The Current

September 6-12, 2020

With extensive planning and some trepidation, students began to return to campus in late August, undergoing a two week quarantine prior to the resumption of the School's residential life. Classes begin on Monday, September 14, employing a hybrid modality to handle the in-person presence of students, as well as those attending remotely. Spiritual life, as all other aspects of the School experience, has had to adapt. With the School in session, Mass attendance will be restricted due to distancing limits. One presently is greeted at the single door open for entrance by a large sign with rules for attendance, a prominent bottle of hand sanitizer, a box of complimentary surgical masks, and notices that seating in every other pew is prohibited. Blue tape on the pews and floor mark distance for seating and reception of communion. The "School Mass" has itself been divided into two Masses for the first time in the School's history, to accommodate the numbers allowed by the State of Rhode Island, with four dorms coming to Mass Saturday evenings and the remainder on Sunday mornings, alternating weekly. Thursday Church Assembly will similarly alternate on a weekly basis. House Mass, typically held in dorms, has been scheduled to take place in the church. The School continues to develop programming for Confirmation, Lectio Divina, confession, and other aspects of spiritual and sacramental life, to address community needs in these challenging times.

One typically associates the artistry and aesthetic of Portsmouth's Church of St. Gregory with the architectural vision of Pietro Belluschi, complemented by the dominating wire edifice of Richard Lippold. But other artists have made their contributions. Notably, E. Charlton Fortune has supplied the tabernacle, set against the large tapestry that is the work of Esther Puccinelli. Father Peter Sidler fashioned the impressive doors that weave Saint Paul's ecclesial teaching seamlessly into the story of the building. The church also has incorporated touches of its Benedictine heritage from medieval Europe, in the lancet from Bec in Normandy, the "fabulous beast" from Cluny, and the effigy of St. Nicholas, all in the narthex, as well as the more prominent 14th-century Madonna and Child from Burgundy, ever present on the south wall of the sanctuary. But perhaps most understated, despite its centering function in the church, is the more modern work of Meinrad Burch-Korrodi, the Swiss craftsman responsible for the central crucifix. Our Archives column takes a look at Burch-Korrodi, the man and his work.

While the oblate community has not escaped the distancing effects of the pandemic, with visiting and gathering in groups still under restriction, it remains in the thought and prayer of the monks. On the feast of the Assumption, Br. Sixtus sent a lengthy communication out to the oblates, assuring them of that daily monastic remembrance. He noted that with the return of students to campus for the fall term, opportunities remain unfortunately circumscribed by numbers, safety concerns, and limits set by the state. The Mass does remain available on weekdays, although Sunday attendance will be complicated by seating requirements of the School. (Read Brother Sixtus' full message.)