Benedictine Academy - Benedictine Yearbook (Elizabeth, NJ)

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SISTER ANNUNCIATA The Class of Nineteen Hundred Fifty-four lovingly dedicates its yearbook to our beloved Sister Annunciata, O.S.B. Her noble example, deep-rooted faith, and ardent, loving devotion to Our Blessed Lady will forever remain a shining star to guide us on our path to Heaven

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The Proclamation el The Marian Year To jesus Through Mary! Thus is stated the simple and sublime goal of the Marian Year which His Holiness Pope Pius XII declared should be celebrated throughout the Christian world during 1954. The first purpose of this proclamation is to glorify God through an increased devotion to the Blessed Mother. The Marian Year commemorates the centenary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Christians have believed in the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God ever since the time of Christ, but it was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX declared it a matter of faith. By the Immaculate Conception is meant that the Blessed Mother, from the very moment of her conception, was free from the stain of sin. Truly did the poet speak when he referred to Our Lady as our tainted nature's solitary boast. Special plenary indulgences may be gained by the faithful on certain appointed feasts of the Blessed Virgin throughout the Marian Year. In order to gain these indulgences, a Catholic must receive the Sacraments, visit a Church dedicated to the Blessed Mother, and pray for the intentions of the Pope. The indulgence may be gained as often as one visits the church and says the prescribed prayers. In addition, a plenary indulgence may be gained, under the usual conditions, on all Saturdays of the year, and every time one takes part in a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine, or assists devoutedly at a function in honor of the Blessed Virgin. The theme of the Marian Year, as announced by the Holy See, is to bring about a rebirth of Christian Life by means of prayer, penance, and the strengthening and spreading of Catholic Action. In the materialistic world of today, the Catholic Church stands as a bulwark protecting her great spiritual treasury, the riches of which can be imparted to others only through the efforts of each and every Catholic. The Holy Father urged that special prayers be said during the year for those blessed sons of the Church who are suffering persecution for justice sake. To those of us who have had the beneht of a truly Catholic education, the observance of the Marian Year has a deep spiritual meaning. Here at Benedictine, we have learned to appreciate the value of prayer and of penance, and the necessity of Christian leadership in a pagan world. The golden opportunities offered to us during this Marian Year should be accepted with grateful hearts, for there is no gift greater than the privilege of gaining a plenary indulgence, nor any devotion sweeter than that offered to Mary in praise of her Divine Son.