When one thinks of Brother Elliott Maloney and his writing, the Gospel writer Mark or Saint Paul might come to mind. He has won two Catholic Press Association Awards for books on those particular topics. But the monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, and professor of New Testament and Biblical Languages at Saint Vincent Seminary, has spent a number of years gathering stories from a simple, yet happy childhood, which he has now compiled into 6928 Thomas Boulevard: A Pittsburgh Boyhood.
Brother Elliott will introduce the book with some short readings and a book signing from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, February 25, in DiPadova Hall at Saint Vincent Seminary. Light refreshments will be served and he will be available to autograph books, which retail for $14.99.
A large house, the porch swing, the tree-lined streets, the gardens, speak to tranquil days in a neighborhood where the front porch was the entertainment and social center, the soul of a house; where parents had RULES (in all capital letters), where hopes and dreams were nurtured and lessons conveyed.
He writes of growing up in the Point Breeze section of the city, where large families were common and friends numerous, where buckeyes were the most lethal weapon a boy had, where Catholic schools and churches educated and inspired the neighborhood children—in spite of their antics.
Discipline rarely elevated beyond the “Nun’s Eye,” he writes. “Long before the deadly red dot of the laser sight from an assassin’s rifle, the sisters had perfected a stare that could immobilize any child whose eye it caught: Nun’s eye. Now every nun had been outfitted with this uncanny, nearly lethal, device, and there were several masters of its use.”
Growing up in a family of six children, Brother Elliott, known as “Buddy” or Charles before he took his religious name, was second oldest, with one older sister, one younger sister, and three younger brothers. His parents were of Irish and Croation descent, from immigrant families. His father, C. Leo Maloney, was an engineer who worked at Westinghouse, and his mother, Barbara, a homemaker.
There are 27 short chapters in this memoir assembled into four categories—the house, the neighborhood, church and school. Parents weren’t afraid to let their children play outside, ride their bicycles to the park, take the bus or walk to school. They occasionally got into trouble—the ‘buckeye war’ was a good example of that—but life’s lessons were learned amidst hurts and regrets. 
Life at Holy Rosary was led by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, or the “Josies,” as he liked to call them—but not to their faces.
“Even in those days,” Brother Elliott said, “some kids merely tolerated school, and a few didn’t like it. I loved it! I took delight in every aspect.”
The church next door also played a role, and with the example of the Monsignor in his parish, and his family’s faith, the seeds of his vocation to religious life were sown. His family moved to Buffalo when he was 13, and Brother Elliott began studies at the Diocesan Preparatory Seminary of Buffalo, graduating at 17. Then he returned to the Pittsburgh area as he began studies at Saint Vincent College in philosophy, entering the monastery at age 19. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1968, then went to Rome, where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Atheneum of Sant’ Anselmo, Rome and also studied vocal music at the Academia di Santa Cecilia. He then began New Testament studies at Fordham University, New York, completing his doctorate there in 1979.
He has primarily worked in the educational apostolate at Saint Vincent, teaching in both the College and Seminary for 50 years. He also enjoys landscaping and is known for his work on campus—something that can be traced to his childhood days on 6928 Thomas Boulevard.
Additional information about the book is available at www.6928thomasboulevard.com. It is available in both hardcover and softcover at barnesandnoble.com, other major book vendors, the Saint Vincent College bookstore, as well as on the Archabbey Publications website, www.stvincentstore.com. Retail price is $14.99 for the paperback and $24.99 for the hardcover edition.
To request a reading/book signing from Brother Elliott please email archpub@stvincent.edu.