The following comes from a February 28 press release from Thomas Aquinas College.
On Wednesday, April 17, Thomas Aquinas College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new classroom building. The event will begin with Mass offered in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at 11:15 a.m. A blessing of the site and the groundbreaking ceremony will follow immediately afterward in the southwest corner of the academic quadrangle.
Last December, the college received a grant of $3.2 million from the Fritz B. Burns Foundation of Los Angeles for the construction of this new building, the thirteenth built since the college acquired an undeveloped campus in the foothills of the Topa Topa Mountains in Ventura County in the 1970s. This classroom building will nearly complete the academic quadrangle, which is anchored by Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel.
Housing eight classrooms, the new hall is designed to facilitate the small, seminar discussions about great books that are at the heart of the college’s unique program. Its design architect is Scott Boydstun of Rasmussen and Associates in Ventura, Calif., which has designed 11 of the 12 permanent buildings on campus.
The classroom building will be named for St. Gladys, the patron saint of Fritz Burns’ beloved wife. The fifth century daughter of a Welsh king, St. Gladys was married to King Gundleus, a convert to Christianity and himself a saint. Together, they raised at least six children, all of whom are saints, and one of whom — St. Cadoc the Wise —founded a monastery and college in Wales. In later life, the saintly couple had a vision directing them to leave political life and establish a hermitage; there they lived out the remainder of their lives in celibacy and prayer….
Construction of St. Gladys Hall will begin immediately after the college’s May 11 commencement exercises. The building should be ready for use by the start of the 2014-5 academic year.
How wonderful! Thanks be to God.
At Stanford University and other places I’ve spent some years of my life, I noticed a student propensity for nicknaming buildings and areas on campus with delightful or affectionate monikers. Although the students at Thomas Aquinas College are remarkably respectful, mature and dignified, and are not likely to nickname buildings on their lovely campus, an irreverant thought occurred to me that if they were so inclined, they might decide to nickname the planned St. Gladys Hall as St. Glad’s, or even, heaven forbid, “Glad Hall.”
I might be 70 and slightly mature myself, but the irrepressible wild child within seems alive and well, needing constant wrestling to stay under control. I am thrilled by the story behind the donation of funds to bring this welcome addition to my beloved Thomas Aquinas College, and for me, internally speaking that is, it will always be Glad Hall. With sincere apologies to St. Gladys, I admit my shortcomings are many and my virtues too short a list to number.
Amazing, this St. Thomas Aquinas Class Room building looks much more like a Church than does the Rogmahal, and other so called Cathedrals in Taxifornia!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher