St. Mary's Renovation & Jesuit relocation

Features

St. Mary’s

By Katie Tolkowsky Features Editor

Renovation & Jesuit relocation

In 2012, the Boston College Board of Trustees came to the conclusion that the primary living residence of our beloved Jesuits for the past 95 years, St. Mary’s Hall, demanded much-needed renovations that would refurbish the building to architectural pristine.

“Given its age, St. Mary’s is in need of significant upgrades, including the building envelope and the building systems,” said Mary Nardone, the associate vice president of capital projects management.

For the inside of the hall, the overall goal of the project is to maintain the wonderful “feel’” of the St. Mary’s first level, while upgrading the

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Photo by Christie Merino/Gavel Media Image

residential floors to improve their functionality and efficiency. As for the building’s exterior, the roof, windows, and cast stone all need to be replaced.

Once the makeover is complete, the rehabilitation of the building’s outside “will be just as stunning as it was for Gasson,” according to Nardone.

But what does this renovation mean for the Jesuits who call St. Mary’s their home? While a two-year relocation to the luxurious BC-owned 2000 Commonwealth Ave. apartments may seem like the most practical and accommodating move, what is perhaps unintuitive is that this “habitual upgrade” has ramifications on the Jesuits’ spiritual life.

The placement of St. Mary’s Hall on campus was no coincidental decision. Unbeknownst to many, the way the building is positioned on our campus tells the Jesuit story. Inside the actual building itself, St. Mary’s Chapel is adjacent to the Jesuits’ living

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May 2013

quarters, a nod to the Eucharist being central in a Jesuit’s life. In addition, the building’s proximity to the library and academic offices acknowledges the Jesuits’ devotion to education, their most wellknown work, as Jesuits have been teachers since the inception of their order.

Upon joining the order, each Jesuit solemnly vows a life of perpetual chastity, poverty, and obedience. The St. Mary’s living quarters had certain particulars that responded to the Jesuits’ issues of simple, religious living. In terms of poverty, each priest lived in an environment reminiscent of army barracks.

Each priest had a simple room, about the size of a professor’s office on campus or a natural single dorm room, with one communal bathroom down the hall. However, the move to the more spacious 2000 apartments left the Jesuits in a predicament of whether or not they are directly disobeying their vows of poverty and ways of life, and even required a special trip to Rome for permission.

But is this move to 2000 Commonwealth Ave. truly a direct violation of a Jesuit’s vow of poverty?

According to associate history professor Fr. Charles Gallagher, “theoretically yes, but not practically.” As Father Ronald Tacelli assessed the predicament, “if St. Ignatius were designing living quarters for us, I doubt he’d have come up with bedroom-living room-kitchenette-bath. But none of us asked for it; so we have to live our vows in that context.”

It’s no surprise, however, that the Jesuits were able to make the most of their new living quarters, through the Ignatian ideal of “finding God in all things.” As a building often synonymous with beautiful views, it seems to be no mere coincidence

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that some Jesuits found God in the skies. Tacelli is most grateful for 2000’s spectacular view from the upper floors. “At certain times of the day, in a certain light, it’s almost preternaturally beautiful,” he said.

Similarly Gallagher took a certain liking for the picturesque views 2000 has to offer. With the Jesuits’

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proclivity to doing prayer in nature, Father Gallagher found 2000’s bay window-filled chapel to be the ideal location for his daily “coffee with Jesus.”

New living situation aside, Father Gallagher feels as though the move in general will impact both the Jesuit and BC community in a positive way. “Any type of move can be a stressful time in anyone’s life, especially those which require one to pack up their entire life, but we saw this as an opportunity to bring our community together by assisting one another,” he said.

Beyond the Jesuits, the renovation will also convert much of St. Mary’s south wing into academic space, which will be occupied by the Communication and Computer Science departments along with the Woods College of Advancing Studies.