St Thomas Military Academy - Kaydet Yearbook (Mendota Heights, MN)

Page 18 text:

THE VERY REVEREND VINCENT J. FLYNN, Ph.D. President of the College of St. Thomas and St. Thomas Military Academy Nothing great in life is ever won without a fight . . . Our founder, the mighty John Ireland, was a fighter,- think of the great heart of the man who, with little be- sides faith and indomitable will, laid the foundations for the many institutions of this archdiocese! And St. Thomas men everywhere are cut to the same pat- tern — men of ability, men of vision, men of justice, but likewise men of fortitude. This is the unequivocal theme of our courageous Presi- dent, the Very Reverend Vincent J. Flynn, who was born in a little Minnesota town with the quaint name of Avoca. He came here as a student entering the' Military Academy some thirty-two years ago and since that time his destiny and that of St. Thomas have blended into one. Upon graduation from the Academy in 1919, he entered the College of St. Thomas. In 1921 he entered St. Paul Seminary, and was ordained to the holy priesthood in 1927. Thereupon he began teaching at the Academy, meanwhile working towards his Mas- ter's Degree which he received from the University of Minnesota in 1929. He continued further studies at the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1934, and spent fifteen months in Europe doing research for his doctor- ate which he received from the University of Chicago in 1939. Shortly thereafter he was appointed head of the English Department in the College,- and in 1944 he succeeded Father James Moynihan to the Presidency of the College and the Academy. He took the reins of the institute at a crucial time. The solutions to the many problems during the frenzy of war, and during recon- version after war, coupled with the largest enrollment St. Thomas has ever seen were just a few of the mo- mentous tasks confronting Father Flynn. Now he is car- rying on the great work of his pioneer predecessors who came to preach Christianity to the Indians, by courageously and prudently expanding the College and the Academy so that more and more students may have access to a fuller and more adequate Christian education. We are certain that Father Flynn will win his Fight; and we assure him of our whole-hearted support. We are proud of his pluck and perseverance which bring to mind Cardinal Newman's words, Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with it.

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THE MOST REVEREND JAMES J. BYRNE, S.T.D. Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul The event of greatest importance to men of St. Thomas in 1947 was the consecration last July of His Excellency, Bishop James Byrne, older brother of our own two Academy in- structors, Lieutenants Robert and Thomas Byrne. Bishop Byrne was the second St. Paul native in the city's history to be elevated to the episcopate. Born in 1907, he received Holy Orders in 1933 with the first class ordained by Archbishop Murray in St. Paul Cathedral. After four years' study at Louvain he received his Doctor's Degree in Sacred Theology. From 1941 to 1945 he was Dean of the College of St. Thom- as. From 1945 until the time of his elevation to the episco- pacy he was professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Paul Seminary. Pictured with Bishop Byrne at the left is the Most Reverend Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate to the United States, who officiated as the consecrating bishop. -

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Born in Alexandria, Minnesota, Father Holland entered his metier of education long before he took up his studies for the priesthood. He was a student at the Col- lege of St. Thomas from 1924 to 1926, and then trans- ferred to the University of Minnesota where he received his B.A. in 1928. His first position after graduation was superintendent of schools in Sedan, Minnesota. From 1929 to 1935 he taught chemistry and physics at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee. In the fall of 1935 he entered St. Paul Seminary, and after four years of theology was ordained to the holy priesthood. In September, 1939, he came to St. Thomas Military Academy to teach chemistry and to be dean of Ireland Hall. In June, 1944, he was appointed Principal of the Academy, thus giving our graduating class of 1948 the privilege of being the first to complete four years under his administration. Since Father Holland has been at the helm, the Academy has slowly but surely undergone a remark- able metamorphosis so that now we have a steady. hard-working organization of which we and our par- ents are very proud. Father's constant surveillance of attendance and comportment, and his insistence on obedience to rules and regulations have eliminated the confusion that at times will creep into a high school. His active interest in the guidance program set up for individual counseling has benefited us immeasurably,- and those of us who had the misfortune to be sum- moned before the Board of Discipline will never forget Father Holland's patience, impartiality, and dispassion- ate justice in considering our case. Thought of by cadets and faculty alike as a modest, humble priest. Father Holland is skilled in many fields, such as science, music, and education,- his depth, so to speak, is like a mining country—its wealth is under- ground, unguessed at by the careless passerby. So ar- dent is our love for Father Holland that we trust he will remain with St. Thomas until he is old and silver- haired; for, to us he is as much a part of the beloved academic surroundings as are the vine-covered bricks. Page j« «ntoen