From the Desk of the President
President Thomas E. Dillon
(Spring 2003 Newsletter)
[Index
of Past Articles by President Dillon]
Over the past few months, I have
had the great pleasure of introducing the plans for Our Lady
of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at Thomas Aquinas College
to friends across the country. At President's Council receptions
in San Francisco and Sacramento, St. Louis and Kansas City,
old friends and new acquaintances alike have responded with
enthusiasm to the drawings we have shared with them for what
will be the crown jewel of our campus. And those who have
read about and seen advertisements for this project, seem
equally excited about the construction of this beautiful House
of God.
Here on campus, we are eager to at last break ground on this
most important of all our buildings. To date, we have made
considerable progress, having -
- Concluded a Chapel design competition among three architects
who specialize in sacred architecture and selected Duncan
Stroik of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture
as our Design Architect;
- Formed a special Chapel Design Committee and a Faculty
Campus Planning Committee which worked with Mr. Stroik to
complete a schematic design of the Chapel
- Relocated our main electrical and telephone lines away
from the Chapel site;
- Submitted our Chapel design to Cardinal Roger Mahony,
who approved it;
- Obtained a preliminary cost estimate based on the schematic
design, which, after some modifications were made, led our
Board of Governors to approve budget for;
- Applied for and obtained a Conditional Use Permit from
the County of Ventura, as a prerequisite to the County approval
process.
- Obtained requisite surveys and soil tests for the Chapel
site;
- Completed about 90% of our Design Development phase, in
which Mr. Stroik consults with the structural, mechanical,
electrical, acoustical and civil engineers to develop architectural
details.
As with every building, however, a long and hidden series
of practical steps still await us. Once the Design Development
phase is complete, a new cost estimate will be done, perhaps
requiring alterations in the plan to bring the project into
conformity with our budget. At that point, the "Project
Architect" will begin the construction drawings, which
could require as much as eight months to complete, followed
by several more months of County plan check before a building
permit is issued and work can begin.
With keen anticipation we await the construction of this
most fitting home for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, Who
is the goal of our curriculum and the center of our community
life.
As we finish these preliminary tasks, we ask Our Lady of
the Most Holy Trinity to intercede for us that Thomas Aquinas
College will be blessed with benefactors who, sharing our
love of traditional sacred architecture and Catholic iconography,
will come forward with generous gifts and become our partners
in building this beautiful House of God.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Spring 2003
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