After traveling over 11,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and back, the 765-pound cornerstone of Thomas Aquinas College’s chapel was laid in place last month.  The cornerstone is part of $23 million construction of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel on the Santa Paula, California campus.

 

According to a press release from the college, the cornerstone traveled from Indiana to Rome where it was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI before arriving on the TAC campus.  The stone itself measures two feet high, three feet wide and eight inches thick.  It also contains a metal tube that will hold scrolls that list the names of the chapel’s benefactors, students, faculty, alumni, governors, and other friends of the college.

 

“This is no ordinary stone,” remarked President Thomas E. Dillon. “It is the cornerstone of our new chapel -- the crown jewel of our campus, and its installation is a cause for celebration for the many people who are assisting in making the chapel a reality for Thomas Aquinas College.”

 

Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel is a $23 million project aimed at providing the college with a permanent place of worship to accommodate its students and faculty. The chapel is scheduled to be officially dedicated in March 2009.