CHIMES MARIAN YEAR WINTER 1954

TEAM

llws Smrntor S, 1354 CATHEDRAL COLLEGE NEW YORK CITY

VOBIS IN MATREM In June, 1907, Pope Pius X presented the College with this beautiful masterpiece.

O MARY IMMACULATE SINGULAR WITH ANGELIC PRAISE ABODE OF THE WORD DIVINE DEIGN TO ACCEPT THIS FEEBLE TRIBUTE OF HALTING SPEECH OUR MARIAN CHIMES FROM YOUR YOUNG SONS OF CATHEDRAL WHOSE LIVES BETTER THAN THEIR WORDS HYMN THEIR LOVE OF YOU!

Very Reverend Monsignor Henry J. Lenahan, S.T.L.

®lK (HfrintgB Volume XLVIII WINTER, 1954 Number 1 PAGE EDITORIALS .............................................................................................................. 6 BANKRUPTCY (Poem)..................................................................................... 8 FULGENS CORONA GLORIAE......................................................................... 9 WORLD’S GREAT MOMENT............................................................................ 11 CENTENARY RETROSPECT.............................................................................. 12 A PRAYER TO MARY....................................................................................... 18 THE ONLY INCARNATION............................................................................ 19 EMMANUEL........................................................................................................... 21 OUR LADY IN PROTESTANT THEOLOGY................................................. 22 THE ICONOGRAPHY OF OUR LADY’S VIRGINITY............................... 24 I LEARN OF CZESTOCHOWA......................................................................... 27 JA ORANA MARIA.............................................................................................. 29 TWO CROSSES WERE CARRIED................................................................... 30 MADONNA IN THE DIVINA COMMEDIA.............................................. 31 HER STATION....................................................................................................... 34 NEW YORK’S NEW MADONNA................................................................... 35 SOME POETS OF OUR LADY......................................................................... 37 MARY AT CANA.................................................................................................. 41 WHAT OUR LADY MEANS TO ME.............................................................. 42 Debalfanents 49 51 DEAR BENJAMIN............. MORGAN FRATERNITY BOOKMEN .............................................................................................................. 52 CATHEDRALIA ..................................................................................................... 57 SPORTS ................................................................................................................... 59 CHATTERBOX ..................................................................................................... 62 THE CHIMES was founded by the undergraduates of Cathedral College in February, 1909. It is now published three times a year: Winter, Spring, and Summer. Subscription price is $2.50 a year. The six year course at Cathedral College spans high school and the first two years of college. Address all communications to The CHIMES, Cathedral College, 555 West End Avenue, New York 24, N. Y.

Editor-in-Chief ...............................................................................John J. Devlin Associate Editors .......................................Hugh F. McManus, William J. Tobin Moderator .................................................................Rev. Thomas V. McMahon Editorial Board Robert F. Bracken John A. Mulryan Richard J. Dillon Edward F. Nowatzki Anthony J. Fraino Daniel F. O’Neill Patrick J. Gartland Thomas J. Shelley Vincent P. Gorman John F. X. Smith Donald T. Kellaher John B. Sullivan James J. McIntyre James E. Welby Business Manager Edward J. Gillespie Advertising Manager Eric J. Byrne Circulation Manager William M. Shea Artists ...................................Frank H. Gawors, Charles A. Roth EDITORIALS The Marian Year R EALIZING Mary’s important place in our lives, the college has tried to observe this year in a very special way. Increased devotion at the shrine outside the library was fostered; an art exhibit was put up in the lobby; guided tours of Marian art works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters were held; an essay contest on the topic, "What Mary Means to Me,” was sponsored; the annual public speaking contests were tributes to Mary; the Alumni Lecture Series treated of Our Lady. Finally, we offer our Immaculate Mother and Queen the literary tribute of this issue of The Chimes. 6

THE CHIMES WINTER, J 9 5 4 This observance has brought home to us the fact that Mary is in a very special way the Immaculate Mother of seminarians. She is the Mother of Christ who was the first Priest, and the Seat of Wisdom by which we follow the first Priest. Mary watches over us with extra care from the day we enter Cathedral until the day we leave Dunwoodie as her other sons. In times of worry and trouble, whether concerning our studies, our health, our spiritual life, or even our ability in sports, all we need do is turn to her about whom St. Bernard says: "It was never known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.” She is as devoted and as loving to those who are struggling with the mysteries of paidend as to those who are contending with the treachery of amo. Mary, Queen of Christians, is always at our side. In the words of our beloved Cardinal: "Hold to the vision of Mary, Mary Immaculate, Mary assumed into Heaven. ... Be consecrated to Mary! Through her will you be freed. She will be your light, your hope, your love, your passport to your homeland.” New President W ITH this issue it is our happy privilege to welcome our new president, Monsignor Henry J. Lenahan, S.T.L. After returning from ordination in Rome on December 8, 1931, he spent the next three years as a curate in Holy Rosary parish. While resident there, he was assigned in 1932 to the college as Professor of Latin. With patient diligence and tireless zeal, he initiated, in the fourteen years he spent teaching here, generations of young students into a knowledge of Latin. For a few years, at our Cardinal’s request, we lost Father Lenahan to Cardinal Hayes High School, which he served first as procurator and then as principal. Now we are joyful that he is back home with us. His long years here on the faculty assure us that he knows our needs, our faults, and our hopes. The college is secure and blessed with such an experienced and capable father. We-assure him our loyalty and generous devotion. Monsignor Giblin I N September we bade farewell to Msgr. Charles A. Giblin, P.A., who had been president for seven years. It was a sad farewell to a great priest who had done so much for the college in so short a period. Monsignor, who seemed to possess a miraculous knowledge of everyone’s first name, had a warm and friendly personality. What was the college function at which he did not appear, showing in every possible way his love for Christ and his devotion to "his boys,” as he called us? 7

WINTER, 19S-+ THE CHI M E S At the Faculty softball games, who was the lirst one up at the plate?—Monsignor, swinging his bat as though he were another Babe Ruth! An illustration of his interest in his students w.ts the establishment of Special Latin which greatly lightened the load of those who lacked sufficient high school Latin. For everything he has done, his boys express their most sincere gratitude, and give him their prayerful best wishes for a successful pastorate at Nyack. discipline is the fact that in thirteen years he was never late for class or any other activity. He seemed to live in his little office, being there whenever one of his students needed advice or wanted to go to confession. Even his summers he unselfishly gave to Cathedral by maintaining a camp which he felt would nourish our vocations. Father has the grateful prayers of the entire student body with him as he takes up his work as Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church at Verplank. Father Dougherty F ATHER DOUGHERTY benefited Cathedral as professor and spiritual director for thirteen years. His career was eminently successful. He was humble, understanding, and kind, with an unmistakable zeal, a burning desire to work for Christ. Indicative of his selfChristmas Wishes S INCE this issue is to take the place of the customary Christmas one, the staff of the Chimes takes this opportunity to wish all our readers a holy, happy Christmas, and a blessed New Year. j:OHN mark McCloskey, ’58 What can I say to Our Lady That has not been said before? I fear her poets and artists Have used up beauty’s store! Then I spied the saint’s way, As old and as new as the sun; They praise her with the highest art By living for her Son! 8

Eulgens Qorona ©loriae FRANK H. GAWORS, ’55 "'You arc all beautiful, O Alary! you arc the glory, you arc the joy, you are the honor of our people!" (Alarian Year Prayer.) T HE radiant crown of glory placed by God on the brow of the Virgin Mother seems to shine more brilliantly one hundred years after Pius IX defined and solemnly announced: "that the doctrine, which holds that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary at the first moment of her conception was, by singular grace and privilege of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved from all stain of original sin, is revealed by God and therefore to be firmly and resolutely believed by all the faithful.” (Dogmatic bull Ineffabilis Dc/is of December 8, 1854.) This definition of the Immaculate Conception was universally and joyfully accepted by the Catholic Church. As a result of the increased devotion to the Virgin Mother of God, Christian morality improved and further studies were undertaken which gave due prominence to the dignity and sanctity of the Mother of God. The Blessed Mother herself manifested her approbation to Bernadette at Lourdes when she said to her, four years after the doctrine was proclaimed: "I am the Immaculate Conception.” The Scriptural foundation for this doctrine may be traced to Genesis where God, referring to the Virgin Mother, tells Satan, "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed.” If even at her conception, due to the heredity of original sin, the Virgin Mother were deprived of Divine Grace, there would have been no perpetual enmity between her and Satan, but rather, she would have been subject to him. But since she was conceived in Divine Grace, she is deservedly saluted in the Gospel story as "full of grace,” and "blessed among women” (Luke I, 28, 42). In the Bull luefjabilis De/ts Pius IX states: "by this singular and solemn salutation, otherwise never heard of, it is shown that the Mother of God was the abode of all Divine graces, 9

W INTER, 19 5 4 THE CHIMES adorned with all the charisms of the Holy Spirit, yea, the treasury well nigh infinite and abyss inexhaustible of these charisms, so that she was never subject to the accursed.” From her sinless conception as from a hidden source flow all the privileges and graces by which her soul and life were ornamented in such a special manner. "The Blessed Virgin, because she is the Mother of God, has a certain infinite dignity from the infinite good which is God,” says St. Thomas in his Summa. Considering God’s plan for the Redemption of man and His love for His Divine Son and His mother, and remembering that a most pure tabernacle was necessary for a most pure Host, it is evident that He, by reason of the merits of the Redemption, bestowed on her this singular privilege. In fact, then, Christ redeemed His mother, since it was by His merits that His mother was preserved from all taint of original sin. Therefore, the dignity of Christ and His office as Redeemer was by no means lessened by this tenet of doctrine, but radier, greatly increased. The proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption in 1950 showed more clearly the wonderful wisdom and harmony of the Divine plan. It proved that God wished the Blessed Virgin to be free from all stain of sin both in her immaculate soul and in her incorruptible body. These two singular privileges stand out clearly as the beginning and end of her life. The glorification of her virgin body is the complement of the innocence of her immaculate soul. To honor and venerate Mary is to give glory to her Divine Son because all graces and all gifts, even the highest ones, flow from Him as their primary source. This belief is rooted as far back as the early Church in the writings of the Fathers, in the Councils and acts of the Roman Pontiffs, and, in the ancient liturgies in whose sacred books this feast is mentioned as traditional. The fact that the Oriental Christians celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception proves that this doctrine was received from ancient times long before the great schisms. If devotion to Mary is to be true and sincere, it should encourage us to an acquisition of virtue and to integrity of life which would completely separate us from sin. Striving to imitate the virtues of her Son during her entire life, she now offers us the same means to perfection in the form of the words she addressed to the servants at the marriage feast at Cana, "Do whatever He shall say to you.” Are not these words, indeed, the medicine necessary for a world so diseased with sin and ruptured by hostilities between peoples and nations, a world that has deviated from the One Who is, "the way, the truth, and the life”? We must pray! We must pray for those who hunger, for the oppressed, the homeless, those in exile, for war prisoners, and for the blind in body or soul. May those who are divided among themselves by hatred, envy, and dis10

