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BELMONT, N.C. (August 22, 2006) -- Belmont Abbey College broke ground today for a new Adoration Chapel named for St. Joseph based on a unanimous vote by the monks. Surrounded by faculty, staff and student leaders in campus ministry, the 20-minute ceremony led by Abbot Placid Solari O.S.B. and College President Dr. Bill Thierfelder, was attended by Bishop Peter Jugis of the Charlotte Diocese along with other clergy from the Diocese and Monastery.
The Abbey's first new building since 1989 and part of its overall strategic plan, the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel will replace the current adoration chapel on campus located behind the monastery and provide a larger place for the College and community to pray.
"How appropriate that our first groundbreaking in so many years is for an Adoration Chapel," expressed President Thierfelder. "We're locating this chapel in the middle of the dormitories with the hope students will stop by daily to give thanks for what we have here," he added.
The design of wood and glass is by architect Bill Monroe of WGM Design. The building contractor, Charlie Caputo, is an Abbey alumnus and owner of Spectrum Building Company. Timeline for Chapel completion is late 2007 and depends on fundraising efforts but initial pledges from alumni and friends of the Abbey are encouraging enough to begin the project.
"The building shows the progress of the College," said Abbot Placid. “It’s one of the tangible signs of the advances the College has made."
Founded in 1876, Belmont Abbey College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Located in Belmont , N.C. , only minutes from Charlotte , it was named one of the best comprehensive colleges in the Southeast by U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review. The College welcomes anyone, from any religious background, who wishes to pursue academic excellence through a liberal arts curriculum.
Media Contact:
Colleen Brannan
704/458-2289
colleenbrannan@bac.edu |
