St Andrews Seminary - Mapav Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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S A T O R if L

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1 9 3 9 Patroness of the United States Over four hundred years ago, a little group of men headed by their admiral, Christopher Columbus, set sail from the small seaport of Palos. And with them, as they crossed the path' less waters of the Atlantic, the love and protec' tion of our dear Lady and mother floated over the sea to the shores of America. The first land they reached, Columbus called San Salvador, in honor of the Son, the next Santa Marie de la Conception, did reverence to His Mother. That was four hundred years ago, but Mary has never forgotten nor been forgotten here, the religious have been laboring to extend her devof tion and the faithful have responded with eager and loving hearts. Her powerful prayers have aided them in heaven, and now North to South and coast to coast, ascriptions arise to her honor. With the successors of iColumbus came the cannon and the sword, but there also came the Cross and the Rosary. There came lust of do' minion, of land, of gold, cruelty, bloodshed, and the vices of civilization. But among them, and unharmed by their contact, were selffsacrifice, devotion, zeal for souls, love of God and of Mary. Ponce de Leon, Alvarado, Coronado, and their like-in spite of all their power and all the blood they shed-only gained the hatred and hostility of the natives. Cn the other hand there were those such as Father Mark, a Franciscan, who, armed only with a Crucifix and Rosary, penetrated New Mexico in 1539 and made friends with the Inf dians. A year later ive other Franciscans took the same path, two of them were martyred by the savages. Rodriguez, Lopez, Santa Maria folf lowed in 1580, and confirmed the faith in New Mexico, from which it has never since departed. In 1601, a Carmelite Father, Andrew of the Assumption of the Virgin, entered California with his companions and spread the Gospel of the Son of Mary. A few years later on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, the town of Saint Augustine was founded, this made a foot- hold, as it were, for the heroic missioners to pour into this region. Laboring with the Indians and the elements, they at last came as far as thc Chesapeake which they called Saint Mary's Bay. Wherever they went they built missions which, though often destroyed were generally rebuilt, GEORGE I-IYNEs, '40 and flourished under the protection and patron' age of the Mother of Cod. While all this was taking place in the south and southwest, the north was by no means being neglected. Bressany toiled with the Iroquois along the banks of the Hudson river, his fervor and domination were undaunted by the terrible tortures inflicted by the as yet faithless savages. Along the Mohawk valley Isaac jogues labored until he was finally martyred. The New York Indians also proved fruitful to missionary efforts by being converted from their idolatrous pracf tices. Father Marquette made his way down the Mississippi as far as Arkansas and established a mission of the Immaculate Conception there. The result of all these missionary and pioneer efforts and hardships was the planting of Mary's standard within the borders of the country. It was, however, only the beginning, only the act of taking possession, for there were still unfaithf ful to be won over, and new warriors were to be trained for her ranks. To understand how rapidly devotion to Mary has increased from these humble beginnings, one need only notice that over seven hundred churches now bear her name in this country, besides this the name of Mary has been given to numerous rivers, lakes, bays, and mountains. The first Spanish discoverers of America were, then, the ones responsible for planting thc seed of devotion to Mary in this land. The French and English then made their way into the country, both helping and hindering those spreading the faith. The missionaries worked either westward from their settlements in Maryf land or southward from Canada. It was not until after the American Revolution and the great influx of foreign Catholics that missionizing to any extent was profitable west of the Mississippi. But always there has been that constant prog' ress of Mary's faithful servants in spreading def votion to her. It is no wonder, then, that the Fathers of the Council of 1846, a gathering of the most eminent bishops and theologians of the country, solemnly selected the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Patroness of the United States of America. Mary has gained vast possessions in this country, and let us hope that she will conf quer and annex all to the kingdom of her Son. fortyfnine

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1 9 3 9 First RowfLeft to 'ri LEO BEATTIE f HAROLD BESTOR WILLIAM LALLY f DOMINIC MOCKEVICIUS Second RowALeft to JAMES BAKER f ROBERT MARCIGLIANO JAMES BARRETT f GERALD DUNN f Thi-rd Row-Left to CORNELIUS DUFFY DONALD COROORAN JOHN LATUCCA CHARLES SCHIAVI JAMES LYONS f Not in Picture: JOHN CAHILL ght: - 1 .fx li right: right: SECOND YEAR f Qur Lady of Perpetual Help, Rochester f Our Lady of Good Council, Rochester f E f . . f f Holy Rosary, Rochester .L fl 'J f f St. George's, Rochester f St. Margaret Mary's, Rochester f Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Rochester f Blessed Sacrament, Rochester St. John the Evangelist, Rochester f St. Thomas Aquinas, Leicester f St. Joseph's, Oneida St. Mary's, Scottsville f - St. Anthony's, Batavia f St. Margaret Mary's, Rochester f St. John the Evangelist, Rochester jiftyfonc