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 cord, be united by charity. Let us pray to Mary for peace. This troubled world of ours has never experienced a true and lasting peace for quite some time, and it never shall unless all beg peace of the one who brought forth the Prince of Peace. But to our prayers should be added works of penance, for Pope Leo XIII has said, "Prayer and penance are intimately joined, and combine to lead man who is destined for Heaven away from earthly to heavenly things.” May the Divine Redeemer, pleased with the honor and respect shown His mother, and moved by her intercession, grant fulfillment of all these desires of the children of the Church, and of those who have Christian culture and the progress of civil life at heart. World’s Great Moment "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Simple words are these of Gabriel, but words which were to reopen heaven to sinful man. The world regards many events as memorable and momentous, but this world is merely a blinking of God’s eye or a flash of a dying star, and cannot even be considered in relation to eternity. How foolish is anyone who believes in the immortality of the soul not to look at Mary’s humble, obedient assent as the world’s only great decision, man’s really memorable moment. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word." Here was the obedient reply to a divine invitation. Then God came into his world, into the womb of a virgin. How mean, how low, hoiv insignificant seem Caesar’s haughty tvords, "the die is cast," as he crosses the muddy Rubicon! How transient the glory of Napoleon’s Arch of Triumph, how passing and- worthless his mastery of Europe! With contempt a Christian must consider Caesar or Napoleon. Their decisions, their victories, their empires were built in pride upon other men’s misery. Mary’s decision arose like an eternal arch of triumph from the solidity of her obedience to the will of God. Her victory was over man’s greatest enemy— the devil, her only weapon, the humility of a handmaid. Her Empire is not Rome or Europe, but Heaven where she alone is Queen.—John A. Mulryan, ’56. 11

Since the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed de fide a century ago, the Church in America has undergone a rapid transformation. In the following article the author relates some of the highlights of these past one hundred years. T HE condition of the Catholic Church in New York City a century ago presents some startling comparisons. Archbishop Hughes’ Cathedral was on Mott Street and the city limits ended somewhere around Fourteenth Street. Indeed an article in the Catholic Directory for that year informed prospective students that the Academy of the Holy Infant Jesus at Manhattanville was only "seven miles from New York City by the Hudson River Railroad and Stages.’’ In the little town of Fordham, way up in Westchester County, St. Joseph’s Theological Seminar}' was just getting started with forty students and a faculty of four. Attendance at the College of St. Francis Xavier on Sixteenth Street had increased to 180 students. The tuition was $50.00 per year. Immigration had swelled the Catholic population of the New York Archdiocese to 280,000 souls with 47 churches and 120 priests to serve them. Thirty Christian Brothers were conducting five free elementary schools in the city with a total of 1,158 pupils. Wealthy Catholics sent their daughters to the swank Day School of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart at 63 West 14th Street. (Tuition: $140.00 per year, payable semi-annually in ad12

THE CIII M E S WINTER, 1954 vance.) Eleven nuns were running St.*—-maculate Conception carried ominous Vincent's Hospital, the only Catholic hospital in the whole archdiocese. Other institutions included a Male Orphan Asylum on Fifty-first Street, which would one day be the site of the first Cathedral College. For the girls, there was a Female Orphan Asylum on Mott Street and a Female Half-Orphan Asylum on Eleventh Street. In the whole country, out of a total population of approximately 27,000,- 000 only 1,728,600 were Catholics, scattered over reports of bloodshed in the Kansas Territory, where the slavery issue had broken out with new violence. During the next six years the Abolitionists showered the country with their incendiary tracts and brought the slavery question to a fever pitch. Southerners who once might have compromised now became equally resolute in maintaining slavery, if only to show the North that they could not be bullied by religious fanatics. The Eastern cities of the North forty-one dioceses and two apostolic vicariates. The hierarchy consisted of seven archbishops, t h i r t y -1 w o bishops, and 1,574 priests. 331 young men were studying for the priesthood in twenty-nine major seminaries; there were an additional 177 students in five minor seminaries. We may be shocked to find how primitive the Church was in America only one hundred years ago; but the Catholics of the day were rejoicing, for in that year nine new dioceses had been created, one archbishop and six bishops had been consecrated, and 256 more priests had been added to the ranks of the clergy. But the Church, and the Republic, too, still had many difficult storms to weather. The same newspaper that reported the promulgation of the Imbecame hotbeds of Abolitionism i n the late '50’s. When these Biblequoting zealots found that the Irish immigrants did not share their o w n enthusiasm, they castigated them almost as fiercely as they did the Southerners. It is small wonder that the Irish Catholics distrusted the Abolitionists, for they were closely allied with the Know-Nothings and the Nativists, organizations that were rabidly anti-Catholic and antiIrish. In New York, Archbishop Hughes tried to be the compromiser. He warned his fellow Catholics that slavery was a crime which could not be permanently tolerated, but he pleaded with the Abolitionists to change their rabble-rousing tactics and to seek a moderate solution to the problem. Like Lincoln, Hughes was ■willing to avoid 13

WINTER, 1954 THE CHIMES war even at the price of temporary slavery, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. In 1863, at the height of the war, bloody draft riots broke out in New York City. The Abolitionists saw their old suspicions vindicated and promptly blamed Hughes and his Irish Catholics. Indeed, most of the rioters were Catholics, but they were generously aided by many other Europeans who had immigrated here to escape conscription at home and who bitterly resented the draft laws. Nor were these riots unprovoked. Thousands of Irishmen had been recruited in Ireland by government agents who promised them jobs once they reached America. When they arrived here, they found no jobs, but instead the draft boards herded them off to war. Well-to-do Americans could purchase deferments from military service whereas, the penniless Irish usually had no choice but to fight. Irishmen naturally thought they were being used too freely for cannon fodder, but for many years they would hear the Protestants point to the draft riots as signs of Catholic treachery. After peace had been restored in 1865, Americans settled down to build a great industrial nation and American Catholics began to build up their Church. During and after the Civil War wave upon wave of immigrants landed in Northern cities, and a large proportion of them were Catholics. Between 1850 and I860, 2,600,000 newcomers landed here; during that same period the Catholic population was doubled. More churches, more schools, and more priests were urgently needed as the bishops strove to meet the emergency as best they could. But while the Church was enjoying such phenomenal growth in the North, Catholicism almost disappeared south of the Mason-Dixon line. Before the war there had been a small but moderately wealthy Catholic aristocracy in the South. These rich planters had subsidized the Church generously and had converted their own slaves to Catholicism. This Catholic gentry was thoroughly ruined by the war and the Church was left to fend for herself. Moreover, with the advent of Radical Reconstruction, many of the Catholic Negroes flocked to the cities or emigrated North. Uprooted from their traditional surroundings, not a few of them drifted aw'ay from Catholicism and fell prey to the highly emotional Baptist and Methodist revivalists. In 1866 the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore appealed for priests who would go south and work among the Negroes, but few responded. Not until the future Cardinal Vaughan founded the St. Joseph’s Missionary Society was any real effort made to win back these lost souls. Back in the North, Protestants were becoming alarmed as they witnessed millions of Catholic immigrants pour into America. Afraid their own culture and religion would be swamped, they set up anti-Catholic organizations throughout the country, the most famous of which was the American Protective Association, founded at Clinton, 14

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 Iowa, in 1887. The A.P.A.’s greatest stock-in-trade was the sensational exposes it produced from an endless line of bogus priests and nuns. One A.P.A. leader charged that President Cleveland had a private telegraph wire to Cardinal Gibbons’ palace, that only Catholics were being hired for government jobs, and that federal employees were being forced to contribute money to the Romish nuns who were begging in all the government buildings in Washington. When Cleveland sent Leo XIII a handsomely bound copy of the American Constitution for his golden jubilee, rumors persisted that the President would enter the Church in a matter of days. The redt/ctio ad absnrdnm came when the A.P.A. published this "secret Papal encyclical” in a Detroit newspaper: "We . . . declare that all subjects of every rank and description in the United States, and every individual who has taken an oath of loyalty to the United States in any way whatever may be absolved from said oath, as from all other duty, fidelity, or obedience on or about the Fifth of September, 1893, when the Catholic Congress shall convene at Chicago, Illinois, as shall exonerate them from all engagements, and on or about the Feast of Ignatius Loyola, in the year of Our Lord 1893, it will be the duty of the faithful to exterminate all heretics found within the jurisdiction of the United States of America.” After the "encyclical” had been denounced and proved a forgery, the A.P.A. smoothly explained that the Jesuits had given them the decree to discredit the organization. The A.P.A. and its brother societies were mostly bark and very little bite. They did succeed in electing a few members to Congress and they did their best to keep alive the old Protestant bugbear that St. Bartholomew’s Day was just around the corner. But the bigotry of the 80’s and 90’s was a great improvement over the church-looting and convent-burning of forty years before. Perhaps the most important result of all this friction between Catholic and Protestant, native and immigrant was its effect on Catholic education. The initial effort had been made in the field of higher education because of the urgent need of colleges to supply candidates for the priesthood. Georgetown was "officially” founded in 1789, although it did not admit its first students until November, 1791, two months after St. Mary’s Seminary opened in Baltimore. Between 1791 and 1850 no less than thirty-eight Catholic Colleges were founded, and during the next fifteen years, fifty-five more came into being. The mortality rate was high, however, for of these original ninety-three colleges, only eighteen are still in existence today. The situation was quite different on the elementary school level. For more than a half-century a lively dispute was waged inside the Church over Public Schools vs. Parochial Schools. Many pastors who had their hands full building churches were unwilling to bear the added burden of a parish school. 15

