Roman Catholic symbols stir diverse feelings at Boston College

On the plaza in front of Higgins Hall at Boston College, there is a new oversized statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, robes flowing and his hand over his heart. For the university’s nearby Newton campus, a large statue of St. Thomas More is being designed.

On each side of the foyer in Lyons Hall is a new mosaic, one depicting Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic worker movement, and the other Pedro Arrupe, a former superior general of the Jesuit order.

And suddenly, in all 151 classrooms, there is a Catholic icon, in most cases, a crucifix above the lintel.

Students and faculty returned to campus after winter break to find that Boston College had quietly completed, without announcement or fanfare, an eight-year project to dramatically increase the presence of Roman Catholic religious symbols on campus. The additions are subtle but significant, as the university joins other Catholic institutions around the nation in visibly reclaiming its Catholic identity.

“The Christian art reflects our pride in and commitment to our religious heritage,” said Jack Dunn, BC’s spokesman.

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Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Religion News & Commentary, Education, Other Churches, Religion & Culture, Roman Catholic

9 comments on “Roman Catholic symbols stir diverse feelings at Boston College

  1. AnglicanFirst says:

    Bravo!

  2. Chris Molter says:

    Mark Shea had the best picture ever regarding this:
    http://markshea.blogspot.com/2009/02/boston-college-faculty.html

  3. Cennydd says:

    Good for them!

  4. Clueless says:

    ROFL. The picture by Mark Shea is hilarious!

  5. magnolia says:

    that is fabulous! wow, it sure seems like RCC is standing up for itself unashamedly. the anglicans could take a lesson here.

  6. C. Wingate says:

    If only Mary Daly still taught there…..

  7. Alice Linsley says:

    The Boston College decision comes after Spain, the birthplace of Ignatius of Loyola (Founder of the Jesuits) legislated the removal of crucifixes from all State-funded schools. Here the Americans have it right!

  8. Harvey says:

    Lovely, lovely!! I wonder what the next move of the ACLY will be. Stand by for the next move.

  9. Harvey says:

    Excuse my errorr it should be ACLU. Nuff said!!