HCC to add outdoor holy space

A new sacred space — named Our Lady of Holy Cross — will soon be unveiled at Holy Cross College. 

Overlooking the St. Joseph River and marking the center of campus, Our Lady of Holy Cross will serve as a place of reflection, inspiration, hope and prayer. It will feature sculptures, quotes from the Bible and connection to a new plaza and walkway. This site will be completed in October and formally dedicated to the Virgin Mary in May of 2024.

This project was initiated by the new Holy Cross President Marco Clark, who had a vision to “invest in areas that really provided both indoor and outdoor spaces for our students to further deepen their prayer lives, their spirituality and to create encounters with Christ,” he said.

This desire became a reality when Charles and Elizabeth Kitz gave a generous donation for a holy outdoor site dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Dr. Marco Clark and the committee behind the site’s design said they gained inspiration from the Holy Cross motto “Ave Crux, Spes Unica,” which is a Latin expression meaning “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope!”

They also said the space’s patroness, Mary, maintained hope and faith despite the magnitude of her pain and sacrifice in losing and witnessing the suffering of Jesus.

“We hope that it will be a space that will help students or anybody who comes to visit our campus, [who] might be dealing with their own troubles, anxieties, [and] difficulties, that they’ll be reminded of Mary’s sorrows and then ultimately the hope of the cross,” Clark said.

The project consists of three parts: a walkway, a plaza and the sacred space itself. The currently unnamed walkway will be lined with prayer benches, illuminated trees and flower beds that flow through the center of the campus.

Quotes from the Bible will be distributed along the course of the walkway, inviting visitors to learn and reflect. This will lead guests to the plaza, where outdoor masses will be held, and the sacred space, which will be located slightly below the plaza itself.

The sacred space will feature three sculptures by artist Miklós Simon that depict the story of salvation history. One will resemble the tree of good and evil. Another will depict Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross. A sculpture of Mary will be in the center.

“It’s not only a beautiful space to pray and reflect in, but it’s also a beautiful space to learn and to come closer to Christ by learning more about salvation history, the salvation that Christ brings through the power of the cross,“ Dr. Marco Clark said. “I frankly just couldn’t be more proud … and honored to contribute to the continued recognition of our lady who brings us to the cross, our only hope.”

An opening ceremony for Our Lady of Holy Cross will be held next May.