\\ INTER, 1954 THE CHIMES Dr. McGlynn of Henry George fame declared that the Church should be content to administer the sacraments "rather than ... to entail upon the people the added expense of parochial schools." A century ago the Church objected to public schools mainly because Catholic children were required to read the Protestant Bible. During the '40’s Archbishop Hughes asked for special Catholic schools within the general system, but this was condemned as a Popish plot. Later Cardinal McCloskey worked out a system of statemaintained Church Schools, but this arrangement also collapsed in a short time. After years of fruitless negotiations with the Protestants, the hierarchy finally decided that the only solution was to build their own schools. Accordingly, in 188-4 the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore ordered parochial schools to be built near every church within two years, unless the bishop of the diocese granted a dispensation. Needless to say, their decision was a wise one, for in our own day the secularization of the public school system has virtually wiped out all hope of compromise. More dangerous to the Church than Protestant prejudice was the racial strife within her own ranks. Before the turn of the century almost all Catholics could be divided into Irish or German. The Irish had come here first, and quite understandably, the Germans were irked at the high proportion of Gaels who were running the Church in America. Even in Carroll’s day the Germans in Philadelphia and Baltimore were demanding special treatment. When large scale immigration began, the Germans, unlike the Irish, pushed out of the cities where they landed. They settled mostly on Mid-Western farms where they preserved their own language and customs, and developed solidly German communities. Efforts were made to supply these people with priests of their own nationality whenever possible, but many of them went much further in their demands. They wanted German-speaking bishops and a few even claimed that an Englishspeaking ordinary had no authority over German Catholics. In Germany the Archangel Raphael Society sent a petition to the Pope claiming that sixteen million Germans had lost their faith in America because they had no priests of their own. As a solution, Peter Cahensly, the Secretary of the organization, urged that each nationality be given separate churches and schools and a proper proportion of their own bishops. These demands ran directly counter to rhe policy of the American Hierarch’.'. The bishops, stung by the A.P.A.’s taunts that Catholicism was a dark and foreign religion, were doing their utmost to make the Church an American institution. Instead of perpetuating the racial differences in their dioceses, they looked forward to the day when the Church would be one homogeneous unit. Fortunately the bishops had their way, but we probably owe the Germans more than we 16

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 realize for they prevented the hierarchy from proceeding too rapidly in their Americanization program. The Church had to be Catholic as well as American. The last hundred years have been an era of continual expansion for the United States, but a century of unmatched progress for the Catholic Church in America. In 1854 the population was around 27,000,000 of whom only 1,728,600 were Catholics; today there are 31,648,424 Catholics in a nation of 160,000,000 people. The population of the United States has increased six times over, but the number of Catholics has multiplied eighteen times. Our own archdiocese now has 1,361,- 170 Catholics, a far cry from the 280,000 of 1854. The forty-seven churches of a century ago have blossomed into 394 parishes with 2,214 priests. Educational facilities include ten colleges and universities, 104 high schools, and 281 elementary schools with over 147,000 pupils. Instead of seven archbishops and thirty-two bishops, the Catholic Directory lists four Cardinals, twenty-nine archbishops, 166 bishops, and 36 abbots. Distributed among 15,914 parishes in 26 archdioceses and 105 dioceses are 45,451 priests, 8,691 brothers, and 154,055 sisters. Last year 922 Catholic hospitals cared for 8,276,000 patients. 379 seminaries have an enrollment of 33,448 young men. This year 250 Catholic colleges and universities opened their doors to 210,920 students; 603,000 more boys and girls are attending 2,366 Catholic high schools; and Catholic elementary schools admitted a record number of 3,083,561 pupils. Perhaps the most startling comparison of all is the difference between the Catholic Directory of 1854 and 1954. A hundred years ago Kenedy was publishing a 6" x 4" paper covered handbook with scarcely 200 pages, most of which were filled with advertisements. Today’s mammoth tome of over 1,300 pages puts the Manhattan Telephone Directory to shame. Despite these cheery statistics there is still much to be done. The Church in the South has barely held her own since the Civil War. The Negro Missions, so long neglected, presents a vast and fertile field for converts. The Home Missioners of America are performing a splendid work in evangelizing rural America, but they are the first to remind us how many counties still do not have a single resident priest. It is no time for complacency, but we can justifiably be proud when we survey the record of the past 100 years. Certainly, the progress of the American Church in the century since the Promulgation of the Immaculate Conception is one of the most striking achievements in the long history of the Catholic Church. 17

A Prayer to Mary EDWARD J. O’BRIEN, ’56 M ARY, you are God’s mother. It’s hard to realize that there is someone who can bear that title, who could be the queen of the earth and hold court in a stable; someone who could run a household where God was the youngest member, who could nourish and care for Him and love Him; someone who could watch her Son scourged, mocked, crucified and, yet, bless His persecutors, rebuking them only with maternal love; someone who, by her own sufferings, could become co-redemptrix of the human race; someone whose life was so pure that it could not be ended in a grave, someone in whom saints could find a model and sinners a refuge, someone whose mantle of love could embrace all mankind, someone who would reach down from her heavenly throne and clasp the hand of a prodigal to help me find the way, to shelter me from danger, to comfort me in pain, to lead me when I stray, to listen when I pray. I don’t mean it’s hard to understand your perfection, but that it’s hard to realize that someone so perfect is my guide, my comforter, my mother. But why wonder why God is so good? I can only say thank you. Say it? I should shout it, and I will, all day long, in everything I do. When I want anything, I come to you. And I know I ask an awful lot, asking you to strengthen me, untangle me sometimes, intercede for me, give me light and inspiration, help me with this job or that, give me this grace or that succor. But you say that this is what you want me to do, that you’re glad to hear me ask so you can give, that you never get tired of my requests, you enjoy filling them. You are a perfect mother. But what can I do in return? I can promise to be a perfect son, and not to disappoint or grieve you. You love God, and I will displease you if I displease Him in any way. Therefore I pledge perfect obedience to His divine will and filial devotion to your Immaculate Heart. Holy Mother of God, pray for me. 18

The Only Incarnation To portray abstract truth on canvas is a formidable challenge to the painter. Our author tells of a great Christian artist who alone has depicted for us the Incarnation of Our Lord. BERNARD J. McGINN, ’57 T HE Annunciation is one of the most commonly portrayed of all Biblical subjects, as evidenced by the numberless paintings and other works of art that have been devoted to it. But for the moment I will ask you to tax your memory and try to recall if you have ever seen a painting of the Incarnation. I sincerely doubt that you ever have, because there is only one wellknown presentation of it in the whole corpus of Christian art. I am referring to the Incarnation panel of Matthias Griinewald’s Isenheim altar-piece. Before going into a detailed description of this magnificent work, however, it might be well to outline the salient features in the life of the man who created it. Matthias Griinewald was born in Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt, about 1468. He is a regrettably obscure figure and the only definite knowledge we have of him is that he was a solitary and melancholy man who spent most of his life in the city of Mainz. Although the period of his major activity, that from 1500 to 1525, coincides with the outbreak of the Reformation in Germany, he remained faithful to the Church, even to the point of accepting a’ commission from Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg. Matthias’ universally recognized masterpiece is the famous retable or altar-piece made for the Cloister at Isenheim, and now in the Museum at Colmar in Alsace. It was probably painted between the years 1510 and 1515, for Guido Guersi, the abbot of the Cloister. Like all other examples of this form 19

\V INTER, 1954 THE CHIMES of an, it is essentially an ornamental screen to go behind the altar, but because of its immense size and artistic perfection, it stands head-and-shoulders above any other altar-piece. It actually comprises the customary three different sets of paintings which could be folded out or in, according to the season and the feasts that were being celebrated. When fully opened, it presents a number of scenes from the life of St. Anthony; when fully closed, a powerful portrayal of the Crucifixion; and when half-closed, a series of four paintings—on the left wing the Annunciation, on the right wing the Resurrection, and in the center two scenes, the first of the Nativity and the second of the Incarnation. The Incarnation panel is interesting not only for the extreme ingenuity with which Griinewald expresses a difficult subject, but also for the use of color and light which is his greatest gift as a painter. The basic problem confronting him was how to represent the Incarnation apart from the Annunciation. This was contrary to the artistic vogue of the day which combined the two by introducing the figure of a dove along with that of the Virgin and of Gabriel. Griinewald's solution was to paint a large, foreshortened box or tabernacle in which the Virgin stands prayerfully alone, having just received her divine Guest, in the shortened right side, while down from the interior of the tabernacle and out the front side spill great numbers of rejoicing angels. No brief description could ever do justice to such color and composition. The very pillars of which the tabernacle is composed are alive with twisting vines, fantastically carved beams, and vigorous figures of saints. On the flagstones in the foreground kneels a golden-haired angel whose garment shimmers with such a variety of colors as to make description impossible. Two more angels, one clad in a vibrant red, the other covered with brilliant green feathers, are on the top step of the tabernacle platform. Behind these three large figures, in an elongated "s” shape, pour down choirs of red and green angels who are springing from a central point high in the tabernacle in profusion of color and form. In an arch to the right of this, beneath two angels bearing a crown, is Mary. At her feet is an ewer full of a clear yellow liquid—a symbol of her virginity. Who could describe such a figure? There, with a hundred variations in hue and tint in her robe, her long golden hair falling in a silky torrent over her shoulders, her hands folded in an exquisite portrayal of prayerful contemplation, stands the Mother of God. The crown upon her head seems to pulsate before one’s very own eyes, and from it emanates a nimbus of shining yellow light which transfigures the whole upper part of her body, blotting out the features and leaving nothing but the outlines of a face seen through the resplendent glory of the God Who now dwells within her. And yet these are all mere facets or details of a cumu20

r H E CH I M E S \V INFER, 1 9 $ 4 lative effect which must be experienced to be appreciated. I can do no more than to say that this picture alone has captured the joy that was Mary’s on that day when her "fiat” remade the world. Emmanuel "Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will,” sang the angels on that cold and starry night many centuries ago. "]oy to the world, the Lord has come,” now re-echoes through our Catholic homes on Christmas Day. These familiar expressions of joy remind ns of the happiness in the hearts of those kneeling before the infant Saviour that first Christmas night. St. Joseph, the choirs of angels, the shepherds, as well as the Magi who later followed the star to Bethlehem—all rejoiced that the promised Redeemer had finally come. And yet how insignificant was their joy when compared with that of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, as she beheld the Christ Child! What unspeakable love passed between Mother and Divine Son within the confines of that humble, hallowed cave! Just as we think of God when Heaven is mentioned, so also does the name of Jesus bring Mary to our memory. She the Mother of God became His instrument for our salvation by her humble submission to His will. Soon she will again kneel in adoring praise before the straw-filled manger: once more will her eyes reflect the Divine love of her infant Son. If we look on the Nativity scene with the same humility, obedience, and love that Mary did, we will then share in the true joy felt by those privileged few on the first Christmas.—Anthony J. Fraino, ’56. 21

