St Sebastians School - Arrow Yearbook (Newton, MA)

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68 GRADUATION CONCERT jesus Maria Sanroma delights a large St. Sebastian audience at the Hotel Bradford Concert. New Ocean House. The night before the big day itself, the School sponsored a delightful concert by the world-famed jesus Maria Sanroma and drew 1200 people to the Hotel Bradford for the occasion. Fittingly inaugurated by the Baccalaure- ate Mass and Sermon at the Cenacle convent, the Graduation Exercises culminated in the awarding of diplomas at the Archbishop's House in the afternoon. Once again, His Excellency, Archbishop Cushing, was our gracious host and delayed his departure for a college commencement to greet the graduates and wamly felici- tate the Faculty on a work well done. In his absence, Monsignor MacKenzie pre- sided over the ceremonies that featured an address to the graduates by Professor Louis Mercier of Harvard University. The Salutatory and Valedictory orations were given by Robert Higgins and Myron Bullock respectively and Monsignor MacKenzie awarded the hard-earned diplomas. After Solemn Benediction had closed the exercises, we had an opportunity to take a reluctant leave of grand companions like Myron Bullock, Bob Higgins, jack Mulhern, john Pickard, Mike Barrette, Paul McGrath and Lane McCarthy who had meant so much in our student lives at St. Sebastian's and who were now enrolled in the ranks of the Alumni. As we left the scene, it was only natural that we should reflect with mingled emotions on the fact that our St. Sebastian span had contracted now to a single year.

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HOCKEY. BASKETBALL BANQUET March 16, 1947 chronicled the details of a fire which broke out in the basement at 3 o'clock on the morning of November 6th and caused the four resident priests to leave the build- ing. The January edition gave the particulars of the Annual Retreat conducted by Fr. Lawrence P. Sullivan, C.S.C., while the May number recorded the School's consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a fitting conclusion to the May devotions of the year. From time to time it also acquainted its avid readers with the progress of The Arrown which, due to the labors of Bob Higgins' staff, add- ed new features to be even more enthusiastically received than its 1945 prede- cessor. We turned into the home stretch of the year when Baseball made its appear- ance in the Spring and proved that Bob McNabb's hurling feats of the year before were not a mere flash in the pan. Pitted against premier competition, The Thin Man enjoyed another remarkable season that brought him eulogies in the Bos- ton press. Fifteen times the Red and Black nine took the field and only twice did they leave it defeated. The outstanding athletic memory of the year will always be the 5-4 defeat inflicted on mighty Phillips Exeter, although triumphs over Groton, Middlesex, Thayer, Malden Catholic and Cranwell were also important. To the undefeated j.V.'s, Dick Griffin, joe Ford and Dick Watson made stellar contributions, Griff earning the right to toe the slab in a Varsity contest against Sacred Heart which he won handily. In recognition of his role in our successful year, Bob McNabb, just recuperating from the effects of a fall over a concrete playground bench during a game at Newton Centre, was honored with the cap- taincy of the '47 team. An injury, that also will long be remembered, claimed as its victim our Frank O'Donoghue who suffered a slow-healing broken leg the day before he was scheduled to break into the starting line-up. Incapacitated for many weeks, Frank took consolation in the success of the team and the individual work of classmates Ed Quirk, john Ellard and jack Cremmen. Almost before we knew it, another Graduation Week was upon us and we followed the activities of the Seniors with interest, knowing that our turn was to come next. A Senior Prom, which many of us attended, prefaced the Fathers' and Sons' Day game with St. Columbkille's and the Class Outing at Swampscott's

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Early in july we were overjoyed to learn from the Boston Press that Fr. Mc- lnnis had been elevated by His Holiness Pope Pius XII to the rank of Papal Chamberlain with the title of Very Reverend Monsignor. We sensed at once that this honor had been conferred on the Headmaster of St. Sebastian's both as a recog- nition of outstanding priestly work for twenty-five years and as a seal of approba- tion on the School founded and developed under his direction. When we re- turned to the Hill, we found no change in him except the purple piping on his cassock which caused us to blurt out frequently I mean, Monsignor after we had saluted him as Father, We were fully cognizant of the responsibility that was ours when we began our fourth year last September. To come back to the Hill as Seniors was pleasant enough, but our status also demanded that we set the tone of School life in rather serious and dignified fashion. Previously we always had an older group to look up to, now we could seek inspiration only in our own ranks. When we assembled our personnel in the first-floor Senior classroom, we found that our numbers had been increased by three new additions, Al Cruickshank, john McAuliffe and Matt Thornton. The last named lad remained only for a fleeting period of time, but the other two stood shoulder to shoulder with us through the rigors of our final year. On the Faculty roster there were three new additions, Fr. Francis Desmond, who was assigned to us in English, Fr. Dacey, our instructor in Latin, and Fr. Aubut, new member of the French department. Their presence called attention to the fact that Fr. Redding and Fr. Clifford were no longer in our midst, but had been sent to universities for further study, the former to Fordham and the latter to Laval. As seniors, we were freed from the duty of waiting on table, but there was no noticeable slackening of our scholastic requirements. The languages returned to plague some and please others, and there was much jousting with the sciences, as usual. In Latin, Fr. Dacey did not vary from the perfectionist approach instituted by Fr. Redding, and, had he been so minded, joe Ford and Dick Griffin would have protested to high heaven. The well of English seemed inexhaustible as Fr. Desmond meted out generous portions of the greats in English Literature and gave us writers' cramp with copious notes on all the literary forms. To close the day, the Greeks had an exhilarating meeting of minds with Xenophon during which the intimate round-table approach gave rise to many quips. Trig and Physics were formidable at best, but Fr. Cotter's patience was unending. Under Fr. Keating's objective analysis we surveyed our country's history and traced the pattern of current events in a highly palatable manner. In the background at all times the spectre of College Boards loomed large and we really set to work with in- tensity. True to his form of other years, john Kirk did not allow his many extra- curricular interests to keep him from the Honor Roll. While we missed such personalities as Bob McGarty and jack Seth from our crew, we had to contend with the fifty Freshmen who energetically occupied the first corridor with us. Their first participation in a School-wide observance came on September 20th when the student body offered its felicitations to Monsignor Mclnnis on his fiftieth birthday. After dinner that Noon, Fr. Beatty expressed the Faculty's sentiments on the occasion, while Robert Bullock presented the Head- master a Spiritual Bouquet which was the offering of the entire School. The new Sebastianites were also tested for vocal talent and many of them were selected