Our Lady of the Angels Academy - Angelican Yearbook (Enfield, CT)

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WE LIVE IN THE HISTORICAL PAST That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstoue, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God: there is hell's wide gaping mouth open: . . . there is nothing between you and hell but the air,' 'tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up. Such were the forceful words uttered within the very boundaries of our Academy by jonathan Edwards when he preached his famous Puritanical sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. If we but could turn back the hands of time to that momentous day of July 8, 1741 we could hear in our portals the frantic moans of the congregation as they grasped the church pillars, attempting to keep themselves from slipping into that bottomless pit. But today, about 50 feet southeast of the Academy, there lies- only a boulder commemorating that historical sermon and the location of the second church built in Enfield. As the students of the Academy go to and from classes and interested tourists stop to examine this boulder, both may be unconsciously treading upon the graves of those unfortunate sinners , Another point of interest is the Old Town Hall, which is the oldest public building still in existence. It is located 1X3 of a mile north of the Academy. Indeed, the enduring workmanship of the forefathers of Enfield has been proven by the fact that such a building built in 1775 stands firmly 174 years later. Generation after generation has benefited from this stately Doric structure as it gathered with friends and neighbors in an active community spirit. The Old Town Hall could properly be called the ballot box of Enfield for it is there that a portion of the voting in town elections is held. Each election with its rivalry and spirit, brings to mind the years long ago when the first form of democracy, the town meeting, made its appearance. As tradition has it, on April 20, 1775, the residents of Enfield gathered for Sunday services in the Enfield Congregational Church. The only sound of this Sabbath was the peaceful singing of the congregation when suddenly the vigorous beat of a drum was heard, interrupting the hymns and signalling the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. This memorable day is cited by a monument situated opposite the Old Town Hall and in front of the Enfield Congregational Church, one of the finest examples of Colonial style architecture in New England. It was erected in honor of Captain Thomas Abbey and the Abbey descendants. As we cast a look from the Academy at the statue of the Captain, we can almost hear the roll of his drum when drum and doctrine rudely blent, as Benjamin Franklin Taylor has so realistically portrayed in his poem, The Captain's Drum . The last verse appropriately relates the effect of that colorful event: Brigaded there at Bunker Hill Their names are writ on glory's page The brave old Captain's Sunday drill Has drummed its way across the age. Our Academy, erected in 1783, also holds a place of prominence in Enfield's history. It was built at a time when the drums of war had ceased and the country was hopeful of a new era of independ- ence and success. Passing through the ornate doors made up of glass prisms, one hardly realizes that the beauty in the interior of the Academy was constructed at a time when our country in its infancy had just finished a major war and was in the pro :ess of contracting a peace treaty. We conclude this brief historical background of our Academy by quoting Cicero, Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is man's life if it is not to be linked with the life of earlier generations by the memory of the past?

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THE DRAMA BEGINS PROLOGUE - There is a destiny that makes us brothers, None goes his way alonef All that we send into the lives of others Comes hack into our own. For many of us the season of autumn is the most glorious of all the year. In every meter the beauties of autumn have been sung attempting to describe the artistic strokes of the Divine Artist. In autumn, truly, God has dipped His paint brush in His palette of colors and splashed the hills and woods and fields with robes of saffron, and crimson, and gold, and yellow, and brown, and scarlet. In this amazing garden of beauty, in the historical town of Enfield, Connecticut, in Sep- tember, 1945, five Freshies meet at Our Lady of the Angels Academy to stage their part in a four- act drama of life, a drama which promised salutary returns - A SOUND CHRISTIAN EDUCA- TION. ACT I - 1945-1946 I will give glory to Thee, O Lord, my King and I will praise Thee, O God my Saviour. Time is laden with rich experiences especially for the Freshies in the memorable academic year 1945-1946. It was our Springtime of life, the sweet and heavenly child-time,-full of promise, full of prophecy, full of joy. Experience linked experience and every chain of experience made for a more abundant life. We became acquainted with friends, teachers, and books. Our acquaintance with friends and teachers supplied us with golden memories upon which our souls would feed in the future. Our acquaintance with books, however, led us to broader horizons, and provided us with many vicarious experiences which enabled us to read the importance of life by the light of an ex- alted understanding. The study of religion embedded into our hearts the genuine love and knowl- edge of God, the Father. In the Latin class, all our attention was centered on the elements of the language which furnished us with the key to unlock the treasures of the ancient past. Biology took us on many interesting trips to God's laboratory- the Great Outside. Our foundation for further study of the mathematical and social sciences was laid in the algebra class through a careful and sys- tematic study of fundamental techniques employed in the sciences. English provided us with a bet- ter understanding and enjoyment of good writing produced by American and English writers. An outstanding event of our Freshmen year was the blessed and solemn ceremony of INITIA- TION. We blushed and we sighedg but all in all we had a grand and glorious time. We took our test of loyalty with courage and as a result we were donned with new O. L. A. school uniforms. Other experiences of a gay and friendly nature were the many surprises planned for us by the Seniors for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. After the traditional annual examination, the aca- demic year 1945-1946 came to a happy close. Longingly did we look back and exclaim, We would give the world to be Freshies again. ACT II - 1946-1947 I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwellethf' In the previous year we went as far as we could see but when we faced the school year 1946-1947, we realized the beauty of the Lord's house, and in return the Lord sharpened our spiritual vision to see farther. We began the year with our ranks increased by one. We were now six. Our friend- ship strengthened, we plunged into our studies meeting with new books, new ideas, new experiences. Religion was the core subject. All our studies in the religion classes radiating from the second Per- son of the Blessed Trinity, jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Near to Christ we found the radiant center of light and love and there made our dwelling. Geometry made us logical thinkers and led us to appreciate the massive and stupendous structures designed by men throughout the ages. With Caesar we fought many battles, reflecting upon the Roman method of warfare. In English we read to reflect and appreciate the numerous types of literature, namely, the short story, novel, ballad, lyric, essay, biography and drama. Polish as an elective taken by a number of the students acquaint- ed them with etymological concepts, and enabled them to translate longer Polish passages into Eng- lish and vice versa. World History taught us the importance of the past in shaping the institutions ot the present. Outside the classroom our social experiences were broadened in the numerous social cultural clubs, assemblies and other friendly gatherings. Final examinations lowered the stage curtain of the second act of our drama and we departed to prepare ourselves for the following school year.

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