St Francis Preparatory School - San Fran Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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QQQ l l L - 'W in i :V. , is , F ill H-if' --....,,,,- -1--.Q ---.i,,, Freedom and Franciscanism The life of Saint Francis was a life of Charity, Humility and Love. l-le was a simple man by his own choice. Born of wealthy parents, with riches and fame his birthright, Francis chose to live closer to his God by practicing self- denial and by dedicating himself to the task of aiding others. This example has been the guid- ing light of your training here at St. Francis Prep. Four years of Franciscanism have shown you your place in this world and particularly in this country. The years have shown you the spirit by which you are to live in society- ready to help those in need-willingly giving of your resources and time to others, to a right- eous cause, to the preservation of Freedom. lt is the last of which l would like to make par- ticular mention. Freedom has been defined by so many-evaluated by many more. But, would Freedom of any kind exist without the virtues of Charity and Love? ls it possible for man to respect man, defend his principles, or simply live as a free man without Charity in his heart? No, the very idea of harmony so necessary to freedom and so much in contrast to license , necessitates that peace, its goal, stem from men of good will. St, Francis was good will, as he was the personification of so very many virtues Who, or what better example might we seek? What set of norms would better satisfy the quest for harmony that freedom seeking people must make, than the life of Francis. His life is a rule in itself-his Rule the simplification table for us to adopt that we may live harmoni- ously. Love thy neighbor , ls this not neces- sary before we can respect our neighbor's rights and appreciate his freedom so that we might enjoy a freedom of our own? Selfless consider- ations, born of a real humility as Francis has taught us, are necessary should we ever expect to be free while on earth and exalted after death. l00H3S 3H1 ElElVd Ll

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we PAGE Zl THE FACULTY 1 The Truth will make you free. This means that real liberation comes from the knowledge of the purpose and destiny of man. As students of St. Francis Prep, your entire academic life has been woven around this fundamental prin- ciple. You have had the freedom to choose not blindly and without motives, but among mo- tives, the moral principles of your Christian life, the values in your secular studies, in your physical and social life. There has been a de- velopment of insight, of understanding, of the power of discrimination and of the ability to think and act in ways that distinguish man from all the lower forms of creation. You have been awakened spiritually, without which awaken- ing, no person can be said to be educated, however much he knows. To appreciate fully however, the academic freedom you have enjoyed, it is well to consider briefly those students, who enjoy the illusion of academic freedom. lt is their lot to follow a program of studies, which they elect in their immature fashion, for the shortest and easiest route to a diploma. Superficially, this election of a curriculum appears to be a sound demo- cratic and free process. Actually it represents an act of choice by an unprepared and purpose- less mentality. Again, the same students are subjected to a system of pedagogy in which methods and techniques of instruction are gods in themselves, Their instructors are so absorbed with statistics and measurements that they have little time for the basic values in their specific course of study. With the realization therefore that you have enjoyed an academic freedom under God, in which your dignity and purpose as men were respected, may we send you forth with the words of our Lord to initiates in the moral and mental Life: Friend, go up higher!