Saint Marys College - Blue Mantle Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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Let Peace Be in Thy Strength, The Valedictory Address X ODAY, we celebrate a holy day, a holi- day, an anniversary, a triple feast of peace. It is Ascension Thursday, Memo- rial Day, and for us, the tenth anniver- sary of the consecration of Bishop Noll to the diocese of Fort Wayne. Two thou- sand years ago Christ left His followers in the miracle of His Ascension. He enriched them with a legacy of peace. Since then that legacy has been con- tested by a thousand wars; w e our- selves have contested it. But today we honor our countrymen who have given life for peace and freedom. There is scarcely a greater cause for which a man, a people, a world may live. So instead of rehearsing the glories of war, we choose rather to come to our Bishop tonight in a pageant of peace. Thus, we may best enter into and promote his own apos- tolate. Centuries ago, when the ground sacred to Christianity was being desecrated, all Christendom organized in a concerted ef- fort to wrest these holy places from the hands of infidels. For two thousand years these Crusades continued. That is almost the length of our national life. It pre- sents an interesting analogy to the last twenty-five years and in this order: first, the flower of chivalry, led by the noblest of monarchs and the huml)lest of monks, marched out to make the world safe for Christianity. The statesmen followed. And when neither effected the ends they sought, the children of Europe led a sig- nificant, if defeated, hope. As a parallel situation we see, at the present time, our own consecrated places, our great funda- mental ideals of Church and State, as- saulted, perverted and abused. National armies, national wealth, national wisdom have been dedicated to their jJi ' cservation and now, like another Children ' s Crusade, comes youth to save them. This Catholic Pauline Hauser, ' 35. Youth Movement, whose scope and mag- nitude are imposing, has been advocated by many, both religious and laymen. Among the clergy, our own Right Rev- erend Bishop Noll of Fort Wayne is a pioneer and a director, encouraging and untiring in his efforts to make Catholic Action for youth not simply a theory but a great socio-religious movement. In his office as the pastor of a great flock, he sees the evils of the age. He realizes the power of youth, motivated and strength- ened by correct religious principles. To- day, he is one of the great leaders of youth in America, and through his cohorts of youth, a saviour of the practice of Chris- tian principle in our world. It is an appropriate symbol of the fidel- ity and loyalty of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and the students of St. IMary ' s, that I have the honor of dedicat- ing to you tonight this Peace Pageant. In the name of the class of 1935 too, I would add our promise of a continued Catholic action throughout our daily lives. Now we leave, equipped with theoretical knowledge and with enthusiasm, but as yet with inexperience. We go with deep regret. Tonight, in this setting of stars, lights and shadow s, we see the full sig- nificance of our school days and their end intensified. The bond uniting us to our school makes us a profound spiritual force. Out of the text of the psalm, Let peace be in thy strength and abundance in thy towers, we read a three-fold meaning: it is our own leave-taking prayer and wish for om- school, it is the gift of peace from our school to us, and it is the dedicated purpose of this Pag- eant to Bishop Noll. This then be our word of tribute to you, our Bishop, our valedictory to you, St. Mary ' s, — Let peace be in thy strength and abundance in thy towers. 150 June, 1935

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CHIMES the state intimidated thousands, then this murder would be justifiable. . . . There is a strong rival to the supreme authority of the Socialistic state and that rival is religion. Dialectical materialism finds no place in its scheme for the exist- ence of God. . . . In Russia this doctrine is put in prac- tice. No religious instruction is allowed to people under eighteen years of age, so that as a result the young Russian be- comes fertile soil for the seed of Social- istic atheism. The clergy have been de- prived of their rights and their numbers greatly reduced. Church emblems are forbidden to be displayed and whenever possible religious articles have been de- stroyed. And thus a study of the fundamentals of Socialism reveals that the system is hostile to the capitalistic order and what is of more importance it is absolutely at variance with Christian concepts and doc- trines. In the dreary picture of a dan- gerously suppressed and misguided Rus- sia the concrete application of this false philosophy to a country makes more defi- nitely manifest the evils of that system. On the other hand is presented the equal- ly unattractive features of greedy Capi- talism. If the choice is to be between these two, it