Cathedral Academy - Way Yearbook (Albany, NY)

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PRULUGUE Nam semen est verbum Def: . . . The seeds of Faith were dispersed and planted within the present Diocese of Albany by the labors of several zealous priests of the Society of Jesus, who were commissioned by the Mother Country to preach the Holy Gospel and convert the savage Indians of New France. The foundations of the Church in this area may be traced to their work, and that of a few self-sacrificing laymen called donn6s or oblates, who offered themselves to aid in the conversion of the Red Man and in the dissemination of the Holy Faith. But the seeds were not planted and cultivated without sacrihce, a factor which usually accompanies any efforts to place Catholicity in the minds and hearts and souls of men 5 certainly we have a familiarity with the cruel martyrdom of the three canonized saints whose blood has hallowed this region, namely, Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil and jean de la Lande. Meditating on their deeds and certain reward of Heaven, we begin to realize the meaning of the words of that glorious hymn of the pilgrims, The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of malice shall not touch them, to the foolish they seem dead, but they are at peace. But just as each seed germinates and develops into a new plant bearing numberless blossoms, so too, each death of a holy and just man is but the parent of a thousand lives, only more ndble lives, lives precipitated to benefit by the example of his saintly death, lives lived not for man but for God only, Who is their Goal. And in dying, the martyr gains life, for each martyrdom is but the birth of a new life in Heaven. Nor have these very seeds of Faith matured today without sacrifice 5 would that we might know the souls who have endured suffering internally, who have under- gone bloodless martyrdom, their noble souls being tossed about by the satanic power, yet they remained firm in will, and with the help of Grace resisted the dialbolic overtures, in order that Truth might reach out to human minds and dwell therein. By the hardships of these souls, the seeds had developed through the years until the forty-seventh year of the nineteenth century, when their growth demanded an enclosure, wherein they might be tended and properly cultivated. F91

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my - I It is ours to plant and to water, but it is His prerogative to give the increase . . . The Diocese of Albany was erected by Pope Pius IX at the recommendation of Bishop John Hughes who had under his jurisdiction the entire state of New York and 'part of New Jersey, the creation of the See occurred on April 23, 1847, while less than a 'month afterward, May 21, 1847, The Rt. Rev. John McCloskey, the coadjutor to Bishop Hughes, was transferred to the new Diocese as its Hrst Bishop. This same prelate was later the recipient of another first in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States: John McCloskey became the first American to be named a Prince of the Church, for on March 15, 1875, he was elevated to the Cardinalate. Undeniably, the present Gothic structure, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, is the loftiest monument to the memory of Bishop McCloskey's appear- ance on the Albany scene, for it was through his energy and his foresight that the Cathedral stands where it does today, since the Bishop personally selected the site, envisioned the edifice as the worshipping .place of the Diocese for a long time to come, and strove to make the Cathedral the replica in the New World of the majestic Cathedral of Cologne. To say that he succeeded all too well in accom- plishing each of these ambitions would be an understatement, one must merely observe that masterpiece of Gothic architecture to be qualified to pass judgment on the Bishop's success. Having provided for its construction, John McCloskey also saw to its completion, and on 'November 21, 1852, the Cathedral was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception-a period of two years before the Dogma was pro- mulgated, and of six years before Our Lady manifested herself under that title to Bernadette 'Soubirous at Lourdes. Our Cathedral is the second to be dedicated in the State. St. Patrick's, New York, is the first. Almost a decade later, on May 5, 1861, Bishop McCloskey blessed the corner- stone of our Alma Mater which opened its door to 200 pupils on the following September 1. Three Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis, Missouri, were in charge. Two years later the Christian Brothers assumed charge of the older boys' department. Upon the death of Archbishop Hughes of New York, Bishop McCloskey was entrusted with the Archbishopric of that city, succeeding the great rnan who had parted with him earlier when he was named Bishop of Albany. Under his guidance, the Archdiocese advanced in spiritual and temporal wealth and the many foundations were laid which are today a part of that See. Although John McCloskey reached his greatest glory as Archbishop of New York, we in Albany shall ever be grateful for our share of his greatness, and shall remember the 'prophetic words uttered by him in his first message to Albany: The future history of the Diocese of Albany, as such, commences with you and me . . . According as the seed is first carefully plantred, and the soil well tilled and watered, will it grow up in fresh and healthful vigor, and the vigor of its maturity, its fitness for bearing fruit, will be in proportion to the early care bestowed upon it. Fortunately 'for us, the foundations have already been laid . . . the soil already tilled, the seed planted, and the tree is producing fruit. Yet we are called upon to plant seed for a larger growth, that the tree's branches may spread out far and near, that you and your children, and your childrenis children may sit down beneath its ample shade, and partake abundantly of its refreshing fruits. . . . It is ours to plant and to water, but it is His prerogative to give the in- crease. llll