Mount St Mary Academy - Mercian Yearbook (Little Rock, AR)

Page 9 text:

rmecbcafion TO mary, Sfar of fhe .Sta Whose Shining Light has inspired our work and play during our years at Mt. St. Mary's. May she always prove herself near to us so that we may fulfill our teachers' precept that we pattern our lives on her. May she watch over us and guide our frail little crafts as we launch out from the haven of our be- loved Mount onto the dark and perilous seas of our after- school life. Confrdently let us Hspice Stellam Yoca ariaml Saint BEPDGPJ

Page 8 text:

0l Ql,U0l The high school days of the Senior Class of 1949 have pleasantly, but much too rapidly, slipped away, and now it is our time to go forth to take our place in the world. The future holds many new and exciting adventures for us, and it is only through the loving guidance and inspir- ing examples given us by our beloved Sisters, here at the Mount, that we are prepared to meet them. Here we have been taught to pattern our life on our Blessed Mother, and since we have chosen stars as the theme of our yearbook, we have placed our trust in Mary, Star of the Sea, to shield and protect us from all harm and danger. In the years to come, as we thumb through the pages of our Mercian, looking at the starry-eyed graduates and reliving in memory the activities of our senior year, we shall have this one prayer in our hearts, as we Look to the Star and call on Mary , that we may shine like stars in the night, to the east, to the west, though scattered we may be, and that our radiance will reflect the Catholic education which we have re- ceived from our beloved Alma Mater. i

Page 10 text:

f . 2 edrfage Ln 5 ur CAQP al fo f 2 gi,ac!uCtfe5 Mount CSL gills:-g's Acahemg Iiittl l L. Keany Monsignor Thorflas e Keck, ,Arkansas Dear Graduates of the Class of 1949: When the editor of usual a ' the Mercian called upon me recently and requested that I write my p rtmg message to the graduating class, I was reminded of the fact that the years pass quickly. It doesn't seem possible that it is time to say adieu to another class that has been in training here for four years. I have seen a good many classes come and go during the twenty- Hve years that I have been chaplain at Mount St. Mary's. I have written valedictory letters to most of the graduating classes and I have often wondered with what effect. After a few years have passed, it is interesting and sometimes surprising to go through the pages of any yearbook anqllcompare the hopes and predictions of the members of the class with what has happened in rea ife. Usually the Mercian staff chooses a certain theme that runs through the various school activities which are recorded. This year I am informed that the arrangement stresses stars. Of course, the star of the greatest magnitude in the lives of all St. Mary's girls, is the Blessed Virgin, the lodestar of every good Catholic woman. I want to quote a few lines from Carlyle, the Scottish. essayist, which seem very appro- priate for an occasion of this kind. A star is beautiful, it affords pleasure, not for what it is to do or to give, but simply by being what it is. These lines seem to depict the real St. Maly's girl, as the Sisters want her to be. They Would have her to be beautiful, not necessarily in a physical way, but a beautiful character, who enriches and embellishes her environment by being what she is, a product of the training she has received under the loving and watchful guid- ance of the Sisters of Mercy. The time has come when you, members of the Class of 1949, must leave the school which has sheltered you during the crucial years of your high school life. You have been most fortu- nate in having your training directed during these years by Religious women, who have dedi- cated their own lives to God in order that they may train young women to be real Christian ladies. Go forth with the resolution to always remain faithful to the principles that you have learned from these noble women, who love you as if you were their own children, and who will watch your careers with anxious solicitude for your welfare. Under the watchful eyes of the Sisters, you have grown from childhood to a beautiful maturity, which Ends you Well equipped to live a life which will be considered a success when measured by the standards set by Almighty God. You are the product of lives of sacrifice. Never forget the obligation that this places upon you. And now we come to that bitter word, which closes all earthly friendships and finishes every feast of lovexfarewell, May God bless you and may He guide you to eternal bliss. In the meantime, though we are parted for reasons over which we have no control, let us always be mindful of each other at the hour of prayer. Sincerely yours, L -xx -J