Signs
were hung on the door to the HSC Chapel some time after the Thursday mass
on February 26, 2004, indicating that the chapel would "close permanently"
on March 1.1 Dedicated as All Faiths Chapel, the little
room served as the chapel when the University Hospital (now Ruby Memorial)
was located in the current Health Sciences Center (HSC). The Lutheran
Campus Ministry at WVU has conducted worship services in the chapel since
spring 2001 as part of its service to the HSC academic community.
The chapel has also served as a refuge for faculty, staff, and students.
The area is to be converted to administrative uses. The announcement was made in September, but, at that time, senior administration at the HSC stated that there would no longer be any chapel in the HSC. Protests from faculty and staff apparently convinced the senior administration to compromise. In early December, it was announced that a new space would be identified in 12-18 months.
One particularly distressing aspect of the closure is the standing question of the religious art in the chapel, particularly the altar piece sculpted by Milton Horn.2 As stated on a WVU webpage,
In 1972, the National Sculpture Society awarded Horn, Cyrus Silling, and West Virginia University the Henry Hering Memorial Medal "for outstanding collaboration between architect, owner and sculptor in the distinguished use of sculpture." This was for a limba wood relief of angelic hosts for the All Faiths Chapel in the West Virginia University Hospital. It performs the dual function of a reredos or partition behind the altar, and a holy ark or repository for the Torah scrolls.3This dual function is a splendid example of religious diversity as understood in the 1950s--the piece was sculpted 1957-1959. At that time, the religious culture in America was thought of as "Catholic, Protestant, and Jew." It is ironic, the some have accused the piece of being "too Christian," when Horn, himself Jewish, designed the piece with diversity in mind. This large item, along with many smaller appointments, served a sacred purpose for many years. It remains to be seen whether they will continue to do so.
The chapel's closure will hurt faculty, staff, and students. Some have made it a regular stop, finding a place of contemplation in the midst of the hectic HSC environment. Others came in moments of crisis, seeking consolation and a rekindling of hope. At a time when scholarly interest in the role of spirituality and wellness has increased, little apparent regard has been given by HSC senior administration to the benefits of a chapel in the midst of the medical arts academy. The holistic education of students and the well being of faculty staff is not supported by the elimination of the chapel.
Certainly, some will counter that the creation of a "quiet room" will fill the role once served by the chapel, but we would contest that assertion. The notion that a "quiet room" meets the "spiritual needs" of people is founded on the assumption that spirituality is something the human generates. As Lutherans, we know that the silence, good as it may be, must be broken by the Word of God lest the Homo spiritualis be cut off from the Divine source and languish. Any room which is to serve the spiritual needs of the faculty, staff, and students at the HSC must have adequate provision for corporate worship.
The loss of the chapel certainly hampers our work as a campus ministry. We are attempting to make other arrangements so that our work on the HSC campus can continue. The Educational Technologies Resource Unit has been very helpful in this regard. Furthermore, in an attempt to document the now historic role of the chapel, the campus ministry asks that any so moved write to us, providing whatever anecdotes and/or reflections as seem appropriate. We would also be interested in scanned photographs or other ephemera.