IDD 205 Place N Space

On Friday, November 5th, I attended a funeral for one of my high school teachers, Sister Gerald. The funeral took place in the Saint Joseph’s Motherhouse chapel. I, along with other fellow alumni were wondering why they would try to fit a funeral in this small church which barely held my graduating class of 77. Sister Gerald taught for well over 30 years, quite a few people were going to arrive. As I sat there looking around, I realized then why it was held in there. This place was a large part of Sister’s life. She taught at McAuley HS since its inception, this was her home. The religious icons and stories that played out on the walls of the old chapel were two fold. Her life was there. She was a part of the rows of pews and the pictures adorning the walls. The architecture which held the walls up was the same with her teaching, strong and withstanding. The other day I was remembering the jingles she would teach us to help us learn math, they still work. Churches are certainly not built the same way they used to. They don’t have the same charm or feeling. It can be decorated the same way, but it just isn’t the same. If the Acropolis was built in the 21st century, sure it would be nice to look at and it would be a nice accomplishment, but it wouldn’t be the same. Just as the world lost an amazing woman, I think we are also losing the ancient magic of architecture.