I was able to visit the campus of Loyola University Chicago over spring break. Though lacking the out-of-this-century Gothic architecture of Boston College, this Jesuit sister school was home to a beautiful and prominent chapel called Our Lady of the Way, or Madonna Della Strada.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because the Trustee’s Room of Bapst Library was converted into our own Our Lady of the Way Chapel during the COVID-19 pandemic while St. Mary Chapel was not available for public Masses. Though I am overjoyed that Masses have returned to St. Mary’s during this academic year, I do miss some aspects of that makeshift chapel and appreciate some distinctive features of this more permanent Chicago chapel.
The shelves of books that lined Boston College’s Our Lady of the Way Chapel showcase the importance of history, philosophy, theology, and other subjects of wisdom in our journey towards God. When you live the Christian life, you notice God speaking through various forms of communication. It can be in timeless and traditional ways like reading the Bible or The Confessions, but it often happens most profoundly in the more personal context of a homily, a passing comment from a friend, or a thought that sheds light on an important issue you’ve been wrestling with. Ultimately, all these ideas embodied in words should lead to unity with God. This expression of perfect unity happens in the worship and Wedding Feast of the Lamb, expressed most vividly in the Book of Revelation. God allowed this concept to be presented in this chapel where the shelves of books come to an end just before the altar.
Another distinctive feature of this chapel was the stained glass windows behind the altar that showcased the various American Jesuit school logos. While we like to hate on other Jesuit schools, keeping in mind that their priests and faithful participate in the same celebration of the Eucharist that we do everyday fosters a supernatural unity that should inspire us to pray for and assist them in some way. Attending the Cardinal O’Connor Conference in January 2020 at Georgetown brought BC together with other Jesuit-schooled students who all expressed joy over a shared Gospel of Life that is an essential part of the Gospel of Christ.
In the Madonna Della Strada Chapel in Chicago, the most notable feature is what’s outside the building rather than inside. Just feet away from Lake Michigan, this chapel demonstrates the essential task of a Christian: to stand as a beacon of the Lord’s light even in the face of chaos and uncertainty. Though I love oceans, rivers, and lakes (as I come from Jacksonville, the ‘River City’), the ocean does symbolize destruction and chaos (c.f. Gen. 7:1) and the winds and storms that often form on large bodies of water point towards uncertainty and anguish (c.f. Lk. 8:23). But, just like in the Gospels, we’re called to trust in Jesus and to not be afraid. In an increasingly secular culture, we can often feel that there are only storms, endless ocean, and ceaseless wind, but God has given us solid ground in His Son and Church and we can be fully confident that we can face all the storms of our fallen nature with God’s grace.
Another feature of the Chicago chapel is the large marble baptismal font by the entrance. In this season of Lent, we are encouraged and should focus particularly on the cross of Christ and how His suffering redeems us and gives us the chance for salvation. We should, however, not neglect the beginning of our journey of salvation, but instead reflect back on the importance of the moment where God did everything to bring us home in Baptism. At Baptism, we are brought out of the realm of the darkness of original sin and made clean as adopted sons and daughters of God within the life of the Trinity. That’s the whole point of suffering: to receive a greater share of the life of the Trinity within yourself and, through your cooperation, in others. Though most of us were infants when this Sacrament was conferred on us, we can reflect back on this life-changing moment through old photos and speaking with relatives about it. If everyone thought about their Baptism everyday even for a minute, this campus would be spiritually set aflame.
For St. Ignatius, Our Lady of the Way was the chapel in which the Jesuits started their years as a prominent religious order. Let’s take the time this Lent to thank God for our beginning in Baptism, thank Mary for her being the conceiver of God in His human nature, and look towards our end in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb happening in this and many other Jesuit chapels like it.
Max Montana is a senior studying philosophy and theology. When not writing for The Torch, he enjoys reading more about the Catholic faith and philosophy, serving the unborn and mothers in need, and hanging out with friends. Max is honored to hail from the state with many gators and the bishop of the moon: Florida.
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