Ursuline Academy - Yearbook (Cumberland, MD)

Page 12 text:

Tribute to Father Irenaeus Father lrenaeus is our friend in joy and grief. Yes, We shall always treasure the memory of Father lrenaeus, his genial smile, his friend- ship and his sincerity and those hours of religious instruction. How we shall need these instruc- tions in the life into Which We are going! How we shall miss them in years to come Y We shall thank God always for these instructions.

Page 11 text:

That Dear Old Schoolhouse of Ours As one who cons at evening o'er the school days all alone And muses on the faces of schoolmates he has known, So we turn the leaves of fancy at the dawn of parting hours And we see familiar outlines of that old schoolhouse of ours. The hours seemed so fleeting that we spent within its walls, And their memory soon will mingle with the echoes of its halls, And we smile a little sadly as we think of pleasant hours We used to know inside the halls of that old schoolhouse of ours. It's a happy retrospection for the sunny days we spent Are like flowers, picked and withered, leaving only fragrant scent, But to live the old days over is as fragrant, too, as flowers, As we think back on the incidents in that old schoolhouse of ours. Though we leave it now to wander into paths that are untrod, We'l1 often think of it as o'er our tasks we will nod, It sheltered all our knowledge and we love it for its care And we'll ne'er forget that schoolhouse though greying be our hair. In fact, to speak in earnest, it grows dearer with the years A For from its portals oft have gone old and noted seers, And we find as closer comes the time when we shall all depart, Not one of us but feels that building sacred to our heart. We see again the teachers and the rooms where we recited, And the paper for exams that made us so excited That we said we hated school and books and teachers, too, But all the time we knew, of course, that it could not be true. And again, we hear the cheering of the crowds upon the stands, Watching basketball and basketball and listening to the bands, And cheering teams with all their might, and yelling for our school And we forgot the classrooms, their questions and their rules. And we with free abandon enjoyed life while we may And loved the dear old school, her teams, her work, and play, And we were all so happy that when school days now are o'er We wish that it were possible to have as many more. But ah! Our school is ended--commencement's looming near And soon out in the world we'll be away from things so dear. Yet, with faithfulness and energy we may win the highest powers, We'1l ne'er forget our school days nor that old schoolhouse of ours.

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Message to the Graduates My Dear Graduates: Class of 1943, you stand upon the crossroads of an eventful future. You stand upon the threshold of great opportunity. War and post war will give you many opportunities to practice brotherly love to a high degree. At all times be an uplift to humanity. It is only when you value ease, wealth, reputation, position, friends, and even life itself less than your obligation to duty that you are prepared for great things in the world. Your preparation is not yet over, and never will be over. Cease to grow and you begin to dwindle. Cease to rise and you meet your decline. Cease to carry others' burdens and you become a burden to others. During the past four years you have been guided, inspired, and lead onward and upward by a splendid group of teachers. They have brought you safely to the end of the high school journey, and placed you in the world's great arena of opportunity, labor and achievement, together with the problems, responsibilities, and difficulties of life. Now you are leav- ing the familiar classrooms and are exchanging them for places and experiences that will test the armour you have been preparing. The world will soon find out the greatness of your soul. Always remember this: The more you pay, the more you get, and the more you will have with which to pay. The greater the conflict, the greater the joy of achiev- ing. The greater the sacrifice and the greater the service, the more resolute you become in carrying out your deep conviction of life. Dear Graduates, you can bring no greater honor to the Ursuline Academy which is about to become your Alma Mater than to devote your lives to the ideals Jesus Christ has taught, thus lifting the weary and burdened as you climb the heights of joy and gladness. You can bring no greater honor to your pastor than to move forward unflinchingly to the work to which God may call you, always willing to pay the price with joy, needing only a free conscience and deep conviction of heart. You can bring no greater honor to your faithful teachers than to be true to Him whom they have tried to ever keep before you. You can bring no greater honor to those dear ones who have labored, toiled and sacri- ficed that you might reach the achievement which is yours today than to devote your lives to the great purpose for which this Ursuline Academy was founded. Your power in the world will not be determined by money, influence, the silver tongue of oratory or position, but by your sterling character to do the right thing under all circumstances, cost what it may. The greatest leader the world has ever known was Jesus Christ. At times it seemed His life would be filled with glamour. But when the great test came, He was deserted even by friends and He stood alone and gave His life as the supreme price. Such was the leadership of our Master. As you go out into the world at the hour of its great need, may you continue to be true followers of Jesus until your highest ideal has been accomplished and the fruit of your labor be blessed and the reward of your life spent in doing good be the Kingdom of God. Father Irenaeus, O. F. M. Cap.