'ur L^cidy m L rotestant 11 neoLogy Our author reports on the initial lecture of Fordham's brilliant Marian series. HUGH F. McMANUS, ’55 HOU, when about to take upon Thee to deliver man, didst not shrink back from the Virgin’s womb.”— Te Deum. "What Protestant does not tremble at the words, 'The Blessed Virgin Mary’?”—Max Thurian. These two quotations provide an interesting, if not shocking, antithesis between Catholic veneration of the Virgin Mother of God, and the quasi-hysterical fear manifested toward Mary by the more Calvinistic branches of Protestantism. As we shall see later, Thurian’s query is merely a rhetorical question, but one, nevertheless, that proves a key to the rather hazy Protestant attitude toward Mariology, an attitude that was greatly clarified by the Reverend Paul F. Palmer, S.J., in a lecture given at Fordham University last October llth. Father Palmer began his explanation with an examination of Mariocentric controversy in the first centuries of the Church. The essence of his thought, and of Catholic Marian theology since the days of Ephesus, is that the prerogatives of the Son are best safeguarded through the praise of His Mother; a denial of Mary’s position as theotokos leads inevitably to a denial of some aspect of the two natures of Christ, human and divine; wherefore such Doctors of the Church as St. Cyril and St. Gregory Nazianzen consider Mary the touchstone and norm of orthodoxy. The discussion was then brought up to Luther’s break with Rome in I 520. As Father Palmer wryly observed, the German heresiarch at first "lodged no protest” against Mary’s pristine stature in Christianity; on the contrary, Luther, for a short while at least after his excommunication, maintains orthodoxy in that regard and is lavish in his praise of the Mother of God. Toward the close of 1522, however, he begins to flag perceptibly in his ardor toward Mary, charging in one sermon that she is being honored to a degree out of proportion to her legitimate position in the Redemption. Soon after, he defines the Communion of Saints as the fellowship of righteous men in the Church Militant and thereby places Mary on a level equal with ourselves. We find him ultimately excoriating the Canon of the Mass because of Mary’s presence in the Commiinicantes. Turning briefly now to English Protestantism, we see its early theology 22

THE C HIMES WINTER, 1 9 $ 4 tending to diminish Mary’s status as Mediatrix and Genetrix; the Oxford Movement in the nineteenth century stimulated the upsurge in Marian veneration that has continued into our own times. Several of Our Lady’s feasts are commemorated in Anglican liturgy and she is revered to such a degree, especially by the High Church party, that the Anglicans collaborated with the Orthodox Churches in insisting that proper note be taken of her by the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches held in Edinburgh in 1937. Returning once more to the continent, Father Palmer treated briefly of several prominent Swiss theologians: Emil Brunner (It is sufficient to know that Christ is true God and true man; it is senseless to inquire into the Incarnation and "the so-called Virgin Birth.”); Karl Barth (The Virgin Birth and the Trinity are central dogmas of Christianity, although his Mariology is still in the stage of promise); Paul Tillich (Mary has nothing to reveal to Protestants). Father Palmer was more expansive in his consideration of Max Thurian, the French Calvinist whom we quoted at the beginning. Thurian has been particularly concerned with Mary’s position in modern Christianity; he declares, rightly enough, that Catholic Mariology proposes an agonizing question to the Ecumenical movement and constitutes the chief obstacle to a rapprochement between Rome and the various Protestant denominations. He asserts that the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption ". . . completes the removal of Mary from the conditions of the Church.” The logical consequence of this thesis, states Father Palmer, is a denial of the Resurrection, i.e., removal of Christ from the conditions of the Church. We should not construe Thurian as being a sworn enemy of the Mother of God. Flis question, "What Protestant does not tremble at the words 'the Blessed Virgin Mary’?” is proposed in an effort to prod Protestant thinking out of its apathy, if not antipathy, toward Mary. Thurian asks his fellow Protestants not to look on Mary with such apprehension nor to confuse Mariology with Mariolatry. Father Palmer informed us that Thurian, as a proof of his sincerity in the matter, has instituted a program to insert non-intercessory feasts of Mary in Protestant liturgical worship. While it is difficult to form a judgment at this time, the action taken by Thurian may well prove to be the incipient stage of Protestantism’s return to Jesus through Mary and of a fuller fruition of her prophecy: "Ecce enirn ex hoc me beatarn dicent omnes generationes.” 23

SThe c<Jcartography of Oar ~Cacly’s ^Virginity This very original study of the symbols in Christian art to portray Our Lady’s Virginity will make many masterpieces more meaningful to you. JOHN A. MULRYAN, ’56 W HEN a poet wishes to describe the virginity of Mary, his words tell the wonder of Mary’s virgin motherhood. The poet’s melody sings his thought so that the mystery comes to our minds, but the painter has neither words nor melody to appeal to us. His only entrance is through the eye, but virginity has no dimensions and cannot be drawn. The artist must therefore have recourse to objects which can be pictured to impress upon us Mary’s virgin motherhood. The choice of these objects is lost in time but traditionally the five most prominent are lilies, an enclosed garden, a candle, a glass vessel half-filled with a clear liquid or wine, and a ewer or wide-mouthed water pitcher with a large handle. When the virginity of Mary is emphasized, Mary is portrayed with one or more of these symbols present. The observation of the form, history, and interpretation of symbols used to represent such qualities as virginity has been given the name iconography. This is not related to the Byzantine style of painting or ikon; it means here the science of symbolic images. First, let us examine the development of each of these five images. The earliest device to portray Mary’s Virginity was to enclose Our Lady with a garden wall. In the early development of art, a more complex symbol was impossible of attainment because of a lack of technical skill. The artist had no intention of literally transcribing either the Virgin or the garden in which he placed her, to symbolize that virginity. Since he lacked the knowledge of anatomy and form to make an exact reproduction of life, he selected a symbol which would be easily recognized, a wall enclosing his portrait of Mary in a garden. This representation of virginity prevalent throughout the Middle Ages has disappeared by the Renaissance. A very good example is "the Virgin with 24

THE CHI M E S WINTER, 19 54 Saints in an Enclosed Garden” by an unknown painter who has been given the title "Master of the Frankfort Paradise Garden.” The painting dates between 1420 and 1430. During the latter part of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, a greater perfection of technique was attained so that painters were able to attempt more difficult images. The depiction of a glass vessel half-filled with liquid was considered a tour de force by such artists as Matthias Grunewald or Jan van Eyck. Grunewald’s "Mary of the Incarnation” from the Isenheim altar-piece shows his successful meeting of this challenge to his ability. Jan van Eyck's Melbourne Madonna shows not only a glass vessel but also a ewer of gold and a candle. Spanish and Flemish painters delighted in displaying works of delicate luxury in their paintings. For this reason and also for the previous reason of meeting a challenge, the painters of the Flemish school chose the ewer in particular to symbolize Mary’s virginity. For example, Murillo's "The Virgin Mary” hangs in the College’s Marian Year Art Display just outside the library. Now that we have seen something of the historical development and form of these symbols, we may venture to investigate their significance. In many instances, the interpretation of images such as these consists in calculated speculation. This investigation, however, must be based on the meaning which these five objects bring to our mind now. If we view these images apart from any painting and just dream about them, perhaps their connotation will break through the apathy of the average person to works of art. By feeling the emotion in our own lives, we may then relive it in the artist’s work and dispel that cloud of apathy. Have you ever entered a dark, almost deserted church at night when the sanctuary lamps throw a soft red glow on the tabernacle and the flickering votive lights dance and leap like the tongues of fire at Pentecost? There is a purity almost similar to eager love in these countless attempts to escape the bondage of the wick and join the sanctuary lamp in revealing the tabernacle’s divine guest, Jesus Christ. Other flames once tried to unite and reveal the presence of Jesus Christ in yet another tabernacle, the virgin womb of Mary. The flames leaped from some self-consuming fire within her. This was the fire of complete love for God enkindled by her promise of virginity, a promise to belong only to God. The poet offers this emotion in a sonnet. The artist paints a candle beside his Madonna. We now should look once more upon the Melbourne Madonna. The mother gazes down upon her infant Son. A candle stands upon a nearby table. Perhaps, Van Eyck’s thoughts were the 25

\V INTER, 1254 THE CHI M E S same as ours while he sat in the darkened church watching the glow of a sanctuary lamp and the flicker of votive lights. Have you ever poured water upon the priest’s hands at the Offertory of the Mass and heard him say, "Lavabo biter innocentes manns meas" (I will wash my hands among the innocent). Perhaps, you noticed the cruet was not full. Did you think about the innocence of Mary the virgin whose life was cleansed with the water of grace, because it belonged to God? Grunewald pondered this and painted a half-filled glass vessel on his Annunciation altar-piece. Murillo considered this and placed a glass vessel near his "Virgin Mary.” Van Eyck, too, placed a ewer near his Melbourne Madonna. Have you ever lain in bed with a cold for a few days with nothing to see except a four-walled room? Did you realize that those walls not only kept you in, but also kept the world out? Mary’s virginity also had two purposes. It removed her from the world and turned her mind and will to God within her. Could that German artist whose name has been mislaid in antiquity have had this simple thought while he enclosed his image of the virgin with a protective wall of virginity? Despite these speculations as to the interpretation of the images, the true relation of the symbols to virginity cannot be completely known. Of one thing, however, we can be absolutely certain, that, when one of these five objects is present in a painting, the artist is alluding by use of it to the virginity of Mary. We do know with great certainty that there was an historical evolution of these symbols. The generally accepted opinion of their real significance in describing virginity is as follows: the enclosed garden (perhaps connotation of Eden) describes virginity as supernatural or separated from the world; the candle, the faith of the Virgin in God; the glass vessel, her fragility; the lily, her purity; and finally the ewer, her queenly holiness. Christian art of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages has repeatedly been attacked as void of meaning and slavishly imitative of nature. The second objection can easily be confuted. Imitation of nature was the approach to popular acceptance of a painting. This short description of the symbols used to portray Mary’s virginity has shown just one aspect of her life. If there are such infinite shades of meaning and imagination to be found in describing her virginity alone, how much greater must be the meaning and imagination of the whole of Christian art! 26

I Learn of Czestochowa EDWARD F. NOWATZKI, ’55 I ’LL never forget my early training in the Catholic faith taught to me by my good Polish mother, whose name by the way happens to be Mary. She first introduced me to all the essentials of religion, and in her clear simple way, in broken English mixed with Polish, for she had not been long in this country, told me of Christ, His death on the cross, His Resurrection and of Mary, His Mother, of her sufferings and hardships. As I grew, she kept reminding me of my spiritual mother; she must have realized that in the world I was about to enter, I would really need much help from God, obtainable through Mary. Therefore she deemed it wise to place me under Mary’s protection, and did so by invoking Our Lady of Czestochowa to guide me in my childhood. Now, perhaps, you have never heard of this title of Our Lady, for it is Polish in origin and, practically speaking, in observance. In 1430 the Turks, while invading Poland, came across a wooden print picture of Mary in a monastery at Czestochowa. This picture, which in form looks something like the wellknown Our Lady of Perpetual Help, had been brought all the way from Constantinople by a priest some years previous to the Turkish invasion. Upon seeing it, the Turks cut it into three pieces and threw it in the mud, desecrating the blessed image and ruining the print itself. The Turks, quickly driven back by the advancing Polish knights, left the woodcut there in the mud. The Polish troops, finding it there, took the pieces to their best artists and craftsmen and asked them to restore it. This they did in fine style except for two scratches on Our Lady’s right cheek where one of the Turks had struck the image with a whip. No matter how hard they tried, the artists could not cover up these deep red cuts. The carving was restored to the monastery, and from that time on many miracles were wrought at Czestochowa in the presence of the woodcut. Our Lady of Czestochowa, perhaps, worked her greatest miracles whenever Poland was threatened by outside invasion, for the foes seemed always to get just as far as Czestochowa and no farther, and shortly thereafter, invariably began to be beaten back. Thus you can see that the Polish people have a high regard for Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa. My mother oftentimes told me this story, adding her little parallelism at the end. She always reminded me that, if I kept trusting in Our Lady of Czestochowa and asked her to help me, the foe, the devil, could get only as far as my body, mind and soul, but could never enter into them. I never forgot these words, and as a child often stood 27

