Archbishop Hughes Memorial High School - Spires Yearbook (New York, NY)

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H-V-J The heavens are telling the glory of God, The wonder of his works displays the firmamentf' On the occasion of the formal dedication of the Papal radio station, HfVfJ by our Holy Father, Pius XI, these famous words were graphically illustrated. On that momentous day the Supreme Pontiff called the whole world to witness the manif festation of God's power and majesty by quoting from Holy Scripture, Audite caeli quae loquor, audiat terra verba oris mei ! February 12, 1931 'will long be remembered in the annals of history, not only by the Catholic clergy and laity, but by the whole world. On that day, men, women, and children regardless of race or creed, harkened with strange, unanalyzed emotions to a voice-the voice of a great ruler, the voice of the great white Shepherd of the Church, the voice of the most important man in the world of religion. Even skeptics, no matter how bitterly they had scoffed at the Pope, were compelled to reverence and respect the owner of that voice. How could it be otherwise, when he is the chosen one of Christ, His vicar on earth? It was indeed a colorful scene that attracted the eye of the visitor in Vatican City on the occasion of the Pontiflqs address. The advent of the Pa al party was heralded by a fanfare of trumpeters. The official yellow and white ofp the pontifical arms mingled with the purple of the monsignori and the white robes, and the red and gold headdress of the Pope. The ancient and modern worlds seemed to have been blended in the picturesque blue, red, and yellow uniforms of the Swiss guards and the slender aerials of the radio unit. It was an event that would stir the imaginaf tion of even the most humble artist. The Pope, enthroned on a richly upholstered chair before the microphone, spoke in Latin for more than fifteen minutes. His words thrilled his millions of listeners, although many of them were unable to understand the speech in its ori inal form. The chief feature of the demonstration lies in the fact that the voice ofg the Supreme Pontiff could be distinctly heard in all corners of the globe. About an hour elapsed before the Englishfspeaking audience had the added pleasure of hearing Monsignor Spellman, an attache of the Secretary of State of the Vatican, reproduce the address in their native tongue. ' The majority of the chief broadcasting centers in the United States used all their facilities to bring the program to the American nation. This was a gesture of courtesy greatly appreciated by our Catholic people. Few foreign stations were as fortunate as they in picking up the discourse. As the words of Pius XI traveled over the ether waves, they were crossed by waves of love and hate, respect and resentment. There are those of other faiths who do not yet understand why Peter speaks with authority, while their own min' isters are continually disagreeing among themselves on some question of faith or morals. We can almost imagine one of them saying, Why should it be given to him to speak as one having power? Why is it that to him alone the whole world listens? The words of God seemed to permeate the air as that epochal event was taking place, He that heareth you, heareth Me. He that despiseth you, despiseth Me. One Hundred Twenty nine

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Kings, rulers, scientists and many of the world's great personalities have been heard in many lands through the instrumentality of the microphone, but never has the cohesiveness of mankind had so striking a manifestation, giving an incalculable impetus to those cementing processes which shall yet bind all nations together in a covenant of peace and holy fellowship, proclaiming one God, one law, one element, and one farfoff divine event to which the whole creation moves. Over a thousand years ago, Christ said to His Apostles, Go teach ye all nations. His followers were simple, unassuming men and to many this command seemed preposterous. Education, intelligence and a deep understanding of human nature were necessary if the light of God's truth were to be carried to regions where ignorance and iniquity prevailed. But God was not unmindful of His creatures, and through His Providence the miracle of tongues has been accomplished. As time progressed and the mode of living changed, the Church remained steadfast to the fundamental teachings of her Founder, but some of the ecclesiastical laws have been modified in order to adjust themselves to modern conditions. Conf trary to the general belief of nonfCatholics, the Church does not fear progress, rather, she has done all in her power to promote advancement in science and the arts. Many critics say that the Church is antiquated, that she fears science because it will event' ually cause her downfall. It must have been a sad blow to these critics when the Catholic clergy not only recognized the radio by introducing it into many of the churches in order to broadcast Christian belief to all the world, but also laid plans for the installation of an official station in the Vatican itself. To Catholics everywhere, the day on which HfVfJ, constructed under the direction of Senator Guglielmo Marconi, was inf augurated was one of the most glorious in the history of the Church. Of the many beautiful passages in Holy Scripture relating to the reception of the word of God, one seems to have a special bearing on this event. On one occasion referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, Christ said Other sheep I have that are not of this fold-they shall hear My voice. Truly they have heard His voice! Again, our shepherd, Pius XI, the spiritual descendant of the selffnamed Good Shepherd, has called to his flock, and they have heard him. He did not speak at ran' dom, every word he uttered had a deep significance. He addressed himself not only to those who have never forsaken God, but also to all heretics and unbelievers. He reminded them that it is the earnest wish of all Catholics that all outside the true Church may one day recognize the fallacy of their beliefs and that, in reality, there may be but one flock and one shepherd. Years from now the radio may suffer oblivion, yet the memory of that day on which the sovereign Pontiff addressed mankind will live forever. One of the contemporaneous newspapers has defined it Httingly as, Something to stir the imagination, to give one a sense of the continuity and the variety of the human story, to endow the inventiveness of our time with a new beauty, and to clothe one's faith with an expanding power, is to be found in the great event, when from the Vatican, the Pope spoke over the radio to his people and to the world. CATHERINE E. CURRAN One Hundred 'Thirty