman Catholic boy. At one point I, and my friend Mike from across the street, were so full of fervor we tried “converting” our friend Howie, a known Protestant, to Roman Catholicism. It did not work.

God Speaks

Nonetheless I studied the Roman Catholic faith, learning the catechism very well.

I was convinced that my salvation depended upon my works and wanted to please God by works. I remember giving up my pillow for Lent one year. I believe a nun had suggested that.

Although I was quite active in this religion, God specifically spoke to me one morning.

I think it was around May 1 when we would gather in a schoolyard facing a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We would sing some hymns and the girls would crown the statue with flowers.

Part of the celebration called for us to pray the Hail Mary. I distinctly remember one year that, as they began to pray the Hail Mary, I heard God say to me, “Pray to no one but me.” It was like a voice in my mind. So while everyone I heard prayed the Hail Mary, I prayed the Our Father. After that, I avoided all prayers to Mary.

In Love with Science

While I loved much of my religion, I also loved what I had hoped to be my future realm of work–science. My specialty would be research chemistry.

My parents permitted me to have a small laboratory down in the basement. I would save up my allowance money and buy flasks, glass tubing, filter paper, additional chemicals and more. I remember saving up enough money and buying a thistle tube. It was expensive. Sad to say that thing broke when I did a project generating hydrogen gas. Something got blocked up and the stopper in my flask blew smashing the thistle tube against the sealing. Oh well.

To help out with our country’s space race, I started to build my own rocket, a little close to my neighbor’s yard. It really wasn’t much but an old car battery or two and other pieces of junk.

And, to help defend my own nation, I worked on a bomb. That, too, thank God, was not much. I remember dousing toilet paper with diluted tannic acid, thinking I would discover something great. Well, that didn’t happen either.

There were no video games back then so I had the wonderful opportunity to build radios and other electronic gadgets from kits. From that I learned some basics of electricity.
 
Other Pursuits

I was interested in other things of course, but there were two that would later play a role in my future ministry.

Let me introduce the first one by saying this: Parents, unless there is an off limits sign, do not forbid your child to touch a piano. I remember I was quite young when I met my first real piano. I pressed down on some bass strings, and I was enthralled at the beautiful rich tones.

Image from author’s personal collection

A couple of years later, I took piano lessons. Mrs. Maybee was my instructor. I had four or five years of lessons, won numerous awards for playing and memory, and eventually learned the basics of composing music. Then I dropped out due to the terrible mental state I got into after my first arrest, which, Lord willing, you will read about. Check the Peace in Providence Index for its location.

The other thing was my interest in radio. When we would visit our relatives in Jersey City we often use NJ route 7 which went right past the transmitter sites, that existed back then, of WMCA, WOR, and WNEW. I gazed at the towers and buildings wondering what equipment was inside and what went on.

This interest was not extensively developed until after my first arrest, and you will see it was eventually used by God as one of the ways to lure me to Him.

Excelling, but with Problems

While I was learning my religion well, my academic grades were superb until the 6th grade.

However, if you would check the back of my report cards, you would see I would often fail in “emotional stability.”

That was a result of a combination of things. I often thought my classmates were picking on me. Besides, you know children often tease each other about one thing or another. I just did not like it when I was the recipient.

I would be kicked and punched by others. Mom saw the bruises and tried to blame my Dad, but he did not do it. I tried telling her that and I think she finally believed me because now I remember she came to school one day and told my whole class to leave me alone. Though she meant well, I was embarrassed.

As you can imagine, these circumstances molded me into being mostly introverted and having low self-esteem. However, there was a part of me that wanted to be sociable. So there were times I was torn in two between these two realms.

Also, I had an occasional buzzing on the right side of my head that would pester me. I never told my parents about it since I felt that it too would be made a big issue. Looking back, I should have said something since most likely it was a tumor. Nonetheless, I remember Mom and I were ordering food at a restaurant in Newark. The buzzing noise started and it was horrible. I did not immediately reply to the waitress so she asked something again. I screamed and hollered at her, and at Mom who was trying to quiet me down. That was embarrassing for Mom.

Vehement Parental Arguing

But a main reason why I was so emotionally unstable was my parents’ arguing which was quite vehement at times. I remember there were times when driving back from Jersey City they were yelling at each other. I was in the back seat shaking and crying. So I then would go to school the next day with that on my mind. When some of the children would then pick on me I was quite ready to lose my temper.

