Exploring The Hidden St. Mary's

Over these past few weeks, I have been getting to know St. Mary's well. Once just a majestic building, it is now a treasure waiting to be revealed. I have been discovering the unknown mysteries that it holds, exploring where most have not gone. The other day I wandered its dimly lit corridors, the sun's penetrating rays providing the light through large gothic windows. I passed closed wooden doors, their size intimidating. The only sound that could be heard was the beat of my feet on the marble floor. I walked until I came to a dead end. A bulletin board stared me in the face, blocking me from the place I wanted to go.

Papers posted by tacks diverted my attention until I remembered what I knew would be behind them. Moving it aside, I discovered a small screen door placed in the wall, almost as if it were hidden in this corner. I knew it was the passageway to my destination. The handle was rusted, showing its age. The frame seemed unstable from years of opening and closing. In this moment, I felt as if I were Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden, having just discovered the key to the door that led into a secret, walled world. I opened the door and stepped out onto the stone stairs.

I looked at a garden that many do not know exists. It is sealed off from students, only within view once inside St. Mary's. It sits behind the wall of the St. Mary's parking garage and is called "The Garth." It is filled with perfectly tended shrubs and trees. The grass is neatly mown and benches await those who would sit. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a grand fountain adorned with statues. Bunches of white and red flowers surround it, decorating an already splendid sight.

Looking across the courtyard, St. Mary's chapel extended into the garden. Although many students might attend mass here, they probably do not know about what lies beyond the altar and through the windows. To the chapel's left, five floors of perfectly aligned windows peer over this garden and Lower Campus. Its stone sides show the residue from storms that have brushed by.

This is another private place for the Jesuits to reflect and meditate. I stood looking out over this garden, imagining the life of a Jesuit. To step foot into such a beautiful place and be buffered from the hectic world by a stone wall is wonderful. To stand here and take in the picturesque view is incredible.

To be able to gain a new perspective in just a few minutes is magical. I only stood a few feet above where students pass everyday, yet I felt like I was seeing campus differently once again. The solitude and peace that is rare on a bustling campus is present here. It is conducive to reflection and thinking. In this way, St. Mary's continues to reveal its mysteries.

It is places like these that enable students to embrace the Jesuit ideals of discovering for ourselves the unknown. This garden is just another treasure that is waiting to be found by those who are in search of it, a place for those who go looking for the things that make BC such a unique university. The Jesuits have allowed us four years of endless opportunities that will extend into the years after we graduate. They are laying down the foundation for the path we should take in discovering the world around us so that we can discover and understand who we are. They are planting these secrets to encourage us to seek out their significances. Along that journey, it is their hope that we find our own significance.

I took one last look at this garden, knowing that I would be back. For now, I was just Mary Lennox who found a key to a secret garden. Unlike Mary, I am putting the key back in its hiding place so that someone else can find it. So that someone else can discover the secret.