Tarmac October 2007.pdf - Chaminade High School

A Dream Come True
Student Body Celebrates Mass Under One Roof for First Time in 30 Years
by Jonathon Dornbush ‘10
T
he opening Mass of the new school
year, the first ever held in
Chaminade’s new Activity-Athletic
Center, celebrated the power of the imagination.
For many students, the Mass provided
the first opportunity to see the interior
of the new facility.
The September 13th event also marked the
first time since 1977 that the entire student
body could gather under one roof for Mass.
For the past 30 years, school Masses have
been held simultaneously in the auditorium
and the gymnasium to accommodate the increase
in student population that began in
the 1970s and continued into the 1980s with
the addition of Powers Hall.
From the arrival of students for Mass, to
the homily, to a moving Communion solo,
this Mass was all about the power of the
imagination to achieve great things. In his
homily, CHS president Fr. James Williams
spoke of the “creative imagination” that
brought the AAC from a dream to a reality.
“What you are sitting in now started as this,”
Above: Dimitri Moise ‘10
sings “I Can Only Imagine”
during the distribution of the
Eucharist.
Right: CHS president Fr.
James Williams blesses the
Activity-Athletic Center with
holy water.
12 ACTIVITY-ATHLETIC CENTER
said Fr. James,
holding a pencil in
his left hand.
“Thanks to the
hundreds of architects,
bricklayers,
and students who
helped, a sketch
on a piece of paper
was turned into a
70,000 square-foot
facility.”
And who could
have imagined the
size and the
beauty of the new
Activity-Athletic
Center? As they
filed into the main
The CHS student body and faculty gather to celebrate
the first Mass held in the newly completed Activity-
Athletic Center.
arena and took their seats, students pointed at
the building’s most prominent features – the
undulating, aluminum-panel ceiling 38’ feet
above them; the tenth-of-a-mile indoor track
surrounding the arena; the crimson-and-gold
bleacher seating for 1,400, not only around the
court but on a second-story balcony as well.
“Their eyes widened as they scanned
the complex. You could hear the excitement
in their voices,” said dean of students
Bro. Thomas Cleary. “Finally,
they saw for themselves what had once
existed only in their imaginations.”
The Mass celebrated another kind of
imagination as well – religious imagination.
In his homily, Fr. James reflected on
“the kind of imagination that empowered
our four Marianist martyrs to do the seemingly
impossible – sacrifice their lives.”
The Mass was celebrated in honor of
four 20 th century Marianist martyrs:
Blessed Jakob Gapp, Blessed Carlos Eraña,
Blessed Fidel Fuidio, and Blessed Jesús
Hita. All four were beatified by Pope John
Paul II within the last 12 years.
“I Can Only Imagine,” a popular song by
the musical group Mercyme, continued the
theme. As Fr. James walked up and down
the aisles, sprinkling holy water to bless both
the building and the students, a recording
of the song played over the PA system.
Later, during Communion, sophomore
Dimitri Moise sang the same song. According
to Mrs. Joanne Juckiewicz, Glee Club
moderator, “Dimitri sang ‘I Can Only Imagine’
with such feeling that it left me and many
others in the congregation with chills.”
After Mass, students were treated to an
unexpected surprise –
175 dozen donuts, with
none left over, and over
1,700 servings of orange
juice to enjoy as they
toured the building.
“You are free to walk
around the building and
explore its facilities as
you like,” Fr. James announced.
“Just make
sure you get back across
the street and into
homeroom by 11:55.”
When the faculty first
pooled their ideas for the
new Activity-Athletic Center,
they imagined “a cathedral
where we can play
ball,” according to Fr.
James. As the Chaminade
Family celebrated its first
Mass in the new facility, it
was abundantly clear that
those dreams had, in fact,
come true.
Tarmac • October 2007