WINTER, 19 54 THE CHIMES before the large replica of Our Lady of Czestochowa at home and begged her help in all that I did. Looking back now, I think she heard and answered. It is a funny thing now that I’m in sixth year when I think back over my years at Cathedral, for the question almost always comes to mind, "How did I ever last?” You know, even now I could not give you a truthful answer. Whatever gave me strength to stay at home and do homework on nights when my friends in other schools went out with their dates to dances, movies, and other sources of good, wholesome enjoyment? What impulse drove me forth on my way to the priesthood and is still driving me and, I hope, will continue to drive me until the goal is realized? I did not do it and could not have done it by myself. No, the answer is not in myself, but in Christ, the High Priest. For He not only calls us to His priesthood but also gives us the graces necessary to continue on the hard road toward it. When the going got rough, when I felt my vocation was growing weak, I turned to Christ for help, but He seemed so far away that even my prayers to Him appeared fruitless. I drought for sure I was through. About this time the family was allowed to visit my sister, a nun in the Sisters of Charity. Perhaps older sisters have a way of reading into the minds of their younger brothers, for my sister that day constantly asked me of my vocation—if I still was serious about it, if I was doing anything to strengthen it. "Oh, it’s coming along,” I said rather gloomily. "You know,” she answered, "as a student for the priesthood you should have a strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother, for she will help you especially since you are striving to be another Christ, a brother of Her Son. Do you, Ed?” As I made some apologetic answer at the moment, I realized that this was the way to Christ, the way I had forgotten. The thought struck me like lightning, and from that day on I tried as best I could to foster within myself a devotion to Mary; I turned again to Our Lady of Czestochowa, so long left behind, whose protection I begged, as did the Polish people of old, against the dangers to the faith, and somehow my prayers began to be heard again. The spirit of vocation to the priesthood seemed to return and through Mary I advanced to the position in which I now stand, sixth year, one step below the Major Seminary at Dunwoodie. So you see that Mary to me is a real mother, for whenever I have troubles now, I always bring them to her as I would to my earthly mother, and, although sometimes the requests appear out of the question, I always have received some sort of answer even if it has not been all that I had hoped for. Mary is so powerful because she is so near God, His own Mother. 28

JA ORANA MARIA It has often been said untruly that the boundaries of modern art lie without the Church. In this article the author brings to our attention one of the most impressive of modern religious paintings. JOHN J. DEVLIN, ’55 I N 1891, on the island of Tahiti, Paul Gaugin painted the magnificent portrait of Our Lady, Ja Orana Marta, currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When viewed in the light of the artist’s life, the picture represents a great contradiction between the Gaugin who led such a turbulent, emotionally loose life that he was called alternately a "man of evil” and a "great, misunderstood genius,” and the Gaugin who created the masterful painting of the Mother of purity. The most salient feature of the painting is the flat, vigorously contrasting color. All perspective in the picture, true to the Synthetic school, is portrayed by the contrast of color. The center of interest is shifted from the geometrically appropriate place to the side to which the eyes are led by a series of brilliant color steps. At the focus is Mary, a native Tahitian woman, carrying on her shoulders a naked Christ-Child. From the rear are approaching slowly, solemnly, two Tahitian women. Hidden toward the left center by a perfect blending with the vegetation is an angel. We must ask ourselves why Mary and her Son are so represented. Doubtlessly Gaugin saw the Blessed Virgin as the mother of all men. She is the mother of every nation, of every race. She belongs to each. Thus in this masterpiece he portrays Mary and her child as native Tahitians, just as Raphael represents them as Italian, or Murillo as Spanish. Our surprise must yield to 29

WINTER, 19 5 4 THE CHIMES truth, and it will as we grow accustomed to Our Lady of the Tahitians. Then too, for Gaugin, Tahiti was a paradise in miniature, an island retreat whose quiet was comparable to the peace of God. In contrast to some of the modern representations of the Virgin, where she is modeled after the latest rocket ship to the moon, Gaugin’s Mary is deliberately homely and ordinary. Surrounding her is an air of peace, a breath of stillness. The two women can approach Our Lady and her Son only with awe, with reserve, step-by-step, but most importantly, Mary is human, and she can be approached. The angel is hidden to portray, I think, the complexity in the apparently simple approach to God through Mary. Perhaps, on the other hand, he is there to inform us of the beauty that lies hidden in the lives of the Mother and Son on earth. We might draw a comparison to a watch; the cardboard face is plain, the jewels are underneath. We have only to compare this painting with Gaugin’s Ta Matete, done at about the same time, to discover the powerful inspiration of the artist when he painted Mary. Ta Matete is the more perfect of the two, but its excellence in style cannot make the picture approach Ja Orana Maria for vitality and impressiveness. To Gaugin we may apply the words of Newman’s The Dream of Gerontius: "O man, strange composit of heaven and earth! Majesty dwarf’d to baseness! fragrant flower Running to poisonous seed!” Two Crosses Were Carried Lost in the abyss of thousands of years is the true etymology of the name Mary, which was given to Oar Lady. One meaning, however, shows itself to be just as logical as any of the others, if not more so. Mary, very possibly, could have been derived from an old Hebrew word meaning bitterness. Standing on the barren ground which led to Golgotha, this mystical Rose absorbed so much of the excruciating agonies endured by her Son that His cruel passion became her bitter compassion. Somewhere along that dolorous path their eyes met, and the cross which splintered- into His flesh, bit into her soul; the crown which drove its thorns into His head, pierced also her heart. Truly, to see the one rose stained with Christ’s blood, we must also see the other rose drained of His mother’s blood. As their eyes met, she stood there, a morning Star shining in the twilight of paganism, anticipating the dawn of Christianity; yet, she endured bitter sorrow without complaint and in tearful silence. Here, where the mystical Rose, the morning Star, and Queen of all creation stood, her Son, God-made-Man, passed. If the innocent bore their crosses in silence, how should the guilty bear their crosses?—Robert H. Potenza, ’56. 30

“The Madonna in the Divina Cominedia” The central role of Our Lady in Dante’s great epic is recounted in this fine appreciation. FRANCIS C. SPATARO, ’57 T HE pale, dejected Dante strolled through a dark, unknown wood. Suddenly, the aquiline-looking poet with a garland adorning his hood frightfully clutched a nearby pine branch as a panther, the embodiment of lust, suddenly rustled between the black pines, but failed to notice the trembling human. Wrapping his shaking body in his large cloak, Dante slowly proceeded ' . through the wood only to be :? Z insidiously confronted by a massive lion, the embodiment of pride. The growling beast T chilled the poet’s passionate blood, but no sooner had it appeared than a grisly she-wolf, ■ ■ I the embodiment of avarice, at- J tacked it putting the King of N Beasts to flight. Dante’s blood curdled, his lips became loose and dry, and he shook convulsively as the beast’s hungry fangs drew closer. A form, however, beckoned Dante to draw away; then the poet recognized his beloved master, Virgil, who led him out of the labyrinth by another path. Mary had seen her devotee in trouble and had dispatched his patron, St. Lucy, to Beatrice, who directed Virgil to aid the frantic poet out of his predicament. How significant it was that our Lady should save a Christian, and of all Christians, Dante, from being devoured by the sins he was most addicted to. As Virgil led the poet out of the wood, he informed him that he would take him through Hell and Purgatory to salvation in Paradise, and that at the earthly paradise atop .. •'.•£; Mount Purgatory he would K withdraw, leaving Dante in BeaWtL trice’s charge. She, moreover, would take him through the nine heavens to the Empyrean, I' or the Motionless Heaven of T. ■ • Quiet, where St. Bernard would I-: bring Dante before Our Lady’s L; throne to beg for the grace to )■ let Dante see the Beatific Vision, and she, "the Queen who canst do what thou wilt,” graciously granted his request. Thus, the Divina Coinmedia. is really the narration of Dante’s rescue from his sins by our Lady, beginning with Mary as a thoughtful protectoress and ending with her as a triumphant Queen. Later in a dimly lit cell, exiled from his beloved Florence and far from his "bel San Giovanni," Dante composed the greatest song ever sung to a woman 31

WINTER, 1954 THE CHIMES since God had created Eve to be the mother of the human race and had chosen Mary to be the mother of its Redeemer. Laboring night and day in far off Ravenna, Dante Alighieri consumed the last years of his earthly life in composing this unearthly and mystical poem to the All-Holy Mother of God who instilled such devotion in Dante that he sang out in his sweet, harmonious Tuscan, "When at the name of that fair flower, whom duly I invoke both morn and eve, my soul with all her might collected, on the goodliest ardor fix’d.” Before searching into the Divina Commedia, however, to uncover those Canti and Cantiche which explicitly deal with the Holy Virgin Mary, we must understand the imagery technique employed by the peer of Homer and Virgil. Rarely in the Divhia Commedia does Dante use the allegorical figure, which is simply personified abstraction. The poet, instead, uses symbolic images; thus, he portrays Art not by a personified abstraction but by Virgil, a real person, who as his beloved master "leads him through the bowels of the Earth to Paradise.” The characters, therefore, that Dante portrays in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, are not personifications of Sin or Virtue but real people represented as suffering for, or being cleansed of, their sins or experiencing the fruition of their virtue. Attempting, therefore, to search out those Canti and Cantiche dealing with Our Lady, we can pass over the Inferno immediately. Here the lips of the damned never form those four celestial letters but instead repress it. Although Dante out of devotion to Mary shows an extreme partiality toward the fair sex, he places in here only one Christian woman, Francesca da Rimini, for whom he also grieves. Chanting the praises of Mary throughout its Canti, the Pnrgatorio, therefore, arises as the Cantica which Mary dominates. The sorrowful Mother is the Queen of the Church Suffering who constantly invoke her and whose pains she abates. In devotion and gratitude, these poor deprived spirits sculpture her pure, comely likeness on the jagged crags of Mount Purgatory. Here, indeed, on the seven steep terraces of Purgatory, Dante employs magnificently his imagery, which actually did not present any difficulties to the fourteenth century reader well acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, particularly with the New Testament. As the ancient poet Virgil conducted the curious Dante from nether Hell to the first circle of Purgatory, the observant Dante spied on the entrance of the terrace a life-like marble representation of the Annunciation. Entering the regions of darkness, Virgil informs the poet that here suffer those who had fallen victims to the greatest capital sin, pride. How Dante must have winced, thinking of his offenses of pride and, then, of the complete and unconditional humility of Mary at the Annunciation. "Ecce Ancilla Domini” rang in his ears. Slowly, they ascended to the second circle where the envious 32

