Your Alumni Association - Villanova University

JOHN WELSH(Left) The memorial window replaces one ofclear glass. (Center) The window’s designer,the Rev. Richard G. Cannuli, O.S.A., ’73 A&S(on left), confers with Michael Mezalick ofMezalick Design Studio, LLC, in Philadelphia.(Right) Mezalick installed the window last fall.were breakable,” Father Cannuli observed. Their vulnerability isexactly what he wished to convey.Corr Hall Chapel, constructed in 1912, was funded by munificentdonations from Bernard Corr, a wealthy entrepreneurknown for his philanthropy to Catholic institutions. The chapel’soriginal stained glass windows were made by the renownedGerman glass maker Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich.After Corr died in 1912, work on the chapel eventually wassuspended. So, too, plans had to be put on hold for the installationof any additional stained glass windows that would havecompleted the aesthetic of this sacred space. Several windows,especially on the west wall, remain as clear glass.Originally the Augustinian seminarians and faculty membersused the chapel for liturgies and recitation of the Divine Office.Today, the chapel continues to provide for the spiritual life ofthe Villanova community.The memorial window was to have been completed, shippedand installed in time to commemorate last fall’s fifth anniversary ofthe September 11 attacks. Ironically, heightened airport securitydelayed the window’s inspection at U.S. Customs, and itarrived much later.When the window was being installed last fall, its beautystrongly emphasized the emptiness of the clear glass windows.This reverent environment will not be complete until they, too,radiate with shimmering colors. Father Cannuli is willing todesign additional stained glass windows for the chapel. He discussedthe matter with Father Donohue, who agrees that theconsecrated interior of the chapel remains half empty withonly clear glass in several windows. Investing in the additionalwindows would indeed be a compelling visual and spiritualenhancement to the chapel and also would increase the University’sartistic and historical significance, he believes. Anywindows Father Cannuli designs for the chapel would be a permanentrecord for the University community of a contemporaryartist who gives new life to an ancient and radiant expressionof divine light.JOHN WELSHGlorious Artin Many FormsAs an artist, as director of the Villanova University ArtGallery in Connelly Center and as a professor of studioart, the Rev. Richard G. Cannuli, O.S.A., ’73 A&S hasexpressed his spirituality and creativity in many ways, not onlyon campus but at many other sites. He now has a new role aswell: chair of Villanova’s theatre department. He succeeded theRev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., ’75 A&S, who took office asUniversity president on June 1, 2006.Father Cannuli’s capabilities as an artist are extraordinaryand multifaceted. His watercolors reflect his reputation as a coloristwith a distinct style. He also paints in acrylics and oils, andas a plein air artist paints landscapes. He has painted on commissionas well as for his own enjoyment, and has exhibited scenesfrom his travels. He also creates in metal, ceramics, mosiacs,fabric, tempera and wood.A skilled iconographer (see theSpring 2003 Villanova Magazine),Father Cannuli studied this form ofegg tempera painting for 20 years,13 of them with master iconographerVladislav Andrejev. At Villanova,Father Cannuli team teaches a course,“Icons: Making and Meaning,” withDr. Tina Waldeier-Bizzarro, adjunctprofessor of art and art history.As a well-known certified liturgicalAn artist in many media,Father Cannuli nowalso chairs VillanovaUniversity’s theatredepartment.design consultant, Father Cannuli formore than two decades has designedand created liturgical art on commissionfor churches. Here, too, his talentis multifaceted, extending even to theactual stitching. He has designed andconstructed thousands of religiousvestments, furnishing andaccessories for churchesworldwide.The Villanova communityhas long admiredFather Cannuli’s liturgicalhandiwork in the beautifulhand-sewn vestmentshe has created for thecommunity of Augustinians.The priests generallyreserve his vestments forspecial occasions—theliturgies for Baccalaureate,New Student Orientation,Parents’ Weekend, Commencementand theSchool of Law’s Red Mass,among others.For his own ordinationas an Augustinian priestin 1999, Father CannuliAURORAFather Cannuli also designs liturgicalvestments, including the one worn by theRev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., ’75 A&S(above) at the Liturgy for his Inaugurationon September 8, 2006.designed and created his vestments and those worn by thepriests concelebrating the Mass. Most recently, he designed andsewed the elaborate vestments worn by Father Donohue duringhis Inauguration as University president on September 8, 2006.For example, the vestment for that ceremony contained morethan 200 Chinese pearls, all hand-sewn in place.In addition to all of this artistic expression, Father Cannulihas designed stained glass windows (See Villanova Magazine,Winter 2004). His windows have been installed in the Order ofAugustinian Recollects’ St. Joseph Chapel at the Tagaste Monasteryin Suffern, N.Y.; the Church of St. Augustine in NewCity, N.Y.; the Discalsed Carmelite Nuns’ Holy Name of JesusMonastery in Denmark, Wis.; the St. Margaret Mary Church inNeenah, Wisc.; in the new chapel of the St. Thomas of VillanovaMonastery on campus; and now in Corr Hall Chapel.—Irene BurgoWinter 2007 37