Salesian Catholic High School - Saldet Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

Page 9 text:

ll ...nad edffcdledldz Cur Lady-In-Waiting The Eternal Virgin Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as the object of our knightly love and devotion in this the Centenary Celebration of her appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France, to whom she revealed herself on March 25, 7858 in these words: an tie immaculate ceptwn The ethical ideals that arose from knighthood represented a fusion of Christian and military ideals. These still form the basis of the ethics of gentlemanly conduct in our own twentieth century. The chief chivalric virtues are obedience, bravery, loyalty and honor. Love also played a very important part in the life of a knight. But, in its chivalrous sense, love was largely platonic. As a rule, only a virgin could be chosen the object of chivalrous love. To you, then, Mary, the Eternal Virgin, we humbly dedicate this book, and in dedicating it we offer you our love and loyalty. We salute you as the greatest of God's creative works, and the only one of God's creatures who has been conceived without sin. We recognize that it is your compassion for all men, your unmatched humility and above all your unparalleled obedience to the will of your creator that has caused you to be raised above all men and angels and crowned the Queen of Heaven. We renew our promise of love and loyalty and in return ask the same of you. Continue to watch over us and pray that we may never forget the message of penance you left us at Lourdes and Fatima. N N , t 1 -x ' Jtfwut' Sin L flung, frm cw, S ' ,ggi S .1 -an 1 Q Q 'N fw. e to. you! , 5 ic - 4, C . , I A-Q.-P 4-on Wm ,- ,

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oohodacdag Saleadaa Sddddzldf Zara Sqmlol The Knight X- N Xi X J The historians have had a great deal of difficulty, and we might say little success, in their attempt to discover the real origins of knighthood.The information we have con- cerning knighthood begins in the 12th and l3th centuries when it played an essential part in feudal living. The reason wc have adopted the Knight as the symbol of our lives here at Salesian is because it tits the meaning of our school life better than any other. The knight, to the ordinary citizen of our country, has come to signify, more and more, the ideals of a Christian gentleman. Since the patron of our school is St. Francis De Sales, the Gentleman Saint, we feel that we have a very special right to call ourselves the Knights . lt is in the best tradition of De Sales that we adopt and adapt as a fitting ideal for our religious, educational and social life . . . the knight. The usual knight is pictured on a horse with his sword unsheathed, ready for battle, but our idea of a knight is best expressed as it is here . . . kneeling. The knight's posture here symbolizes the fundamental and essential relationship that ought to exist between a creature and his Creator, Service. Everything that a knight is, everything that he has, is placed at the service of his Lord and Master, Christ, Who as God is the Creator as well as the Redeemer of all men. We, the students of Salesian High School, hereby adopt the knight as our school symbol. The symbol of the obedience we owe to our parents and teachers, the symbol of the kindness and thoughtfulness that must be ours in our relations with one another as well as with all other men, the symbol of the loyalty we owe to our Nation and the service we owe to our God.

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and ,bzeowtiwy The Patron of Salesian High School nl St. Francis De Sales The Gentleman Saint St. Francis De Sales in his own day was a real knight. He lived between the years 1567 and 1622, years during which knighthood and chivalry were still a part of daily living. The horse was for him then what the automobile is to us now. He rode often and well. He was a good dancer. He knew how to handle a sword and proved his prowess to the surprise of his fellow students who mis- takenly considered his gentleness a cloak for cowardice. He is considered by many to be the most learned man of his age. He lived at the height of the Protestant Revolt and, using gentleness as his only weapon, brought back to the Church of Christ over 70,000 souls. When asked by a sincere Protestant if he would turn the other cheek as Christ directs His followers, he answered: l do not know what I would do, but I do know what I should do. This is the man who is the patron of our school, the model of the manly qualities that lead to knighthood, the model of a Christian gentleman. lt is in following him that we hope to realize in our own lives the true meaning of knighthood: Service to God, and gentleness in dealing with our neighbor.