Cornerstone Blessing

Following a stirring procession across the Jesuit High School campus on Friday morning (Sept. 29), the Cornerstone of the new Chapel of the Holy Cross was blessed during a special ceremony celebrated by Jesuit president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J.

As the school's chamber orchestra played inside the chapel, and as the student body looked on from the adjacent sidewalks, Fr. Hermes bestowed the blessing upon the Cornerstone. The blessed Cornerstone was then lifted into place on the northwest corner by machinery, and cemented in by masons and priests as part of the liturgical ritual.

The Cornerstone is a piece of limestone with the inscriptions Anno Domini MMXVII (translation: In the Year of the Lord 2017) facing north, and Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis (translation: The Cross stands firm while the world is turning) facing west. The seminal event marked a significant milestone in the construction of the chapel, which began in late 2016 and will be completed this spring.

After the brief Convocation, the procession of altar servers, priests, the school choir, and the senior class began, starting near the back side of the gymnasium and heading north. It moved past the monuments by the gym and then along the Campus Commons before turning west and passing through an "honor guard" of juniors, who lined the sidewalk along the north side of the chapel.

Originally scheduled for September 14 (the feast of the Triumph of the Cross), this blessing was moved due to Hurricane Irma. The Sept. 29 date is the feast of the Archangels, whose protection was invoked at Convocation prior to the procession.

Please see below a special video from the event, and below that is a photo slideshow.