Magis May
Magis May
May 2014
(L to R) Mr. Tim Scalzitti (1990), Mr. Eric Olson (2002), and Mr. Marc Fryer, S.J. (2000) prepping to give their last SJET appearance at Strake Jesuit. Photo:Mr. Tim Scalzitti
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Magis. News
May 2014
Four popes were present at the Vatican on April 27, 2014: two deceased, one
retired and one active. With Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI, Pope Francis canonized
two of the most active and important popes
of the century. But how did John Paul II,
who died only nine years ago, become a
saint in such a short amount of time? How
did Pope John XXIII revolutionize the
Church? What are the legacies of the two
most influential popes of the twentieth
century?
The origins of John Paul IIs canonization actually began just minutes after his
death in April of 2005. After hearing of
John Paul's death , the crowds gathered
outside the Apostolic Palace chanted
santo subito! or sainthood now! Pope
Benedict, listening to the crowd, put John
Paul II on what would be the fastest canonization in modern history on May 13, 2005.
To be canonized as a saint, a minimum
of three miracles is necessary. For John
Paul II, these miracles were quick to occur.
The first miracle occurred in France. Sister
Marie Simon-Pierre, a nurse in a birthing
ward, had been suffering from Parkinsons Disease (the same disease John Paul
II had) since her early thirties. However,
in the early months of 2005 the disease
seemed to be worsening. The tremors she
experienced forced her to stop assisting in
delivering newborns and sleep was becoming harder and harder. On June 1st, 2005 a
fellow sister suggested writing the name of
John Paul II to invoke his aid. Sister Pierre
could not life her hand to write.
That night in her room, Sister Pierre said
that something in my heart told me to take
up my pen and write. To her surprise, she
could write clearly and legibly. Though
surprised, Sister Pierre followed her routine and went to bed. Unlike most nights
she had experienced, she slept through
MAGIS
Editor-In-Chief
Sydney Robinson 15
Layout Editor
Alex Bakewell 15
By Greg Wiatrek 15
MAGIS
it without any pain or sudden awakenings. Later medical
reports would reveal that her parkinsons had suddenly
disappeared. After a two year investigation, Sister Pierres
miracle was confirmed by the Vatican.
The second miracle happened years later. In April 2011 a
Costa Rican woman named Floribeth Mora was diagnosed
with a brain aneurysm. The doctors gave her medication
but they said her condition was inoperable. On May 1,
2011 Mora sat silently on her bed, waiting for the aneurysm to kill her. Her gaze eventually went towards a picture of John Paul II in the newspaper. Then a voice told her
Stand up and to not be afraid.After doctors confirmed
the healing was nothing short of a miracle, news spread
and eventually reached the Vatican. The Catholic Church
would later confirm the miracle. John Paul II, the pope
many credit as defeating communism, was now eligible for
sainthood.
Beloved by many Catholics, Pope John XXIII convened
the most recent ecumenical council, Vatican II. It was here
that many of the progressive changes occurred to bring the
Church into modernity. Elected at 77, John XXIII defied
expectations of just being a caretaker pope and was influential in opening up ecumenical dialogue between the other
branches of Christianity as well as dialogue with Judaism.
Indeed, many compare Franciss dynamic and spontaneous
nature to that of John XXIII and expect equally innovative
decisions.
After praying the Latin rite of canonization, the crowd
of pilgrims erupted in cheers. Flags of Poland could be
seen being waved all across the masses. Across Poland,
church bells rang in celebration of John Paul II and his
achievements. Not only did the Polish Pope help in Communism, but he also made a lasting impact on Catholic
teachings with his theology of the body and love of the
Virgin Mother. On the other hand, John XXII will always
be remembered for his request of changes in the Church
and will continually be praised for the strides he made for
more communication with other Christians as well as other
religions.
Corrections
Mission Statement
The Strake Jesuit College Preparatory student newspaper, MAGIS, exists to inform and
entertain the Strake Jesuit community by producing a quality publication containing
Opinions Editor
pertinent information about our school and the broader interests of our students. This
Joe Wager 15
newspaper contributes to the intellectual growth of our community by creating a public space for examining important issues and by providing an understanding of journalism theories and techniques for our staff. Our goal is not only to report information
Arts & Features Editor
Anthony Truong-Nguyen 15 but also to encourage and foster discussion amongst our community. Overall, we strive
to do all things ad maiorem Dei gloriamfor the greater glory of God.
Copy Editor
Greg Wiatrek 15
Sports Editor
Danny Christman 15
News Editor
Brandon Bain 16
Visual Editor
Chris Breuer 15
Faculty Adviser
Mr. Chris Gattis
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MAGIS is a student publication of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. Copyright 2014 Strake Jesuits
MAGIS. No content may be used without the permission of the editors and adviser.
The opinions presented in MAGIS articles are those of the student authors and do not necessarily represent the
opinions of MAGIS, its moderator, or Strake Jesuit College Preparatory.
Magis. News
May 2014
(Above) The altar at Our Lady of Walsingham below a stained glass depiction of Our Lady.
(Below) The Shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham located in the churchs courtyard.
