Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

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Catechist Society ' I ' O mark its Tenth Anniversary the Cate- chist Society decided to do more than usual this year. That something was to re- ward the children who had attended classes most regularly with a monster Field Day and Outing. Four large busses were hired to bring more than 1 50 children to the Van Cortlandt Stadium, to the Park, and finally to the College Campus. Throughout the day the children had races, games, swims in the col- lege pool, and a rare performance of magic by Brother Aloysius Raphael, F.S.C. All in all the day was a great success and when the busses took leave of the campus happy chil- dren waved good bye and sincere thanks for one of the best days of their lives. The year 1948 marks the Tenth Anniver- sary of the founding of the Manhattan Col- lege Catechist Society. Begun most inauspi- ciously in response to an in ' itation to help in the teaching of religion to public school children of St. Cecilia ' s Parish in lower Har- lem, the Society has extended its aid to many other centers throughout the past ten years. Encouragement from Brother A. Victor, former President, from Brother B. Thomas, President, and from so many members of the faculties of the College and Preparatory School has proved a constant spur to the members of the Society to expand their fields of influence where ' er and whene er possible. The splendid record of this year ' s Catechist group is due in no small part to the efforts of its energetic and Christopher-like presi- dent. Bill Mechmann. 186

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Catholic Students Mission Crusade TTROBABLY the largest organization in - - membership at Manhattan College is the Catholic Students Mission Crusade. Through the efforts of energetic and I won ' t take no for an answer promoters, the majority of students subscribed to the worthy cause of the missions. At the beginning of each religion class the mite box was passed and a continual succession of sundry coins from the U. S. mint boosted the amount of money collected for the sole purpose of fostering and per- petuating the true faith in foreign lands. As part of the annual mission program a number of prominent lecturers encouraged the good work of the crusade. The Rev. Vin- cent Jeffers, Assistant Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, compli- mented the Unit on its great spirit and many accomplishments. The famous Guadalcanal Chaplain, Father Frederick Gehring, spoke on the work of the Vincentian Fathers who are doing exemplary work in the mission fields. Perhaps the most arduous and detailed task accomplished by the active members of the group during the past year, was the ticket promotion for the three plays produced by the Manhattan College Players. The sub- stantial audiences which sat in witness to some fine dramatic performances attested to the zeal and hard work of the Mission So- ciety. Continuing its fine promotion record, the group, in conjunction with the young ladies of Mount St. Vincent College, sponsored a most successful tea dance at Mount St. Vin- cent College. On the memorable night of the big blizzard, December 26th, the So- ciety held its first annual dance at the Con- course Plaza Hotel. As a result of the aforementioned activi- ties, e en at this moment the light of faith shines through the pagan darkness of far off lands, made possible by the generous con- tributions and cooperation of the men of Manhattan and the group who willingly re- linquished many leisure hours that this might be possible. 185

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. Eastern Ml Kites - ommtttee ' f ' HE scholastic year beginning in Septem- ber 1947 was the most successful of its five years of existence for the Eastern Rites Com- mittee. Under the direction of Co-Chairmen Myron Mischuk and Thomas Tobin, an elab- orate and interesting program was planned and carried to creditable completion. Month- ly meetings, on the third Wednesday of each month, not only attracted members of the student body but visitors from other cam- puses, as well. The second Friday in December saw the largest group of the year packing De La Salle Chapel to attend the Byzantine Rite celebrated at eleven by Reverend John Slivka, pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Church in Yonkers, assisted by Re ' erend Emil Masich as Deacon and Reverend Henry S. Kruchouw- ski as Sub Deacon. Monthly participation at Eastern liturgies brought members of the group to Bayonne, to Yonkers, to St. Mary ' s on East 13th Street, to St. Elias in Brooklyn. A Yonkers liturgy at St. Mary ' s, a Mount Vernon liturgy at Mount Carmel, for which our alumni mem- bers Eugene Calure and John Beckerle were mainly responsible, were important parts of the year ' s activities. The invitation to join the Executive Com- mittee of the Fordham Conference was ac- cepted by Brother Thomas, Moderator of the Committee. It emphasized the help given each year by Manhattan men, as well as by men and women of other Catholic colleges in the metropolitan area, to the success of the Fordham Conference and of the Tenth Annual Liturgy celebrated at St. Patrick ' s Cathedral on Saturday, March 1 3th. Highlight of the year was the inter-col- legiate meeting held in the Alumni Room on May 19th when the Reverend Richard Han- ley, pastor of St. Martin ' s Church in Beth- page, Long Island, addressed the group and pointed out effective means of their realizing the ends of their organization. 187