Mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Contributing to the contemplative atmosphere, the Tower Room will prominently feature a hand-crafted mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe created by expert mosaicist, Ioana Belcea. The 4.5’x6.25’ mosaic will be crafted from Venetian glass and stone in Belcea’s New Jersey studio before being transported to be installed in situ. The room’s many windows and southern exposure will allow for an exquisite display as the sunlight reflects off of the mosaic tiles differently throughout the day.
Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place for the College. In 1999, St. John Paul II made Our Lady of Guadalupe the “Star of the New Evangelization” of America in his apostolic exhortation, The Church in America. In that document, St. John Paul II wrote: “Through Our Lady of Guadalupe’s powerful intercession, the Gospel will penetrate the hearts of the men and women of America and permeate their culture, transforming them from within.’”
President Minnis was invited to participate in a series of meetings to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the exhortation. As a result of that conference, we consecrated Benedictine College to Our Lady, opened Guadalupe Hall on campus, and began planning ways to Transform Culture in America.
The library reconstruction is itself an initiative of the strategic plan to Transform Culture in America, serving as a unique opportunity to bring the long history of the Church’s intellectual tradition into conversation with America’s political tradition. This image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will continually remind students, faculty, and staff that what they learn in this building is to be taken out and shared with the men and women of America.
“I will never forget the night I went back and forth in front of the tilma in the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, asking Our Lady, over and over again, for her son to bless Benedictine College,” said President Minnis. “And I can’t help but hear those words she said so long ago to Juan Diego: “There are many I could send, but you are the one I have chosen.” Each Benedictine College student has been chosen for a particular mission in the Church today, and through Our Lady of Guadalupe’s intercession, Benedictine College will equip them with the intellectual and character formation to accomplish that mission.
About the Artist
Ioana Belcea is an artist based in Princeton, NJ who works in a variety of historic media such as buon fresco, mosaic, and egg tempera on wood and calf parchment. Thematically her work is of a liturgical and devotional nature. Her liturgical art commissions include the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls VA, St. Mark Catholic Church in Fallston MD, Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg MD, St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Frederick MD, Seton High School in Manassas VA, and St. Francis University in Loretto PA. She holds degrees from Rutgers University (BA in Fine Arts and MA in Spanish Translation). More examples of her artwork can be found at www.ioanabelcea.com.
Sponsorship Information
This artwork has already been sponsored by a generous donor. If you have any questions about the new library or the artwork and statuary that will contribute to its beauty, please contact our donor engagement officer.
