A Church's Identity: A Visit to General Seminary with Thoughts on Controversies
A Church's Identity: A Visit to General Seminary with Thoughts on Modern Disputations, Controversies, and Sundry Matters Ecclesial
By Fr. Robert Hendrickson
March 29, 2012
I visited General Seminary today and was immediately struck by just how much of a shock it was for me to see the West Building boarded off as it makes its transition from oldest building on the seminary Close to high end condo building. Other parts of the Seminary, such as the apartments across the street, are also going through the same transition. General no longer felt like General as I walked up and down the length of the Close.
This is not to say that the change is all bad. The new Keller library looks fantastic. The classrooms in Seabury Hall are modern and bright. There are bathrooms from the 20th century on the Close now.
Still, as I sat in the new Hobart room, I could not help but feel as if I were in a place I no longer recognized. The pieces were there but none were in the right place. I even recognized the paintings on the wall from various other places around the Close.
My idea of General Seminary, the General Seminary that occupied the block of Chelsea Square, the General Seminary that sullenly yet proudly used classrooms that felt like they were last painted when they were used as shooting locations for "Our Miss Brooks," the General Seminary where maintenance deferred was maintenance denied - always. That General Seminary is no longer there.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
By Fr. Robert Hendrickson
March 29, 2012
I visited General Seminary today and was immediately struck by just how much of a shock it was for me to see the West Building boarded off as it makes its transition from oldest building on the seminary Close to high end condo building. Other parts of the Seminary, such as the apartments across the street, are also going through the same transition. General no longer felt like General as I walked up and down the length of the Close.This is not to say that the change is all bad. The new Keller library looks fantastic. The classrooms in Seabury Hall are modern and bright. There are bathrooms from the 20th century on the Close now.
Still, as I sat in the new Hobart room, I could not help but feel as if I were in a place I no longer recognized. The pieces were there but none were in the right place. I even recognized the paintings on the wall from various other places around the Close.
My idea of General Seminary, the General Seminary that occupied the block of Chelsea Square, the General Seminary that sullenly yet proudly used classrooms that felt like they were last painted when they were used as shooting locations for "Our Miss Brooks," the General Seminary where maintenance deferred was maintenance denied - always. That General Seminary is no longer there.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
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