Notre Dame Academy - Tower Memories Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

Page 10 text:

Today, another book is being dedicated to you, Mary, Queen of Peace. It is only a small volume, a collection of every day happenings bound to- gether for your eternal honor. A story at once sublime yet human, it tells of four years spent under your gracious protection at Notre Dame. Since you have been our supreme guide and directress during these years, it is only fitting that our White Portfolio be wholly yours. We are not satisfied to dedicate this volume of TOWER MEMORlES simply to Our Lady. We have. chosen one of your most glorious titles and one which we think most appropriate in today's world, Queen of Peace . A great poet once called you llour tainted nature's solitary boast.ll Today when our world seems doubly tainted with bloody war and perhaps even worse evils, we remember that you are not only our pride but our one hope of final and lasting peace. We look to you in our hour of trial. If worldly peace be not in the all-wise plan of your Divine Son, we shall make a different prayer. We shall beg, then, for that far more im- portant peace of mind and soul which comes of close communion with the entire court of Heaven. May we confess something, dear Mother? The conflict through which we are struggling is not all bad. We have been taught greater respect for our country and our flag. Likewise in organizing this book we have been taught more of our school and its activities. Now both our school and our country will give us a deeper appreciation of our Queen. We know that your soul must have been as stainless as the cover with which we bind our portfolio. We have always prided ourselves that your blue was our blue also, but it took our flag to make us see the true richness of this color's beauty. In our flag the blue of your eyes is combined with the white of your mantle. The red stripes give us the color of your lips. The stars remind us of your crown of glory. We find the red of your devo- tion, the white of your spotless purity, the blue of your undying loyalty in the colors of our flag. Our OWn America was dedicated several years ago to your Immacu- late Conception. This makes us of Notre Dame, citizens of your realm in a triple sense: in a civic as well as in a scholastic and a religious way. Can you therefore disregard our requests? Our one great prayer today is for the peace of this country dedicated to your name. 0 Queen of Peace, in these days when the world needs you so desper- ately, come to bring us your peaceeat least peace of mind and soul. Bor- row the words of the Prince of Peace, your Eternal Son, and appearing above us, mantled with the flag of the nation dedicated to you, calm our hearts with those gentle words, Peace be unto you. 0 Queen of Peace, accept our White Portfolio with our sincerest love and gratitude. Your Daughters at Notre Dame

Page 12 text:

Tower Memories, 1943 you will find tho it has been divided into three sections. On has been given to God, one to our country and one to Notre Dame. By this grouping w do not mean that any activity has had a singl objective. Our divisions are merely arbitrar and convenient. As students we have not made the honor 0 Notre Dame the final objective of our activi ties. As citizens of the land of the free' our allegiance has not been only to the Star and Stripes. But each event, although fire by a new patriotic zeal and carried out as loving tribute to our Alma Mater, has bee caught up and transfigured by that highes purpose of allethe greater honor and glor of God. He is the Commandernin-chief of th forces of good, and only by devoting our ever effort to His cause will our chances of free dom become realities. This then has been the purpose of our ever action. We have become better students an more loyal citizens, for our love and our alleg iance has been made Divine. That allegianc was the theme of our life, running as an un dercurrent through the past year-a year a ration books and A stamps. We have live in a world whose skies have been overcas with the clouds of a global war. We coul not and did not ignore the fact. We hav studied and worked, laughed and prayed i the dark shadows of night, and we shall con tinue to do so as long as necessary. But we are confident that day must daw on a new eraean era colored by the shinin brilliance of an all-forgiving Father who wi again send His white Dove of Peace to a re pentant world.