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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And suddenly, in all 151 classrooms, there is a Catholic icon, in most cases, a crucifix above the lintel.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“The Christian art reflects our pride in and commitment to our religious heritage,” said Jack Dunn, BC’s spokesman.<\/p>\n