St Andrews Seminary - Mapav Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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S A T 0 R Papa Pius XI Outside the bronze gates of Vatican City, Swiss guards in their brilliant uniforms of orange, red, and blue, paced up and down in the rainy dawn of February 9, 1939. Suddenly the early morning silence was shattered by the funerel toll of the great bell of Saint Peter's. The bells of Rome's churches took up the peal, and with them joined the Catholic Churches of every city and hamlet throughout the world, whose members yet bear in their hearts grief for their leader, taken away from them to his eternal crown. According to the mind of the Church, Pope Pius XI was born on February 9, 1939, for that day marked his entrance into the kingdom of God. Yet, in the eyes of the world, as far as mundane fame is concerned, his life was over in 1919. At sixtyfone, Achille Ratti had been passed by. Scarcely ever did rumor have it that he waz. a possible choice for a position of command in the administration of the Church. The Biblioteca Vaticana apparently was to be his field of labor till death, he was merely a monsignorflibrarian. By a series of quick events and coincidences, his rare abilities as a linguist and diplomat were ref warded by recognition. In 1918, Benedict XV made him the first papal representative to Poland, though he had never yet been attached to the diplomatic service. In 1919, he was consecrated in the Warsaw Cathedral, for the vatican protocol required the rank of an archbishop for a nuncio. This was the Hrst time that the bookworm, as he was jocosef ly called by his associates, was attired in anyf thing more elaborate than the robes of a mon' signor. In the confusion of political events in Poland, his duty became a delicate and complicated task. Such a storm of attack and criticism arose around him that his removal was demanded. Rome could do nothing since, his policies being consistent with the principles of the Church, accession to demands would be construed as an admission of error. To settle the affair without loss, and in rightful recognition of his achievements and abil' ities, Achille Ratti was made archbishop of his home city, Milan. This appointment was for him a promotion and a proof that the Holy See ap' proved of his work in Poland. Now he assumed the purple robes of the Cardinalate. It is remarkable how the advance of the forf twentyfeight NICHOLAS ALLETTO, '39 mer librarian seemed to be guided by the finger of God. These were Pope Benedict's words of salutation to him and two other newlyfcreated Cardinals: There has been a generous distribuf tion of red during the past few days, but soon there will be a distribution of white and the white robes will surely fall on one of you. The recipient of the white robes was Cardinal Ratti, a few months laterghe had been Cardinal of Milan for a mere one hundred and fifty days lt was with a rare sense of intuition that he had chosen as his motto for his episcopal coat of arms, the words, Raptim Transit. In 1919, he was a monsignor, in 1922, a Pope. The seventeenfyear pontihcate of Pius XI embraced troubled years. He inherited from the World War a legacy of Marxism and facism, of changed moral standards and social customs, of religious persecution, of wars and threats of wars. The concern of Pope Pius XI for this world was shown in his thirty encyclicals-an unusual number for any pontificateion a wide variety of subjects, ranging from dogma to labor. He def plored especially the attacks of totalitarianism on the institutions of the home and human freedom. The most striking event of Pope Pius XI's reign was the signing of the Lateran treaty ten years ago to end the fiftyfninefyear imprisonment of the Popes in the Vatican. In 1870, with thc completion of the unification of Italy, the Papacy had lost its temporal power, Italian troops seized the city of Rome, that for centuries had been under the papal rule. Pius IX and his successors assumed the role of Prisoners of the Vatican, refusing after their elections to set foot in the city streets. It remained for Pius XI to realize the longfhopedffor peace with Italy. He left a world in turmoil. He had done all that a Pope could do. The powers of the world were too hardfheaded to listen to the voice of the Vicar of Christ. He had the real solution, but they preferred their own erring methods to his salutary principles. He had peace, they spurned it. His was a glorious reign. Science was fostered as never before in the Vatican, he advanced mist sionary work to hitherto unhopedffor bounds. In all that he did his efforts, blessed by God, bore abundant fruit. In life, his motto was Raptim transit , so at death, he passed quickly to his eternal glory where he yet labors for our peace-peace not of the world, but of God - his peace.

