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Meanwhile, throughout most of 1935
and 1936 Mother Josepha and her council showed great faith in
the future of the college and motherhouse on their original locations
as they set to work in earnest to complete the liberal arts rotunda.
In September 1935, permission was sought from the bishop to contact
an architect and arrange for ideas to be submitted for the murals,
painting and decoration of the domed ceiling. Permission was given
in October of 1935 and a contract was negotiated with Professor
Gonippo Raggi of East Orange, New Jersey, by November 22 of that
same year.
The original agreement, which included twenty-four columns in
scagliole on the first and mezzanine floors, twelve colored Italian
marble column bases, a four-foot, six-inch colored marble wainscoting
around the entire rotunda, decoration of the dome and entablatures
under the dome, all electrical work and fixtures, and repairing
of existing terrazzo floors, --all of this was contracted for
a total of $47,908! (13) Mother Josepha could, therefore, write
to Bishop O'Reilly:
. . . I feel we can carry this indebtedness without interfering
with our other outstanding obligations, for we will be permitted
to make payments when we can, and there will be no interest
charges. We hope to make monthly payments until the whole
is paid . . . (14)
One can imagine the humility of this great woman as she asked
the contractors for such payment arrangements as these, and
as she then reported them to the bishop. It is easy to imagine
the perseverance with which she pursued these endeavors. The
rotunda project grew to include a decorative vestibule entrance
with stained glass windows and oak doors, and changes in materials
to strengthen and support both the ceiling and the floor of
the rotunda. As the total price climbed to $63,387, she was
not overwhelmed. Although Professor Raggi had to wait nearly
a year for the last installment of $7,873, it was made on May
9, 1938, bringing this stage of the work on the rotunda to completion.
The magnificence of this work remains today as testimony to
the outstanding architect, Mr. Anthony J. DePace of New York,
to the Roman artist-painter, Professor Gonippo Raggi, and to
the creative genius of the many minds contributing to the concept
that took shape. It is unbelievable to observers of later generations
that a plan of such scope could have been executed for so little
cost. The decoration of the dome was done at a cost of $10,000;
the twenty-four panels with quotations from St. Thomas Aquinas'
Summa Theologica for seventy-five dollars each, or $1,800; and
the sixteen figure paintings at one thousand dollars each, or
$16,000. The total of this part of the project was $27,800!
(16)
While a complete description of each panel and medallion portrait
is available, this account will address only the central ideas
portrayed.
The general conception of the decoration was inspired and
based on the two fundamental principles for which the Congregation
of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded:
namely, the sanctification of its members and the religious
education of youth. (17)
It portrays the work of Marywood College, then, as a religious
education institution supporting the arts and sciences. In the
center of the dome of the rotunda, the Holy Spirit is represented,
symbolizing that faith inspires, enlightens and governs the
work of the IHM Congregation and Marywood College. Four figures
central to the Congregation's history are painted around the
central symbol: the Immaculate Heart of Mary, patroness of the
Congregation; St. Alphonsus whose spirituality is lived by the
Congregation; Father Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR., founder of
the Institute; and a kneeling figure of a Sister, Servant of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The principle virtues of Christian life are portrayed in figures
representing each: Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Justice,
Temperance, Fortitude, and Chastity. Murals on the first floor
depict various gospel scenes: the Good Shepherd, the laborers
in the vineyard, the martyrdom of St. Stephen, and the ten virgins.
The chief arts and sciences are depicted by figures and emblems,
showing their integration with religion and their contribution
to a total Christian education.
One can imagine the awe and amazement with which visitors to
the college as well as the students responded to this magnificent
work. The silver jubilee of the college occurred in 1940, and
the rotunda must have been the focus of interest for that celebration.
It is obvious, also, how much energy and time must have been
expended by Mother Josepha, as president of the college, to
the needs and interests of this growing, dynamic institution.
It must be remembered that simultaneously she was actively expanding
the visibility of the congregation by opening eighteen new missions
in some eleven different dioceses.
References:
13. Contract between Professor Gonippo Raggi and the Sisters,
Servants of IHM, Marywood College, November 22, 1933. Archives,
IHM Generalate.
14. Letter from Mother M. Josepha to Bishop O'Reilly, September
1935. Archives, IHM Generalate.
15. Letters from Professor Gonippo Raggi to Mother Josepha,
July 30, 1937 and May 9, 1938. Archives, IHM Generalate.
16. Letter from Professor Gonippo Raggi to Mother Josepha, March
9, 1937. Archives, IHM Generalate.
17. Notes of Sister Immaculata Gillespie. Archives, IHM Generalate.
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