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Show 78 priests who had escaped from communist bloc countries-Poland, Czecko-solvokia, Hungary-they had spoken from the pulpit many times in their broken, difficult to understand English about the evils of communism. So that-irrationally-she associated communism with broken English. Some of these priests had actually fled for their lives. One, Father Cazek, was a big burly man who had taught her religious classes in eighth grade. He was a fearful figure with his iron grey hair, his large rough features. He seemed made of iron himself, to give off sparks when he talked. He had been tortured, held in prison for a number of years. He was so different-that whole group of priests was so different- than the Irish priests who were originally in the diocese. These other priests, although heroes in the eyes of the parishioners, seemed to have just emerged from struggling with the devil himself, with the smell of sulfur and fire still hanging in the air about them. She was always careful to get one of the Irish priests, preferably Father Cooney, for confession. Three Hail Marys and three Our Fathers was his standard penance. These others would have one doing rosaries in the balcony for an hour. Little things lead to big things. That had been Father Cazek's favorite saying in her classes. In his own life, there seemed to be no little things. He taught that communism was the Antichrist, that the devil was working through the communist leaders. The members of the parish believed it. Sharon did not know what to believe. She herself had seen Khruschev. The arch-communist. It had been on the day that he had visited the set of Can Can at Fox Studios. From some fellow prop makers in the union, her dad had procured a pass |