Regis High School - Regian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF LIBERAL EDUCATION lContinued from Page Zll orators of all time in this precise endeavor in influencing people. By means of this study of rhetoric the Region finally acquires such a mastery of words as will enable him to affect the lives of his fellow men. This ultimate fruit of the course in humanities-that of influencing others-suggests immediately the prime importance of a training of the will which progresses parallelly with the intellectual, imaginative and emotinal development which we have described. lf leaders are being made, they must possess the right sort of leadership. Else we shall have the blind leading the blind. ln fact this character training is the principal objective of the education given at Regis and indeed of the entire Jesuit educational system of which Regis is a part. From the first day of class to commencement every student must make daily progress in the great truths of his faith. He is taught his absolute dependence upon his Creator, his complete nothingness without Him. Moreover, he learns to appreciate more fully the supernatural destiny which the eternal love of this Creator has assigned for him-the ultimate end of all his efforts on earth-namely, everlasting happiness in the con- templation and love of the Divine Essence. He is taught to view all life's purposes in the light of this one great end. He is further instructed in his equality with his fellow man and in the duties of justice and charity con- sequent upon this equality. What use he shall make of the wealth he pos- sesses or may come to possess is made clear to him when he is taught that with regard to the material goods of this earth his is but a stewardship, he holds them by a right which is entirely subject to the absolute right of the Creator. His use of them, therefore, is to be in accordance with the Creator's purpose in fashioning them. At Regis the Sodality and Guard of Honor flourish. Every week Mass is held at which the entire student body receives Holy Communion. Such communal worship, besides being very pleasing to our Lord in itself, tends to give the student a lasting relish for the higher life and leaves him at gradu- ation with firm habits of spirituality which are the safeguards of his character and conduct in the future. The extra-curricular activities, which numbered over twenty-five this year, bring him, the Region, into intimate contact with his fellows, present the necessity for cooperative endeavor and end to produce the poise, affa- bility and generosity called for by social life. lt is therefore with highly trained minds and up-lifted souls that her graduates go forth from the portals of Alma Mater. That is why she com- mands their undying gratitude and loyality. JOHN R. MCCARTHY '39 Twenty-three

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REVEREND JAMES B. MAHONEY, S.J. REVEREND FRANCIS X. DOWNEY, S.J. FR. MAHONEY, S.J. 1920- i 922 Regis made many substantial gains under Father Mahoney's leadership. Among these was an increase of student literary endeavor. The bimonthly Regis maga- zine became a monthly, a change which spurred on Regis literati to new conquests in the realm of the pen. Regions, contending with over 6,000 other students in a federal essay contest, capturing first prize and eight other awards. Solicitous for the social side of school life also, Father granted certain evenings for friendly gatherings of the students. As events proved, these ear- nest endeavors of Fr. Mahoney were but the preparation for his career in the foreign missions, where he nobly labored and died for Christ's little ones. FR. DOWN EY, S.J. 1922- i 923 Although Fr. Downey, S.J., served but one year at Regis as Pretect ot Studies, he effected many improve- ments. Of these, two are particularly worthy of mention, namely the Annual Senior Retreat and the Homeric Academy. Both have become part of our tradition. The Seniors have always regarded this Retreat as a final preparation before entering upon their life's work and its success has been widespread. As for the success of the Homeric Academy it is easily witnessed by the splendid symposium conducted each year in which its members defend the twenty-four books of the Iliad. Twenty-two

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REVEREND FRANCIS L, ARCHDEACON, S.J. REVEREND JAMES G, DALY, S.J. FR. ARCHDEACON, S.J. 1923-1924, 1925-1935 A name very closely associated with Regis and en- shrined in the hearts of her alumni is that of Father Archdeacon. Having been among Regis' first teachers, Father also served two terms as Perfect of Studies. The long duration of his prefecture combined with his loving interest and indefatigable labor enabled him to raise the scholastic standing of Regis to heights never before attained. To Father Archdeacon, whose extraordinary influence on behalf of Catholic culture is now enjoyed by the New England province, every Regian raises his voice in hearty thanks. FR. JAMES G. DALY, S.J. i924-i925 On the first Friday of February, l938, after eleven years of fruitful labor, Father James G. Daly, S.J., the gracious, gentle and beloved Superior of the Jesuit mis- sionaries in Occidental Misamis, Mindano, Philippine islands, ended a glorious career as a missionary of outstanding holiness and zeal. We were grieved at this sad news but in another sense felt honored that Fr. Daly had been Prefect of Studies at Regis. His conduct of Regis during his short term of office was marked by a practical interest and spiritual zeal in keeping with his great work of Christanity. The present Regions may well draw inspiration from this model of charity for God and fellow man. Twenty-four