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 bewailed their fate. Here, cut into the mossy rocks was the scene of the Marriage Feast of Cana which suggested the warm charity of Christ’s Mother. Climbing still to the third terrace, Dante wonderously beholds the chastisement of those addicted to anger and above them hewed in stone, the Finding in the Temple portraying Our Lady’s patient meekness. As they descended, the way grew arduous, and Dante found himself among the grieving slothful. Then, as if whispered in his ear, "Mary went in haste into the hill country,” and lifting his eyes he noticed the Blessed Virgin shaped in granite, embracing her cousin Elizabeth. What zeal she had! (This virtue Dante needed most, as his fingers became numb and his eyes burned from endless scratching with his pen.) Then the poet, flinching, witnessed the tortures of the avaricious. How many times had he cursed his poverty? What shame he felt as he beheld the Nativity with the King and Queen of the Universe in a foul smelling cattle-shed. Finally almost reaching the summit, both Virgil and Dante cast sympathetic glances at those who had gorged themselves with food and drink, moaning under the cold marble figures of Cana supping temperately. After glancing at the last circle of Mount Purgatory, Dante could barely step between the sharp, damp rocks, for there were cleansed the unclean, the lustful. Overcome with guilt, Dante refrained from viewing the white limestone image of Mary accepting the angel’s greeting, "Ave Maria gratia plena. . . Then they climbed to the Earthly Paradise where Virgil took leave of his weeping pupil whose eyes quickly dried as he beheld the beautiful sight of Beatrice. Floating from heaven to heaven, they arrived at Empyrean, meeting Bernard of Clairvaux. Old and learned, the white clad monk led the poet along a high hedge. Furtively, Dante peeped through some scanty branches and sang out, "Here is the Rose, wherein the Word Divine was made incarnate; and here the Lilies, by whose odor known, the way of life was followed.” As if in ecstasy, he saw Christ's wounded side showering forth sanctifying rays which bathed the Garden in beautiful moisture engendering a flaming Rose, The Rosa Mystica, surrounded by joyous Lilies, the Apostles. Recalling to mind the text of Ecclesiasticns, Dante mumbled, "I was exalted like a palm tree in Engaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho.” Bernard, moreover, then brought Dante before Our Lady’s throne; he stared in wonderment. Witnessing the Coronation of "Stella Matr/tind’ with Eve, Rachel, Beatrice, Sarah, Judith, Rebecca, and Ruth, on her right, and John the Baptist, Augustine, Francis, and Benedict on her left, Dante, the Florentine, sang out in wonderous song, "Lo! from within the sky a cresset fell, circling in fashion of a diadem; and girt the star; and hovering, round it wheel’d. Wherewith the goodliest sapphire that inlays the floor of heaven was crowned.” 33

\V INTER, 1954 THE CHIMES The Prophet of the Veltro, thereupon, bursting with tender love for Mary, compared her to the theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Had not God chosen the womb of this immaculate maiden, to bear the Flower Christ, germinated bj' the Father’s Love, the Holy Spirit? Was not, therefore, this Vessel of election, of mild pity, of relenting mercy, of large munificence equal to such fervent charity and love as to make the noonday sun quell? Also, the Blessed Virgin, the "Queen who canst do what thou wilt,” is a living spring of hope to all mortal men in order to preserve their faith and quell their passions. Then Dante composed his most devout line to Mary, "That he who desireth grace, and comes not to thee for aid, is as if he desireth gladly to fly without wings.” Is she not, moreover, equal to Faith? Can anyone dare to hope to contemplate Divine Majesty, the Trinity, the Beatific Vision without faith in the Immaculate Mother of God whose body, alone, with Christ’s and Elias’ rests in Paradise? No! But, instead, as Dante, we must prostrate ourselves before her throne, "imploring grace for virtue yet more high to lift his ken toward the bliss supreme.” Her Station From the moment of Christ’s presentation in the temple, Mary carried within her the knowledge that because of her Son, her heart would be wounded seven times. As Mary stood looking at her Son on the cross, sorrow’s rude blade pierced her heart more painfully than at any other time. As she watched her Son die the death of a criminal, the words of Thomas Gray may well have been applied to her: "Half of thy heart we consecrate.” Surely, in those three agonizing hours at the foot of the Cross, Mary’s heart must have been torn asunder with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy. Sorrow at the thought of losing Him Whom she had carried in her womb for nine precious months, and joy in the knowledge that by the death of her Son, the world would be delivered from eternal damnation! Although the world must share some of Mary’s sorrow, nevertheless, there is also reason to feel great joy, for, Christ not only redeemed mankind, He also gave us His Blessed Mother. As He hung on the Cross, Christ bade her to "behold thy Son,” recommending mankind to her protection and patronage for all eternity. —John J. McCann, ’56. 34

New York’s New Madonna WILLIAM J. TOBIN, ’5 5 O NE bleak, October afternoon, I hastily completed my catechetical work and headed across town to 1 East 70th Street, the home of the Frick Collection, one of the more prominent art galleries. The Frick is famed for its collection of paintings, watercolors, prints, and drawings of the 14th to the 19th centuries, Italian Renaissance and French sculpture, and Chinese and French porcelain. After I entered the marble hallways of the Frick, my course led me to a section located in the extreme westerly wing of the building, the Enamel Room. There, against a simple background and encompassed by an antique brown frame hung the latest prize of the Collection, a newly acquired Flemish painting by Jan van Eyck, considered by many informed art critics to be the only genuine work by that master in this country. The most striking details of the painting in addition to its petite proportions are its grace and precision, its atmosphere of rightness and relaxation. The center of interest is the Blessed Mother holding the Christ-child in her arms. The Virgin is depicted standing in a Romanesque portico, shielded by a canopy of brocade, resplendently decorated with floral ornaments and miniature scrolls which bear in abbreviated form the inscription, Ave, gratia plena, the angelic salutation. Mary is garbed in a flowing mantle of deep blue, the hem of which is adorned with an exquisite design of gold and red. In her arms she bears the tiny Infant, unclothed and holding in His left hand a tiny orb surmounted by a jeweled cross symbolizing the world which He has taken to His heart. Jan Vos, the Carthusian donor, kneels reverently forward to the right of the Mother and Child who gaze gently upon him. The Christ Child’s right hand is raised in the gesture of bestowing a blessing upon him. On the Virgin’s right stands St. Barbara, who may be identified by the representation of the tower of her martyrdom in the background. Within the tower which has a cross on its pinnacle, stands a statue of Mars, the mythological god of war. Humbly, she extends the martyr’s palm, which she holds in her left hand, to her Infant King, while her right hand rests protectively on the shoulder of the kneeling donor. The Carthusian prior, Jan Vos, who commissioned the work, kneels before his Heavenly King and Queen to humbly beg their blessing. His dress is that of a Carthusian, a white flowing habit, and he bears the traditional tonsure. His hands are folded in a gesture of

WINTER, 1954 THE CHIMES complete submission to the will of Christ and His Mother. However, he humbly casts his eyes down from Jesus and Mary. On Mary’s left is St. Elizabeth of Hungary who submissively holds her triple crown in the presence of her Divine Master. Elizabeth, renowned for her patience and humility, is garbed in the habit of a Franciscan tertiary, and gazes tenderly on the kneeling suppliant. The design of the marble floors is exquisite. Through the beautifully carved archways, a city of canals is visible behind St. Elizabeth, while to St. Barbara’s left, the verdant hills of some suburban district. Jan Vos, the Carthusian donor, was a well-known figure in 15th century monastic life. He was made prior of the Carthusian monastery of Genadedal, near Bruges, in 1441. Approximately at this time he commissioned van Eyck to create a work which would serve as the altarpiece in his monastery chapel. That van Eyck designed the work and that his disciple Petrus Christus executed it is the more probable opinion among art experts. The painting was dedicated on September 3, 1443, by the visiting Bishop Martin of Mayo in Ireland and remained above the monastery altar until 1450. In that year, Jan Vos was transferred to the Carthusian monastery of Nieuwlicht near Utrecht, and took his painting with him. He remained in that monastery as prior until his retirement in 1458. After his death in 1462, the altarpiece remained in the Utrecht monastery until rhe second half of the 16th century. No further information of its whereabouts exists until it came into the possession of Baron James de Rothschild in Paris during the middle of the 19th century. Now the historical masterpiece has passed to the Frick for a rumored §1,000,000. The van Eyck altarpiece is a notable addition to the Frick Collection for it represents the work of the greatest of the early Flemish artists. Jan van Eyck was one of the founders of the Flemish school of painting and was reputedly the discoverer of a process of oil painting with a drying varnish. The work, the last from the brush of van Eyck who died in 1441, illustrates more than adequately the Eyckian style—the noble conception of the chief figures and their statuesque detachment; the sense of immeasurable distance in the landscape; and the loving care shown in the representation of rich textiles and precious jewels. A trip to the Frick Collection to view New York’s new Madonna will be a rewarding Marian Year Pilgrimage. 36

Here is just a sampling from the copious tributes of Our Lady's singing knights. VINCENT P. GORMAN, ’55 I N his autobiography I Believed Mr. Douglas Hyde relates that while groping his way toward the Light which is Christ he sat one day in a back pew of little St. Etheldreda’s Church in London. His intimate thoughts and pleadings were distracted when a young girl, her face reflecting her inner turmoil and distress, walked past him to kneel before Our Lady’s altar. She lit a candle, held her beads tensely, bowed her head in prayer. Later, as she passed Mr. Hyde on her way out of the church, her countenance had assumed an entirely different aspect. As he puts it, "whatever had been troubling her had gone.” Somewhat awkwardly and unsure he made his way up the aisle to try the same "cure.” He tried to remember some prayers or at least some noble sentiments from Belloc or Chesterton but in vain—such worthy words eluded him. He mumbled something over and over to the Lady, finally withdrew. It was only after he was outside that he realized what he had been saying. His mumbled words were echoes from a musical comedy of the twenties, remembered from an oft-played recording that had caught his fancy as a youth. O sweet and lovely lady be good; O lady be good to me. In all honesty this recollection of Mr. Hyde does not qualify him as a troubadour of Mary, yet it does set off a singular fact. Over many, many centuries men have expressed their praise of the Blessed Mother of God in prose and verse. Those who have used the latter medium are the subject of this article. In point of time, Aubrey Thomas de Vere is among the first of the moderns to sing of Mary. One of the many who entered the Church under Cardinal Newman’s directions, his poetry must be praised more for content than for great lyrical technique. At the bidding of Pius IX he wrote in 1857 a collection of poems to Mary under the title May Carols. Muter Christi is typical of de Vere: "Behold Thy Mother." From the Cross He gave her—not to one alone: We are His Brethren; unto us He gave a mother as to John Mary, from thee the Saviour took That Flesh He gives, the mercies twain Like streams of a divided brook, But separate to meet again. 37

