As students cross the wooden bridge from Kelly Hall to Loretto, they notice the many construction workers preparing the Hill for the new Innovation Center. Led by the advancement team and Executive Vice President for Advancement Ms. Nicole Beasley ‘98, this undertaking will commence with the Blessing of the Beams on Sept. 10.

Amid the uncertainties of the pandemic, this ceremony offers a glimpse into a future here on the Hill. This beam, which will be placed just outside of the Student Life Center, represents the foundation for that dream. Beasley said, due to the coronavirus, “We knew that we couldn’t do a groundbreaking (ceremony).” 

But that didn’t stop Beasley and the advancement team from drawing up a new plan to kick off the construction. “That’s when we came up with the idea of doing a blessing of the beams,” Beasley said.

The blessing program will start at 6 p.m and will be preceded by a reception to celebrate those who made this dream possible at 5:30 p.m. According to the school’s website, once completed, the Innovation Center supported by these beams will be “a symbol of what is to come and a marker of (Cathedral’s) academic preeminence in Indianapolis.”

This is not a cookie-cutter groundbreaking ceremony.

Before the blessing, the school is giving students and faculty a chance to make their own mark on this project. “The few days leading up to Sept. 10, we’re hopeful to be able to have all our students sign the beam,” Beasley said.

On the day of the blessing, donors will also be able to sign it as their own mark on history. This aspect adds a personal connection to the people who will be walking by it every day in the future. “It just kind of excited me because now we will be able to have the kids involved and we’ll be able to have something that’s more permanent,” Beasley said. 

This connection will be strengthened by a brief reception anticipating the blessing. The reception will be “very low key, obviously with social distancing,” Beasley said. The reception will include appetizers as well as refreshments to celebrate the blessing. Beasley considered the gathering “an opportunity to thank those that made it happen (and) explain the vision going forward.”

This blessing does not only represent the future of the Hill, but the future of those who call it home. As Beasley put it, this future could not be possible without all the support over the past few years. This blessing is “a great opportunity to be able to celebrate all the donors and the students who made this vision a reality,” Beasley said.