Some students and professors at a Catholic college in Ohio have lodged complaints against a massive renovation planned for a nearly 150-year-old chapel on the campus that they say will wipe out some of the sanctuary’s Catholic heritage and artifacts.
The University of Dayton’s proposed $12 million renovation of the 1869 Immaculate Conception Chapel is slated to commence next month and is expected to dramatically upgrade the facility, taking more than a year to complete.
Wooden pews will be installed, restrooms added, and other improvement will be made to resolve universal building code requirements, according to the university’s website.
Yet some accuse the renovation process of being shrouded in mystery, and have voiced concern about the fate of beloved paintings and artifacts within the chapel, and the structure itself.
A flier printed by a non-official student group documents a few of the numerous controversial changes, including that the renovation will enlarge the apse of the chapel, causing the destruction of the 1883 painting of the Coronation of Mary on the ceiling.
An 1800s carved wooden pulpit will be dismantled and reconfigured into a holy water font at the back of the chapel, the flier states. The 1876 altarpiece will have a hole bored through the middle for a door and will be removed along with the Blessed Sacrament from the main chapel to an enclosed side altar for “private devotion.”
“Our chapel has always been part of who we are as a UD community,” states the flier, which encourages people to contact campus administration and complain about the plans. “As a campus community, we stand to lose historic treasures.”
Its authors add that they do not protest the renovation itself, but want historical and sacred elements preserved.
In an email Thursday to The College Fix, Professor John Inglis said the concerns remain unresolved.
“Some students have contacted administrators and been told it is too late to discuss changes, so concerns have not been addressed,” he said.
The university did not respond to a request for comment Thursday or Friday by The College Fix.
“The Immaculate Conception Chapel is the spiritual heart of our campus and deserves a thoughtful and unified renovation that respects the chapel’s history and meets contemporary liturgical requirements,” the college’s president, Daniel Curran, states on the school’s website.
It adds that “the chapel’s iconic cupola, exterior look, historic dimensions and footprint will be largely unchanged. Inside, updates will improve how the chapel functions to allow fuller liturgical participation and will blend with familiar elements to echo the chapel’s traditional look.”
However, concerns remain.
“Scarcely any students know the fate of the historical pieces, and the university will have a problem on its hands because of the number of students shocked by the changes,” one student told the Catholic Beat, which first reported on the controversy.
Students have signed petitions opposing the changes and circulated fliers informing people about how much will be lost.
Professor Inglis, chairman of UD’s philosophy department, said in a statement to faculty that “the interior loss to the chapel will be significant, with the loss of the apse, pulpit, Virgin Mary [ceiling] painting, interior woodwork, and altar at one end; and loss of the 19th century balcony and pipe organ at the other… It will be a great historical loss for the university and US Catholic higher education.”
Fr. James Fitz, who heads up the committee in charge of renovations, outlined two competing priorities in an interview with The College Fix, saying the goal is to keep as much of the historical nature of the chapel intact while addressing certain needs.
These include a handicap ramp for access to the altar, pews to replace the chairs in the seating area, and a bride’s room. Building requirements must also be met. A fire protection system will be installed in the enlarged ceiling, and restrooms will be added.
The school website has only vague descriptions and guidelines, and specifics on the fate of historical pieces are scarce. Drawings of the new plan have not been released to students or faculty. Six information sessions held on the renovation plans were not well publicized.
“To my great disappointment,” Fr. Fitz said, “we had very little attendance by students.”
When asked whether enough lobbying from the UD community would influence the committee to reconsider preserving the historical treasures, Fr. Fitz said it’s not likely.
“After seven years…we’ve thought about all the possibilities and I don’t think at this point after all the fundraising that we would change that, for example…there’s just no way we can save that ceiling,” he said. “It’s not a question of what people like, but of what will help us to celebrate the liturgy better.”
College Fix contributor Mairead McArdle is a student at Thomas Aquinas College.
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IMAGES: Courtesy of John Inglis
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