Photos: Our Lady of Walsingham; Margaret Pichon
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Magis. News
May 2014
By Joe Wager 15
MAGIS
stages. On Sunday night Jack White,
formerly of the White Stripes, headlines
the late show on the Mars stage, while
Above and Beyond wraps up the festivities on the Saturn stage.
On Saturday, The Caldwell starts the
day on the Mars stage followed by The
Wild Moccasins (a three time FPSF
veteran), as well as The Tontons, Lord
Huron, Dwight Yoakam, the much anticipated Childish Gambino, and Vampire Weekend. The Naked and Famous,
Mrs. Laurel Hill, Edward Sharpe and
the Magnetic Zeros, and Jack White all
perform on Sunday at Mars. The Saturn stage has a different genre set up,
with groups such as Flosstradamus, Big
Gigantic, and Zedd on Saturday, with
The Kills, Die Antwoord, and Above and
Beyond on Sunday.
The Neptune and Mercury stages host
bands who are fairly famous, but none as
well known as those on saturn and mars.
Saturday hosts Ying Yang Twins, First
Aid Kit, CHVRCHES, and a Houston
Rappers show with Bun B, Slim Thug,
Mike Jones, and several more. Sunday's
sets include Adventure Club, Cage the
Elephant, and Wu-Tang Clan. In general,
music fans and fest fans alike will have
an average time with an average line up.
However, its still going to be a great
end to the semester and a good start to
summer.
Like Sports?
MAGIS needs YOU to be a
Sports writer!
Contact Mr. Gattis for more information
[email protected]
May 2014
Dark Souls 2
produces solid
hack-and-slash
RPG gameplay
By Aaron Bui 15
MAGIS
Dark Souls 2 is a dungeon based, thirdperson role-playing game (RPG) that focuses
around severe consequences of poor in-game
choices and rewards for tactical, thoughtful
gameplay. The game rewards players for clearing dungeons with tactical thinking and patience. Rushing enemies head on has dire penalties, such as losing a small percentage of your
overall health or losing all of your equipment
from that dungeon. The environment comes to
life when clearing the dungeons because the
narrow pathways and dangerous enemies make
the player become increasingly wary. The tense
dungeon boss battles keep players on their toes
as they try to keep track of their health and the
multiple enemies that surround them.
The soul system makes a return from the
original Dark Souls and players still lose all
of the souls that they collected when they die.
Players pick a starting class but are able to
diversify their class when they gain skill points.
For example, a person who started off as a warrior class can increase their skills in archery.
Avoiding attacks can still be done by rolling or
blocking with a shield. The dungeons bosses
make an exciting return by making every encounter more tense than the last. The adrenaline
rush right before you meet the boss is overwhelming and it takes all of your tactics to take
down these foes.
The environments in the game give an eerie,
true-to-life feeling in the gameplay as players
always need to look around every corner to
avoid ambushes. The levels art and design immerse the player in the game and make him feel
connected to his character. The death penalties
and the adventure that player moves through
make the player more aware as he clears the
dungeons. I recommend this game to those who
want a challenging, intense, immersive hackand-slash RPG.
Congratulations to
SJ Varisty Baseball!
19 5A baseball All - District
Zach Zubia - newcomer of the year
(unanimous)
Ryan Chandler - 1st team all district
Coll Stanley - 1st team all district
Jack Mercer - 2nd team all district
Stephen Price - 2nd team all district
Travis Parker - 2nd team all district
Michael Schmidt - honorable mention
SJ varisty baseball after clinching a playoff
spot. Photo: Coach Garcia-Rameau
Magis. Opinions
May 2014
By Chris Breuer 16
MAGIS
This year there was a noticeable lack of school spirit
across campus, at games, as well as pep rallies. It is embarrassing in football when we are playing schools like Katy
who fill up their entire side of the stadium, and we have, at
most, around a hundred fans on our side of the stadium.
The student council members who have been elected to
serve during the upcoming school year need to come up
with ways to bring back the SJ pride that has been on display in years past. We are unique in the fact that we actually
have a true home field advantage in football - we are the
only school in our district to play on our own campus. We
need to take advantage of this and start filling up our side of
the stadium, and stay loud throughout the entire game.
The student council needs to come up with ways to make
attending sporting events such as football and basketball
more fun for students, in order to achieve a high level of
student attendance. For football, student council could put
on special tailgates like Crusader Crew does. In basketball,
they could bring back theme nights which went over well in
years past.
The student council also needs to find a way to make pep
rallies more exciting. Currently, our pep rallies consist of
the cheerleaders doing a couple of cheers, an introduction of
the teams that are in-season, and the alma matter. This can
be described in one word: boring. Our pep rallies must become more exciting and get students pumped up for athletic
events in order to obtain a desirable level of school spirit.
The bottom line is that changes must be made. In years
past, SJ has been known for having the best student section in the city of Houston. I highly encourage the student
council to come up with ideas on ways to make attending SJ
athletic events more fun for students, and to raise the overall
school spirit in the community.
Around SJ
To become a
part of this exciting
endeavor talk to
Mr. Gattis or
E.I.C. Sydney Robinson 15
in May
Next year
be sure to send
MAGIS
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camera.
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week gets a
cookie!