News
BC’s
Sesquicentennial Ever to Excel
A
mass at Fenway Park. A concert at Boston Symphony Hall. A naturalization ceremony hosted on campus for new citizens. These are just a few of the ways that Boston College has celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary. The University officially turned 150 years old on April 1, and is commemorating this special milestone by celebrating its unique history and influence in Boston and beyond. “The Sesquicentennial Celebration gives us an opportunity to celebrate Boston College’s history and also to emphasize our continued commitment to intellectual excellence and our Jesuit, Catholic heritage,” said University President William P. Leahy, S.J. to the BC Chronicle. “Our 150th anniversary is a time when all members of the Boston
By Meghan Smith News Editor
College community can renew their sense of our progress as a University and our goals for the future,” he said. On Sept. 15, BC kicked off its sesquicentennial celebrations with a mass at Fenway Park, inviting students, family, friends and alumni from both BC and Boston College High School to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit. On a beautiful fall day, approximately 20,000 people filled the stands in the legendary baseball stadium to celebrate the institution’s Jesuit Catholic roots. Fenway Park — sometimes referred to as the “Cathedral of Boston” — was transformed into a place of worship and celebration, where the BC community commemorated BC’s Jesuit ideals in education. Father Leahy presided over the mass, as well as Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley. The mass focused on the importance of Catholic education, with popular
Sesquicentennial mass at Fenway Photo by Meghan Smith/Gavel Media
14
professor Father Michael Himes, S.J. giving the homily. He said that “education is a holy work,” and that a BC education must be shared in order to be truly worthwhile. “The reason to be educated is to teach someone else; you will never grasp it until you give it away to someone,” Himes said. This is how members of the Jesuit system must measure our success. “It is the gift given to us by BC. Give it away,” he added. As another way to give back, BC invited everyone in the community to participate in 150 minutes of service during the 2012-2013 academic year to honor the university’s sesquicentennial. Eagle Volunteers, a group part of the Volunteer Service and Learning Center, organized community service trips in the city, such as working at a food pantry and tutoring kids at afterschool programs. BC also took its message on the road, organizing service events for alumni in several cities across the country. Through its Helping Hands service project, alumni have already packaged more than 65,000 meals for needy families. An event for the organization in Dublin in May will help BC to stay faithful to its past as a school for Irish immigrants. In March, BC arts groups took the stage at Boston’s Symphony Hall for a student sesquicentennial concert. The University Chorale, the Boston College Symphony Orchestra, BC bOp!, and the University Wind Ensemble celebrated the occasion with performances. The event featured a reading from Chris O’Donnell ‘92, an actor known for his roles in two Batman films, and a
May 2013