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1 9 3 9 Liturgy and Leisure We have been told by those who may be sup' posed to know that when our industrial world adjusts itself, men will have more leisure time on their hands. Now herein, we think, lies a potential field for proponents of the Liturgical Revival. Why cannot this leisure time be turned in the right direction? Why couldn't we educate our Catholic people in the old and good ideas? Why cannot we teach our working people to relate their daily labors to the service of God which finds its fullest expression in the Mass? We must relearn that our Creator comes first, not last, we must offer Him our Hrstffruits, not fag ends. And we must get rid of the notion that a few short, distracted moments will sufiice for things eternal while things temporal receive many long, attentive hours. With proper liturgical training, we can bring it home to the humblest denizen of the working world that the cloister has no monopoly of the divine praises, of meditaf tion, and of what we rather unfortunately call the religious life. He will come to realize that very much of His creature's time must be spent in deliberately and explicitly worshiping the Creator. And then the time may come when the Father's house will be an always warm and wel' coming hearth for the members of the eager and joyful Christian family, who will gather daily, not once a week to pour out spontaneous praise and worship. As things now stand, we have become ex' ceedingly parsimonious in the matter of prayer. It is not so very long ago since Catholic and Protestant alike knelt down reverently each night at the bedside to say definite prayers. Today most people excuse themselves, and this seemly and profitable habit has died out. Countless men and women who would be shocked if anybody accused them of irreligion are content to breathe a few pious ejaculations between the sheets or while dressing and undressing. They salve their consciences with the comfortable theory that the Creator is a very indulgent Being who knows how busy we modern people are. As for public worship, millions of Protestants will not go near anything save a bright, brief service. There are thousands of Catholics who never hear High Mass and rarely appear at Low Mass until after the Epistlek Sharpshooter Catholics, one pastor P. VINCENT PORTER, '39 calls them, Down on one knee at the door. But ours is no Sunday religion. Holy Church acts on the words of the Prophet, Seven times a day will I give praise unto Thee. She knows nothing of the modern quotation, Once in seven days will I dole Thee out one stinted hour. We must take cognizance of the admonition, Young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the name of the Lord. There must be praise to the Holiest in the height and in the depth. We are to bless the Lord continually and MI-Iis praise must be ever in our mouth. Now these thoughts brings us around to an idea which we have long held. In reaction from and in protest to the neopaganism that displays itself in erotic art forms, mad music, racefsuicide and widespread immorality, Catholics will have to become more and more an isolated body. Not isolated, however, in the sense of a cowering in catacombs, but rather in the sense of what has been called a usplendid isolation. It will be an isolation of men and women for whom Credo is an exultant hymn and not fas some thinkj a disciplinary theological recitation. Along this line, the Liturgical revival will be an enormous help. Already we have the Missa Recitata in which all the faithful join. And who knows but that a generous bestowal of Catholic leisure on the praise of God will enrich the Church with new treasures of hymnody and devotional exercises? Of course the Psalms will always remain the chief song of the Church, for the simple reason that the psalmists were inspired by the Holy Ghost. But the Church has never confined Herself to the Psalter. Centuries after David, she had her Am' brose and her Thomas Aquinas, her Prudentius and her Bernard. Demand brings supply, and there is no reason why a new age of Faith shall not bring us new canticles as grand even as the Lauda Sion or the Te Deum. And thus we shall have our isolafour isle of Catholic outrightness. It will not be an island corroded smaller and smaller by the raging tides of unbelief around it. Rather it will be an island growing ever wider and wider through the rich alluvial deposits brought down by its own streams and through the shrinking of the hostile tides. For an outright Catholicism will be a growing Catholicismg because, as St. John said, our Faith is the victory that overcometh the world. twentyfseven

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1 9 3 9 The Resurrection of Spain JAMES CALLAN, '39 O joy that in our embers ls something that doth live That nature yet remembers What was so fugitive. . Cn the twofthousandth anniversary of that first and greatest of conquests culminated in the early hours of that Hrst Easter morn, Christ has again conquered. Not again nailed to the Cross which made forever sacred that hill outside the walls of Jerusalem, nor from the opened tomb, but through the shambles of a warftorn and bloodfstained country. No, it was not the Crucifixion of the flesh, but the Crucifixion of the spirit, of the very bride of Christ, His Church. No, Christ did not again suffer that shameful death, suspended between heaven and earth. No,,he did not again take flesh and endure another Gethsemane, an' other Holy Thursday night, another crown of thorns, another threefhours agony. The beautif ful words of the Canticle of Solomon turn to ashes as we see that same Spouse being defiled and abused in the streets of Spain. Cf what good, seemingly, were the fruits of Calvary when His Church was being desecrated and def spoiled by the very creatures for whom it was instituted? It is truly a joy that in the embers was something that did live and did remember that which was being swiftly dissipated at the hands of a few empowered tools of an atheistic govern' ment, or, as it might better be called, misgovernf ment. That something was the faith of a country which had kept its heritage down through the centuries from the days of its first saint. That faith has been tried in the crucible of persecution and trial, and not found wanting. The Catholic Spain of yesterday has not and will never be betrayed by the Spain of today. For three long years the good fight has been fought and the battle is Hnally won. Once more shall the Catholic Spain of Isabella and Ferdi' nand flourish. Cnce more shall the land resound with the Gloria and Hosanna instead of the deadly monotonous boom of exploding shell Once more shall Christ occupy that throne which has been hallowed by the blood of Spain's martyrs. It is easy for the historian to dismiss a war by a brief stroke of the pen, but those few brief lines on the pages of history fall far short of tell' ing the story of that war. They do not record the treachery and deceit used by one group to insinate itself into power, they do not tell of the ruthless and savage use of that power against the very people to whom it was entrusted. They fail to record the violence and cruelty which, incredible as it may seem, was not the result of the excesses of a few and widely separated inf dividuals, but the concerted movement of the sofcalled Loyalists to stamp out every vertige of religion and morality. To them we owe the inf troduction of one of the newest and possibly the most horrible forms of mass slaughter, the bombing of innocent civilian populaotions. To them, too, now that the war is over does the Spanish nation owe a depleted treasury, monies that have been stolen and carried off to support an impending Communist uprising in one of our friendly neighbors, Mexico. Now the day appears, once more the sun of peace shines over Spain. Franco has restored the government to a working basis wherein Spain takes on a new aspect, both economic and ref ligious. Economically, Spain emerges from this war, a modern nation, which has finally broken the bonds so long holding it captive to outmoded and almost medieval conditions. In religion, Spain has not made any such change, that of cast' ing off the old and taking up the newg but rather, she has made a retreat, a retreat to the faith of her ancestors. As of old Christ rose from the dead to the confusion of his accusers and executioners, so Spain, condemned to die by the harsh and mercif less hand of what may one day be called Antif Christ , rises from the dying embers of godless tyranny to a state justly proud of its Catholic heritage. There has been born a new and even greater lineage, a Spain which has taken its warning and inspiration fromf Those shadowy recollections Whicli, be they what they may, Are yet the fountainflight of all our clay, Are yet a masterflight of all our seeing. twentyfriine