is not inconceivable that many a sincere and conscientious man and woman will be attracted by the high promises of Socialism attempting to se- cure justice and an equitable distribution of wealth. However, to the thinking man and woman after a close and careful scru- tiny of both systems there can appear but one answer. It was in the abuses of the capitalistic system and not in the system as such, that the germ of Socialism was conceived. Hence a definite and serious attempt must be made to correct these abuses and as a result remove all justifi- cation for a revolutionary upheaval such as Socialism contemplates. To whom can a tremulous threatened Capitalism turn for a program of reform? In 1891 Pope Leo XIII embodied in his great Encyclical. On the Conditions of Labor, the essential truths which must be followed to secure justice and jjeace in the economic order. Again in 1931 our present pontiff, Pius XI published Quad rag esimo Anno which reiterated the principles laid down forty years before by the scholarlj Leo XIII. To the Cath- olic Church then can Capitalism turn for a definite and well-considered program of reform and as the ever-vigilant JNIother of her children and as the guide to the principles of right conduct, one finds the Church alone of all institutions bravely proclaiming in unmistakable accents those fundamentals which will create class har- mony where class strife now exists and will stand as an impregnable defense of the rights of a man against the attacks of radical revolution, against Marxism, Leninism and Bolshevism. June, 1935 140

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Baccalaureate Address (continued from page 124) raise its ethical standards to a point where a Christian can accept and hve according to them. Need I call attention to the in- sistent claims of family and individual morality. Christian morality has not changed its principles or its demands up- on us, despite the assaults of propagan- dists; despite the terrific effort that has been made to liberate man from the ra- tional control of his lower appetites. The Catholic soul has at last been aroused by the flood of immorality which is sweeping over the nation. It is determined not to stand by idly but to take its place in the battle against the forces of destruction. The Catholic college graduate has a place, a place of leadership in this great cam- paign of Catholic Action against the forces of evil, and we look to you to as- sume that leadership at the earliest pos- sible moment. The graduate of a Catholic college has a spiritual code. For him, his soul is the greatest, almost the only thing in this world. What doth it profit a man, says the Master, to gain the whole world and lose his soul? The life of each man ' s soul is a matter of supreme concern; to the perfecting and developing of this life he is called upon to devote his best efforts. Now, we are not asked to live our spirit- ual lives alone, unaided, and unassisted. Christ has provided the means to live, to grow, yes to grow even to the stature of the sons of God. His grace, which is given most freely, is the very atmosphere in which we live our spiritual lives; His sacraments are the channels which bring divine grace to us. At no moment of our spiritual lives are we called upon to walk alone; Christ is always with us. If the poor uninstructed city worker is called upon to follow Christ, how much more are we who, through years of intel- lectual training, have been made to see the truth and beauty of the Christ-like life, called upon to love it, to experience it, to drink deeply of that living water, which if we drink, we shall never thirst; which if we drink, we shall obtain through it eternal life. Let your light, therefore, shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Wlio is in heaven. There is no element of vanity in this command of Our Blessed Lord; good works, a holy life should be made manifest to those about us, but for only one reason — to glorify God. Class of 1935, you will soon leave the hallowed walls which have for so long protected you. You leave your teachers, your companions, your friends. But you carry into the world of adult life most precious possessions, which you must guard with your very lives, and hand down untarnished to those who come after you; you carry into the world a sound Catholic Faith, high principles of mor- ality, an intense spiritual life; you carry the intellectual treasures of the ages which have been made your own. With these you should succeed ; you cannot fail if you are true to them. Class of 1935, we need you, the Church needs you, the country needs you. May you go forth panoplied as the warrior of St. Paul, having on the breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the prep- aration of the gospel of jjeace; in all things taking the shield of faith, and tak- ing to you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit ; and may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost follow you and remain with you forever and ever. Amen. June, 1935 151