WINTER, 1254 T H E C H IM E S In the mid-thirties not just Catholic England but all of England mourned the passing into eternity of the great G. K. Chesterton whose ample girth did but indicate his outsize faith, hope, and love. One is hard put to select any single Mary poem from G. K.’s voluminous praise of her, yet none will quibble that "The Ballad of the White Horse” is one of his greatest tributes. Alfred the Great must once again save England for Christ. To elicit his aid and to firm him in his endeavors the Blessed Mother appears to him: . . . and there Our Lady was She stood and stroked the tall live grass As a man strokes his steed. Alfred echoes her message to the first chief he visits: Out of the mouth of the Mother of God, More than the doors of doom. I call the muster of Wessex men From grassy hamlet or ditch or den, To break and be broken, God knows when, But I have seen for whom. To Alfred’s query "Shall we be finally victorious," Mary replies that on earth man must fight for the right and leave rewarding to God. Alfred’s question is When our last bow is broken, Queen, And our last javelin cast, Under some sad, green evening sky, Holding a ruined cross on high. Under warm westland grass to lie, Shall we come home at last? And Mary’s reply runs thus The gates of heaven are lightly locked, We do not guard our gold; Men may uproot where words begin. Or read the name of the nameless sin; But if he fail or if he win To no good man is told. Nor does she try to palliate the unpleasantness of war I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky frowns darker yet And the sea rises higher. Night shall be thrice night over you, And heaven an iron cope. Do you have joy without a cause, Yea, faith without a hope? Chesterton’s famous remark that "marriage is a challenge to a duel to the death which no honorable man will refuse” keynotes his belief that life is a battle against evil, a battle which Christ shall eventually win. A man’s part in life therefore, is to battle, to act the man. Yet he is to swing his metaphorical sword gaily, to view life optimistically for in the end victory is assured. Alfred eventually wins with the aid of the Mother of God but she will tell him "naught for his comfort,” because a man must fight. Some critics have placed these lines from Francis Thompson’s "Assumpta Maria” among the most splendid in English poetry: Who is she, in candid vesture, Rushing up from out the brine? Treading with resilient festure Air, and with that Cup divine? She is us and we in her are, Beating Godward: all that pine Lo, a wonder and a terror— The Sun hath blushed the Sea to Wine He the Anteros and Eros, She the Bride and Spirit; for Now the days of promise near us, And the Sea shall be no more. 38

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 Yet no one could take exception to the person who placed "The Passion of Mary” at the apex of Thompson’s poetry to the Blessed Virgin. This beautiful poem is both a reflection and a plea. Thompson reflects on Mary’s sharing the passion of Christ, so great a sharing that it constitutes a passion likewise for Mary. Her bleeding thoughts added a deeper hue to the red of Christ’s wounds. And when Christ ascended into heaven, Mary continued her passion on earth. The Son went up the angels' ways His passion ended; but, oh me, Thou found’st the road to further days A longer way to Calvary. Finally Mary was assumed into heaven. The envoy of these verses is a petition to Mary to help him through his period of darkness. O thou who dwellest in the day, Behold, I pace amidst the gloom: Darkness is ever round my way With little space for sunbeam-room. Yet Christian sadness is divine Even as thy patient sadness was. He pleads O light in Light shine down from Heaven! Mary is ever present by inference or implication in Francis Thompson’s poetry. In the following few lines he seeks Mary’s blessing on his work: Last and first O Queen Mary, Of thy white Immaculacy, If my work may profit aught, Fill with lillies every thought, I surmise What is white will then be wise. Upon the mention of Gerard Manley Hopkins many of us take a step back and sport a disconsolate frown. -Much of his poetry appears to us as too profound, esoteric. His is a style of involved phrases and clauses depicting even more involved ideas. When Hopkins writes of Mary, however, he is a lucid and far greater poet. It seems that when someone so simple, so beautiful is written about only the simplest most beautiful words and ideas can be employed. This is true of Hopkins’ "May Magnificat.” The poet asks this question: Why is May Mary’s month? Is it only because it is a month of beautiful flowers? No, says Hopkins, it is more than this. May is spring and spring is "growth in everything.” Mary sees in this spring month "Nature’s motherhood.” Their manifying of each its kind With delight calls to mind How she did in her stored Magnify the Lord. May is Mary’s month for an even greater reason. It is the delight of spring alone that can compare with Mary’s delight during the nine months she carried Christ, her Saviour-Son, in her womb. Spring in universal bliss Much, had much to say To offering Mary May. This ecstasy all through mothering earth Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth To remember and exultation In God who was her salvation. 39

WINTER, 19 54 THE CHIMES Perhaps Hopkins’ most famous Marian poem is "The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe.” Air is common, yet essential. Air covers us, girdles each eyelash, each hair. It is the "needful, never spent and nursing element.” Mary, who gave the Son of God to the world, "mothers each new grace that does now reach our race.” The grace that comes through her is as essential as the air we breathe. Mary has one chief occupation: Let all God’s glory through God's glory which would go Through her and from her flow Off, and no way but so. We are wound with mercy which is Mary. She is our life. She is more than an almoner, she is the alms herself. Mary gives her whole self to mankind. While expressing Mary's part in helping man control his passions, Hopkins quickly assures us that he is not guilty of placing her above God. And plays her grace in part About man's beating heart, Laying, like air’s fine flood The death dance in his blood: Yet no part but what will Be Christ out Saviour still. A mystery though it be, Christ is born in us spiritually through Mary. And makes, O marvelous! New Nazareths in us, Where she will yet conceive Him, morning, noon, and eve. Hopkins continues that the air, in transmitting sunbeams, does not alter the power of the sun but rather perfects it. The fire of the sun would be too great to bear without modifying air. So, too, with Mary. Mary gave Christ a body. Whose glory bare would blind Or less would win man's mind As the sun is perfected, not altered by the air, so also is the Son of Man made sweeter, not dim by Mary. And her hand leaves His light Sifted to suit our sight Gerard Manley Hopkins’ closing lines ask Mary to be his "atmosphere” World-mothering air, air wild, Wound with thee, in thee isled, Fold home, fast fold thy child. Only last year the literary world mourned the death of one of its greatest modern Catholic poets, Hilaire Belloc. To single out one of his poems, his "Ballade to Oar Lady of Czestochowa” bespeaks his trust in Our Lady. Mary will receive him in death, she will lead him through life’s hazardous voyage to a safe harbor where he will sing her praises. Help of the half defeated. . . . You shall restore me, O my last ally To vengeance and the glories of the bold. Mary is his loving guide. His powerful faith resounds at the end of each stanza: This is the faith that I have held and hold And this is that in which I mean to die. Yes, Mary has been written about. Mary has her place in poetry. Catholic poets as those we’ve reviewed have al40

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 ways sung the praises of their Mother. Mary is their patron because she is, in a sense, poetry itself. I am sure that Coventry Patmore summed up the feelings of all the poets about Mary when he wrote the closing lines of his greatest tribute to her. Mother who lead'st me still by unknown ways Giving the gifts I know not how to ask, Bless thou the work Which, done, redeems my many wasted days Makes white the murk And crowns the few which thou wilt not dispraise When clear my Song of Lady's graces rang, And little guess’d I 'twas of thee I sang! Mary at Cana The Virgin Mary knew from the time of the Archangel Gabriel’s visit that she was the Mother of Goil. She knew that her Son could do things no other person could do and at Cana she magnificently manifested her confidence in the powers of her Divine Son. You remember how Mary and Jesus went to the marriage feast at Cana and later it was suddenly detected that there was no more wine. No wine! That would certainly have brought disgrace to the hosts. But Mary, hearing of their predicament said to her Son: "They have no wine.” A simple statement, and yet she knew, she trusted that her Divine Son wotdd do something about this. She held such complete trust that she next said to the waiters: "Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye.” As we know Jesus did bear out His mother’s trust for He changed water into wine. Let us learn from Mary to put complete trust in Jesus.—William H. Zoshak, ’56. 41

WLatOur Lady Means to Me The follouing articles arc the u inner; o/ the Marian Contest sponsored by the Chimes. We are grateful to the Morgan Fraternity for providing handsome prizes for each year. To Whom Shall We Pray? HE birth of Our Lady silently announced the coming of salvation into the world. Mary was brought forth into the world not like any other child of Adam, afflicted with the loathsome contagion of sin, but pure, holy, and glorious from the first moment of her conception, adorned with all the precious graces which became her who was to be chosen the Mother of God. Our Blessed Mother reigns under many subsidiary titles too. Among these are Queen of Peace, Gate of Heaven, and most honored of all, Mother of God. All grace and mercy granted by God come through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Therefore, when we pray to God, asking Him for something, we should ask for it through one of the titles of the Blessed Mother. For instance, when we pray for peace, which the whole Catholic Church is doing daily, we should pray to Mary, Queen of Peace. When we pray for the salvation of our own souls or those of others, we should pray to Mary, Gate of Heaven. Christ will not reject the supplication of His Mother, whom He was pleased to obey while on earth. Her love, care, and tenderness for Him, the titles and qualities which she bears, the charity and graces with which she is endowed, and the crown of glory with which she is honored, all must incline Him readily to receive her recommendations and petitions. Today, the main external obstacle to the world, and to the Catholic Church in particular, is Russian Communism and its plan for world conquest. Since Our Blessed Mother said that she was the way to peace, we must pray-—-and pray hard—to make up for the suffering of and the torture to Our Lord’s members in the Mystical Body. Although Our Lady has many divers titles, she is chiefly the Mother of God and all mankind: it is to her, as Mother of God, that we must pray. Michael F. Lardner, ’60. Portrail of Mary Mary is known throughout the world. Regarded, among other things, as the fairest of women, she has been portrayed as Teutonic; in Japan, she is portrayed as an Oriental maid; in China, she is portrayed as slant-eyed and delicate. These people picture Mary as one of their own. The negro carves her images in ebony. The Italians think of her as a Latin woman with dark eyes. If anyone had drawn a picture of Mary while she was on earth, I think that his work of art would have been most acceptable if he had depicted her as a Jewish virgin and mother. 42

