OLP Campus Art Brochure: Unveiling God's Splendor

Unveiling God’s Splendor Sacred Art Journey with OLP “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”

Isaiah 64:8

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Mural

In 2019, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace embarked on one of the most auspicious capital improvement projects in its 138-year history. In our Boundless campaign, with a new imagining of OLP’s physical presence, we sought to reinforce the very core of what enlivens our school campus and sustains our ministry—the spirit of our faith, and the Catholic women who have traversed the path before us, providing us with guideposts of inspiration and fortitude for our own journey ahead.

At a time when many young Catholics felt more disconnected from their faith than ever before, we saw an opportunity to tell new stories. Too often, our students, and even our world, characterize women of faith in slim categories, failing to see the tremendous depth of all they have accomplished. This was a chance to create the very “real world” connection our youth yearn for in their faith, but sometimes miss.

In 2015, Yale’s Spring issue of Reflections, titled Divine Radiance: Keeping Faith with Beauty, asks, “Can beauty be a way to God? How can art deepen the church’s impact?” Author Megan Mitchell writes in “What the World Needs Now” that “Art is about making space—both physical and mental—for listening, searching, and expressing. Art cultivates the ability to imagine a future and so transcend the present moment. This is inherently hopeful.” Addressing the Heads of Schools in the Diocese of San Diego, Bishop John Dolan stated that “what we put on our walls reflects our values.” His poignant words challenged us to consider the power of transforming thought and ideas through the images we reflect around us. Indeed, that upon which our eye falls daily creates the pathway for what the mind consumes. We knew we had an

opportunity to do something remarkable with sacred art only considered at universities and parishes, but unheard of at such a grand scale at a high school! This would represent a movement that could change the history of high school design, with sacred artwork at its epicenter.

Today, on our walls, in our hallways, and around our community spaces, our campus flourishes with images and artwork that are a literal and figurative reflection of our values as a CSJ community. Each piece was chosen to tell stories, elucidate women of faith, and build connections through art with our young women.

In 1650 Le Puy-en-Velay, France, six women came together to make a profound impact on our world by forming the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. From France, the Order journeyed to Carondelet, Missouri in 1836, and eventually founded OLP in 1882. In their honor, as you enter OLP, you find our CSJ mural (see cover art) featuring six Sisters from modern times who have stood up for civil rights, served as public advocates, fought for human rights, shaped healthcare practices on a global scale, and served as powerful leaders . These were “uncommon women for an uncommon time,” who ask every one of our students, “What will you do, for your world, in your time?”

In the main hallway of Navarra Hall, the mosaic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta gazes down on you, with her love oozing off the very piece of art itself, radiating compassion and kindness through her prayerful hands, gentle smile, and searching eyes. She is a reminder to love, and that you are loved, all in one!

Mosaic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta in Navarra Hall

On the second floor of Shiley Hall, the Diversity of Saints mosaics tell the stories of four different women of faith from around the world. They reflect the unique stories of the diverse young women within our OLP community. On the wall adjacent to these mosaics is a digital display showcasing additional stories and images of other women of faith from all religious traditions,who similarly inspire our young women in their own faith journeys.

St. Marina of Omura, Japanese The Patron Saint of Japan, sought by persons who were close to having their faith tested and who needed to recover their courage and strength

St. Laura Montoya, Colombian The Patron Saint of people suffering from racial discrimination and orphans

St. Josephine Bakhita, Sudanese The Patron Saint of Sudan and for human trafficking

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk The Patron Saint of environment and ecology

As you venture out onto Circle Drive, you encounter the mosaic of la Virgen de Guadalupe, with its gold-leaf tiles and contrasting red roses.

This is the title of one of five Marian Apparitions in December 1531, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Juan Diego in Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City. The magnificent artwork captures the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she bends over to touch Saint Juan Diego. OLP was given special permission to replicate the mosaic, originally developed for Our Lady of Guadalupe Adoration Chapel in Fargo, North Dakota. This same design of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also chosen by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the Respect Life campaign in 2018.

Found la Virgen de Guadalupe in Circle Drive

within

the

Chapel

Garden is the At the center of campus, looking up at the

grand staircase joining Navarra and Shiley Hall, art and symbolism are fused together in the lace railings, a reminder of the continued influence of our Sisters of St. Joseph in the life of our school. Lace was not only an important economical means of support to sustain our first sisters in Le Puy-en- Velay in 1650, but it also represents the skills they imparted to young women as a means of livelihood. While we might not have our Sisters on our campus, our architectural lace is the connective tissue that binds together, through art, the stories of our past.

Within the Chapel Garden on the wall of St. Cecilia’s can be found a mosaic of Our Lady of La Vang, or Đú’c Me. La Vang in Vietnamese.

During the anti-Catholic rule of emperor King Thinh in the 18th century the oppressed people of Vietnam saw an apparition of Mary that provided comfort, peace, and a promise of protection and relief from their plight. Here too, our students and visitors can find solace

Mosaic Đú’c Me. La Vang

in the image of Our Lady of La Vang.

To the West of campus, the Martha McRoskey Place of Peace and Butterfly Project Installation, completed in M a rch 2 0 2 0 , ho uses a Vatican-sanctioned

replica

of Michaelangelo’s Pietà.

Ou r c o m m u n i t y i s a l s o graced by the statue of St. Joseph in Circle Drive, Our Lady of Grace in the Chapel Gardens, and the Holy Family outside of the Event Center.

Martha McRoskey Place of Peace houses Michelangelo’s Pietà Pietà gifted by the Mogollan Coppel Family

Finally, this 2023, OLP is blessed to commission perhaps the only statue of the beloved Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, portrayed in a wheelchair that once belonged to her father. She spent her final days in this wheelchair, finding solace in the gardens of her convent as she suffered from consumption. In her short life, St. Therese not only struggled with her physical health, but her spiritual health as well – she struggled to pray the rosary.

Mosaic and statue gifted by the O’Toole Family and the Gregione Family

May the powerful medium of art surround our community with God’s splendor as OLP continues its unwavering commitment to sharing the inspiring stories of people of faith.

St. Thérèse of Liseux moasaic artwork

Academy of Our Lady of Peace 4860 Oregon Street San Diego, CA 92116