One of the worse memories I have of my parents was the time my Mom threatened Dad with divorce. At that time Mom, Dad, and I slept in the same room.

One night, Dad lay sick in bed with a bad cold. Mom thought I was asleep. Dad had missed work due to his illness, but Mom did not seem to care as she started an argument with him. Then I heard her say to him that when he got better she was going to see to it that he fix certain things around the house and then she was going to divorce him.

That, above all, hurt. That is one reason why, today, as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I take a strong stand against divorce. In fact, if one honestly examines the Holy Scriptures, without reading into the words anything extra, you will see that God, though He speaks of divorce, never really authorizes it nor does He declare it to be a valid way to dissolve a marriage (please see Luke 16:18).

I know I might receive many comments on the previous paragraph but some of the answers to your questions you might pose to me can be found on my Marriage Index pages, so please check there first.

So, because I was hurt when Mom threatened Dad with divorce, I can just imagine the bitter hurt that many children go through when their parents divorce. My friend, Christ is definitely the answer to all marital problems.

By the way, in those days Mom and Dad slept apart in separate beds.

Mom Runs Away

Then there was the time when I was in second or third grade that Dad, while arguing with Mom, put a sickle to his throat and said, “One of these days, Mae [her nickname]…,” made a mock cutting noise and ran the sickle past his throat. He later declared he was joking, but Mom took it as a threat that he would kill her.

So Mom took Pat and I and fled. We stopped at a Salvation Army parsonage and I forget what made me say it but after two hours there I told the pastor he was making her worse. She then took us to a friend’s house where another wife was running from her husband. We then somehow went to Jersey City and got to my Aunt Anna’s apartment.

Mom left Pat and I there while she checked herself in at the nearby hospital for a nervous breakdown. We were at Aunt Anna’s for two weeks.

It was there one of my cousins snapped my neck to the right. I guess I had aggravated him by hanging my head to the right after seeing the characters in the Dick Tracy comic strip do that for a series. This is the reason why my head leans to the right unless I consciously correct it.

Another problem developed in those years in that I became nearsighted and needed glasses.

The Rest of the World

In the meantime, society was not doing too well either. The cold war continued and most of us wondered how soon will it get hot. I remember seeing a frightful (to me–remember I was the nervous type) political cartoon of a nuclear bomb. Also, for awhile, each Friday there was a siren test while we were in school. We all had to go downstairs to the cafeteria, crawl under the tables, cover our heads and pray the Our Father. Saint Stephen’s School is situated on the east slope of a long ridge, atop of which runs Kearny Avenue, and so the school was somewhat exposed to New York City and would have received radiation from nuclear blast if NYC was hit.

There were ample pamphlets circulating about what to do during a nuclear attack. A frightful crescendo was reached during the Cuban missile crisis.

Later, President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember the announcement coming across the school’s PA system and that we were to “pray for his soul.” I did not want to believe he was dead.

Vietnam lingered and social unrest at home increased, so much so, I really felt the nation would be overthrown from within.

It was during these times that the Beetles made their debut. Sorry, I never liked the group nor their music. Just a few years back I heard a Beetle’s selection and it sure sounded to me like someone was off key.

I also hated, and still do, anything with a blaring steel guitar. However, I do not mind a suppressed steel guitar.

My musical cup of tea then was some of the other pop music in those days and when Simon and Garfunkel came along I felt most of their selections were fine. Much of their music, in my opinion, provoked deep thinking. However there was a spiritual catch to this which I might mention in a later account.

Yet through all of this, along with my avid interest in science, I found some things to be happily occupied with. At one point, probably thanks to an uncle which I need to mention in the account that tells you how I became a satanist, I became interested in UFOs, and eventually joined NICAP (National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena).

Image from author’s personal collection

Then there was the World’s Fair at New York City which really bolstered my appreciation of science. That was quite enjoyable. But I remember going through one display where you saw yourself on a TV. Due to my low self-esteem, I turned my head feeling I was far too ugly.

Nevertheless, if you were to ask me when I was in the 5th grade as to how life was, I probably would have said great. Science was still the thing and my grades were very good. I kept telling my parents I was going to be a research chemist, someone that they would be proud of.

That would all change in the 6th grade. Please check the Peace in Providence Index for the account of my first arrest.