Page 46 - Priorities #60 2014-November/December

46
NEWS
Priory Classroom Crosses
by Father Martin Mager, O.S.B.
At the end of the 2014 school year the Faculty Office Building was dismantled by a vora- cious excavator in a matter of just one hour. It was a military building in its former life and was purchased as surplus by the Priory for the sum of one dollar in the late fifties. There are those, I would guess, who think the price was way too high! When it was moved to the campus and situated in its new resting place it became the first monastery of Woodside Priory. It served in that capacity until 1971 when it was replaced by the
present monastery building on the top of the hill.
The structure was then transformed into the Faculty Office Building, provid- ing space for teachers and counselors where they might prepare classes, meet with students, or just relax between classes. It served well in that capacity for over four decades in spite of its ques- tionable ability to deal with the heat of Summer and the chill of winter. In the many years that it stood as the focal point of Benedictine Square (formerly
Red Square) virtually every student and faculty member passed through its portals. Al- though not an elegant structure it was always rich in memories.
The crosses I have made for every classroom in the Priory have been given special meaning by the fact that they not only represent the Christian Faith but also the ties to the past history of the Priory School and monastery. They are made from the weath- eredredwoodboardsofthebuilding. Thebackofthecrossesshowthewearandheavy paint of those four decades, while the front shows the beautiful grain and color of old growthredwood. Thecorpusorimageonthefrontwerepurchasedfromamonastery in Hungary, further adding to the historical sense of the crosses.
It is my hope that these symbols of faith will remind students and faculty of every faith community that the Benedictine value of Spirituality is a gift to be nurtured and lived throughout the journey of all of our lives.
MONASTERY