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 If I were to portray Mary, I would not do it in painting but in writing. This would be through the use of vivid imagination for that is what I think God wants. Mary must have been lovely upon this earth for it is impossible to question the beauty of the Son of God made man. It is just as impossible to question her beauty because she gave Jesus Christ His physical family likeness. Mary’s eyes must have been exquisitely beautiful for they looked upon the world’s highest glory. Her lips were beautiful for they knew only the shape of humble and pure words. All the events of Christ’s life must have been written into Mary’s face for she saw, most of all, what happened to Him. While we live on earth, we shall never know what Mary looked like, since every person has his own idea of Mary’s face. But when we enter the paradise of eternal happiness, then we shall know the true beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary, fairest of all women. Robert E. Jackman, ’60 I Look To Mary All men are made to the image and likeness of their Creator; but one being was created who is considered the brightest of stars, tire purest of pearls, the solitary boast of our weak human natures—Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary was the only child of Anne, a member of the family of David. Her whole life is a book, the lessons of which are learned and imitated by all who desire perfection. Even when very young, Mary’s great love for God may be seen in her desire to become a virgin dedicated to God. God, however, had different plans for Mary. One day while she was praying, an angel, Gabriel by name, appeared to her. He told her that God, the Creator of all, had chosen her to be the mother of His Son. Thus it was thaf; .since a woman had caused the fall of mankind, Mary would be the instrument through which mankind would be redeemed. Mary replied in an humble and gentle tone: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to Thy word." Here, we see that virtue, humility, which so characterized the life of the chosen one of God. It is true, indeed, that Mary had many hardships to face; but all these she accepted with a love and trust in God that never was and never will be equaled. At Bethlehem and Nazareth, we see her gentle care of Jesus, Son of God. How gently must she care for us from her heavenly throne, and how willing must she be to intercede for us who also are her sons. Mary remained in the background during most of the public life of Christ; but, when her Son was hanging on a cross, despised by the world and left alone by His followers, we find Mary at the foot of the Cross, sharing His sufferings. Likewise when all are gone and we are friendless in this world, Mary listens to our troubles, helps us 43

W INTER, 19 $ 4 THE CHIME S in our many trials, and comforts us in our sufferings. When Jesus had died and was taken down from the Cross, we see Mary, who had held Him as a Baby at Nazareth, holding Him now with that same love. Surely Mary has for us a love like unto the love she had for Christ on earth. When Jesus had ascended into heaven, we find Mary in the midst of the apostles, now weak and frightened, comforting them as a mother would her children and preparing them for the coming of the Holy Ghost. In this same fashion, Mary must comfort us poor, weak, doubting creatures, and prepare us to meet her Son in heaven. After death, Mary, the pure and holy one, was not left to decay in the earth but was raised body and soul into heaven. Here, she is honored as Queen of the Universe, Queen of the Earth, Queen and Mother of men. It was thus that Mary lived, lived so humbly and so holy and so obedient a life that I may truly exclaim, "Thou art blessed, O Mary; thou art the hope of my heart, the joy of my soul, the path I shall follow unto God and eternity. Amen.” Bernard J. O’Connor, ’59. Mary, Queen of the Rosary Ever since I can remember, I have had always a great devotion to Our Lady. I can recall kneeling with my mother and father before a small statue of Our Lady and saying the Rosary. Although I was very young, I still had a deep admiration for this pretty lady dressed in blue, about whom my mother told so many stories. As the years passed, this devotion increased. When I was eight years old, my father, who was a motorman, was hit accidentally by a train and his legs were crushed badly. I can still remember my mother, tears in her eyes, telling me to say the Rosary for Daddy. I went to the beautiful shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in my church and said countless rosaries until I was too tired to go on. When my father, who wasn’t expected to live, walked out of the hospital on his own two feet, I knew that my prayers had been answered. About this time, I thought that maybe I could become a priest. I prayed to Mary to help me make up my mind. Just before finishing the Rosary one day, I knew that my mind was made up. From that day on, I prayed incessantly to Mary to help me realize my goal by making me a worthy candidate. My first year at Cathedral College convinced me that I wanted to aspire to the priesthood. This was the kind of life for me. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn't all peaches and cream, and more than once I got disgusted. What bothered me most, then, was the long hours of study, but then I would say a rosary and I’d know that it was worth it all. Now when I am in trouble like this, I kneel before a statue of Mary and pray. On that glorious day when I say my first Mass, I will not forget to kneel 44

THE CHIMES WINTER, 1954 down to say a Rosary in thanksgiving to Mary. "O Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for me.” Hugh J. Corrigan, '58. Her Secret A roughly made cross stands proudly on a hill outside Jerusalem. Nailed to its rugged timbers a bruised body hangs limp. Below this instrument of torture a sorrowful woman stands and next to her a disciple of the Crucified One. As Jesus looks down from the cross at His Mother and John, a loving expression greets His blood-stained face. Even through the biting pain of the iron spikes and the sharp thorns of his crown, the Son of Justice manages to say these few words to His Mother, "Woman, behold thy son.” Turning to the disciple He utters, "Son, behold thy Mother.” John represents us. By these few words of Our Savior, Mary became the Mother of us all. As we go to our own mother for consolation and help when we are young, likewise we should now go to Our Lady with all our troubles, worries, and difficulties and lay them at her feet. When we are sick, what does not our mother do? She does everything that is in her power to make us well again and to put us on the road to recovery. When our souls are sick in sin and have plunged into the depths of despondency, what greater consolation and help can we seek than that of our Spiritual Mother, Mary? Finding ourselves beset by temporal troubles and worries, we ask our own mother’s help. When we are struggling to keep afloat on the tempestuous sea of temptation, what a great consolation it is to have Mary as our beacon light, always pointing out the way and leading us to the serene harbor of peace and inspiration. The heart of man feels the need of having a mother to plead and to ask favors from God. The Divine Maker Who created the heart of man knew its needs and has given us a mother— the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God. What tremendous oceans of love does this mother possess! Her love and concern for her earthly children has been shown in many ways. Among the more noted examples are her apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima. Cures, conversions, temporal favors, and spiritual consolation have come to those who honor her under her many titles: Our Lady of Fatima, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes, etc. Our Heavenly Mother is the model of all virtues. The humility of Our Lady, I believe, is best exemplified at the Wedding Feast of Cana. She did not say to Our Lord: "Well, I am your Mother; you must perform a miracle by changing this water into wine.” Our Lady merely stated that there was no more wine for guests and Our Lord performed His first miracle. Mary’s whole life was a continual practice of humility. The more highly God exalted her, the more she humbled herself. When the angel saluted her as Full of Grace, she called herself the handmaid of the Lord. All self-love 45

WINTER, 1954 THE CHIMES was banished from her heart; she had renounced all the honors of the world when, as a child, she offered herself to God in the temple. She led a hidden life, but one known to God. Nazareth Was a home of poverty rich with the love of God. Mary’s work-filled day was surrounded by a prayer of thanksgiving as she industriously pursuedthe ordinary tasks of a carpenter’s wife. Within the house, work was exalted and sanctified. When, at the age of twelve, Jesus stayed behind to preach in the temple, Mary and Joseph were worried. After finding' Him among the learned men, Jesus reminded His mother and foster father, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Mary did not dispute, but merely accepted the fact humbly. Another episode in Mary’s life portrayed obedience to God's holy will, when she immediately accepted God’s message, sent by the Angel Gabriel, to become the Mother of the Christ Child. Her words of submission were, "Be it done unto me according to thy word!” It was completely in character for Mary to undertake a long, tiring journey to help her cousin Elizabeth who was also expecting a child. Traveling was not easy on the uneven, dusty roads in hot weather, yet Mary willingly sacrificed her own comfort to help Elizabeth during a trying time. Yes, . . Charity is patient, is kind . . .,” as Saint Paul has written. Besides being Our Mother and the Model of All Virtues, Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces. The Blessed Virgin does such a great number of things for man that one cannot find in Our Lady’s Litany a single invocation to fully describe her many privileges. Through Mary, God showers down on us all His great graces. Mary is so powerful because she and her Divine Son are always in accord on everything. Our Lady wants what Christ wants and Christ wants what she wants. This is also the secret of sanctity for us, too. We must want what God wants and then have the courage to do it. The person who can help us to achieve this goal is Mary, the Mediatrix of Graces. Our prayer should be that God’s will, whatever it is, will be accomplished and that we may have the strength and grace to do whatever is necessary to accomplish it. George E. Hintz, ’57. Mary, Our Mother Most people, when asked what is for them the fondest and most tender recollection in all their treasury of memories, would invariably be reminded of their mothers. Some would recall that somehow, when she was near, all those terrible childhood troubles and fears seemed immediately to disappear, as if they had never existed. Others would remember how the pains of those inevitable childhood illnesses were so efficiently cased, eventually dispelled by that maternal physician. Almost all would recollect the various roles that 46

THE CHIMES WINTER, 19S4 gentle parent played in their lives . . . nurse, teacher, defender, the one who usually knew the answers, and who was the storehouse of advice when all other sources failed. As each one advanced into his teens, his mother took on the additional roles of clandestine financier after dad had said no, as well as of defense attorney during those exhaustive paternal inquisitions on "the morning after.” Whatever be our personal experience, our very instinct inspires only the most profound sentiments of love and devotion when we think of the word, mother. By the same instinct are we prompted to the greatest courage in the face of those who would dare to attack our mother. Somehow she seems always the siimmiim bonum of our earthly experience, the guiding spirit of all personal good, and the force behind our most successful efforts in life. The motivation for these sentiments which most of us possess is not entirely instinctive. We are inspired, from the very beginnings of rational thought in ourselves, by that indescribable devotion and spirit of self-sacrifice which mothers manifest, even in the face of the most insuperable odds. We know that, no matter how far we travel, or how ungrateful be our response to her generosity, mother is the closest and most devoted friend we can ever have. Amid the many trials and tribulations of a hostile world, the same refuge and consolation in her which was the first experience of our childhood, is available now as then. The beauty of mother-love, however, reaches the fullness of perfection in heaven, in Mary, our Queen and mother! In spite of what the history books might have to say, some of the most eminently important words spoken in all the history of mankind were those from the cross: "Woman, behold thy son!" and "Son, behold thy mother!” As they rang out from the mouth of Christ on Calvary, these words committed men, His brothers all, to the care of His mother. Those inspiring qualities which we idolize in our own mothers were to be placed, in the fullness of Mary’s perfection, at the disposal of all of us. Man, who passes on earth a sort of spiritual childhood, was to have the care and protection of none other than God’s mother. What could be a more convincing example of that Infinite Love which is our hope in life, save only the example of the cross? To complete the greatest act of love ever performed for lowly man, Christ, about to expire, gave us His mother too. It is upon thoughts such as these that I am moved to ponder when confronted with the question "What does the Blessed Mother mean to me?” For one subject to the delusions and distractions of this "valley of tears,” the gifts of Mary's divine motherhood, so wondrously lavished upon us, are indeed sources of great consolation. As the earthly mother must guide her child from dangers, deceits, and evils which remain treacherously hidden from the inexperienced eye of his youth, so the 47