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It had been a dream for nearly four decades, a plan for the last dozen years, a construction site for 42 months, and, in the final weeks as it neared completion, an architectural marvel and a work of beauty. But on March 7, 2009, through God's grace, Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at last became what it was always intended to be — a porta coeli, or gate of heaven. This long-anticipated realization occurred over the course of scarcely more than two hours while some 750 Thomas Aquinas College benefactors, governors, faculty members, students, and alumni gathered for the Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar. Presiding over this sacred liturgy was the Archbishop of Los Angeles, His Eminence Cardinal Roger Mahony, who was joined in the sanctuary by two fellow bishops and three abbots. Concelebrating with the Cardinal were some 40 priests, more than a third of them Thomas Aquinas College alumni. Bright sunlight — a welcome change after weeks of intermittent rainfall — illuminated the Chapel through the clerestory's arched windows. The Thomas Aquinas College Choir and Schola Cantorum filled the building with sacred music that rang out from the choir loft. And amid this beauty and solemn grandeur, a marble table became a holy altar; an ornate, gold-domed cabinet became a tabernacle of the Lord; and a building of men became a House of God. Gathering in His NameThis metamorphosis began in the Chapel plaza, when the design architect for Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, Duncan G. Stroik of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, and the general contractor, David Hight of HMH Construction, presented keys for the building to Cardinal Mahony. His Eminence, in turn, gave the keys to Thomas Aquinas College President Dr. Thomas E. Dillon, and directed College Chaplain and Assistant Dean for Religious Affairs Rev. Cornelius Buckley, S.J., to open the Chapel's bronze doors to the people of God. After the doors opened, worshipers assembled for the first time in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, calling to mind Our Lord's promise that "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). At the front of the procession were Thomas Aquinas College founders Marcus R. Berquist, Peter L. DeLuca III, Ronald P. McArthur, and John W. Neumayr, who escorted a first-class relic of St. Thomas Aquinas to the sanctuary, signifying that both the College's heavenly patron and its earthly progenitors were leading the way.
Through the Waters of BaptismThe Mass began with the Cardinal blessing ordinary water, thereby making it holy. Then he and the other bishops walked along the aisles of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, sprinkling the faithful — a reminder of their baptisms and a sign of repentance — as well as the walls of the building in a ritual act of cleansing. When His Eminence returned to the sanctuary, he also sprinkled the altar, where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would soon be offered. Thus was Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel spiritually made anew, as the Christian is reborn in baptism through the saving waters of Christ. The Schola Cantorum commemorated the moment with Tomás Luis de Vittoria's Vidi Aquam, extolling the graces of baptism: "I saw water coming forth from the temple on the right side, alleluia; and all those to whom this water came were saved, and shall say alleluia, alleluia!" The Word of GodNext, President Dillon delivered the Old Testament reading, Ezra's preaching the Law of Moses to the Israelites (Neh. 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10). The moment was the magnificent culmination of 12 years' efforts, as the man who gave so generously of himself to the College — and to the building of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in particular — was the first to proclaim the word of God from its mahogany ambo. College Dean Dr. Michael F. McLean followed with the second reading, which fittingly addressed the people of God through architectural metaphor: "You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Eph. 2:19-20). For the Gospel, Deacon John Bingham, O.P., a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College's Class of 2000, read the story of Zaccheus, the tax collector who climbed into a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Our Lord. The reading is punctuated by Christ's declaration that "Today salvation has come to this house" — a reminder of the supernatural significance of a church dedication (Luke 19:9). In his homily, Cardinal Mahony observed that the readings were the same as those proclaimed at the dedication of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels seven years earlier, representing a spiritual bond between the College and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Cardinal also linked Ezra's proclamation of the Word of God and Zaccheus' encounter with the Word Made Flesh to the Holy Mass. "This sacred space," His Eminence explained, "will provide an opportunity to listen to God's written Word inspired, from the ambo, but it also will enable all of those who come here to meet in person, in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Word of God." (To read Cardinal Mahony's homily, see page 4.) Consecrating an AltarThe Chapel's sanctification continued with the Rite of Dedication, as the choir led the assembly in a lengthy litany that included the patrons of Thomas Aquinas College's buildings and the canonized authors in its classical curriculum. To honor the College's most cherished patron, Cardinal Mahony deposited the relic of St. Thomas Aquinas into a compartment at the back of the altar — a practice dating back to the early days of Christianity, when believers evaded persecution by offering Mass above the tombs of the martyrs in the catacombs. His Eminence then said the Prayer of Dedication, asking God to make "this altar be the place where the great mysteries of redemption are accomplished," after which he anointed the altar with sacred chrism — blessed oil normally reserved for baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations — making it a worthy setting for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Symbolizing the prayers of the faithful, a brazier of burning incense was subsequently placed on the newly consecrated altar, its smoke wafting into the Chapel's dome. Members of the Senior Class then dried the altar, dressed it with a cloth and candles, and adorned the sanctuary with flowers. As a sign of rejoicing and a symbol of Our Lord, the Light of the World, Deacon Bingham lit the candles throughout the sanctuary. The Word Made FleshFor the offertory procession, representatives of those who have given most generously to the College over the years brought forward the gifts of bread and wine. Representing the College's benefactors — those whose gifts make possible the College's existence — were chairman of the Board of Governors Maria O. Grant and her husband, Richard, both trustees of the Dan Murphy Foundation. They were joined by fellow trustees James M. Donovan and Edward A. Landry and benefactors Judy and James L. Barrett and Lannette and R. Scott Turicchi. Representing the faculty - those who selflessly carry out the College's mission - were five longtime members: Carol A. Day, Viltis Jatulis, Ronald J. Richard, Laurence L. Shields, and Thomas J. Susanka. When the Cardinal said the prayers of consecration, his voice united with those of the more than 40 concelebrants standing in the Chapel's north transept, the gifts of bread and wine were changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. As the congregation came forward to receive the Lord, the choir sang four Eucharistic hymns: Ave Verum Corpus, "O Bread of Life," Adoramus Te Christe, and Panis Angelicus, welcoming Christ's Real Presence within this new Domus Dei. A Building TransformedFollowing Holy Communion, Cardinal Mahony incensed the Chapel's 8-foot-high, white marble tabernacle before reposing the Blessed Sacrament within it, and gently closed its golden door. While the consecration was certainly the culmination of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel's sanctification, the reposition can fairly be characterized as its crystallization: The Holy Mass may be offered wherever there is a priest, but only a dedicated church or chapel can licitly house the Blessed Sacrament. To signal Our Lord's abiding presence, Peter L. DeLuca III, the College's vice president for finance and administration, who served as the on-campus manager of the Chapel's construction, lit the sanctuary lamp. At that moment, the transformation of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel to a House of God was complete. The change was immediately palpable. Those who had entered their pews without a bow only hours earlier now genuflected reverently before departing. Many approached the sanctuary, stopping to kneel at the marble altar rail and to gaze at the tabernacle. Outside, the three bells in the Chapel's 135-foot-high campanile joyfully announced the glorious news. At a dinner celebration that evening, Frances O'Connor Hardart, a member of the Board of Governors, touchingly described what she had witnessed earlier that day. "When we walked into the Chapel, it looked like a beautiful church," Mrs. Hardart remarked. "But when we walked out, it felt like a beautiful church" — as, indeed, it now truly is.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Spring 2009 |
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