Friday, April 5, 2024

Sacred Heart Cathedral looking toward The Rose Window

Newark’s Sacred Heart Cathedral is “right in our own back yard” and is a local gem, having often been called the finest example of Neo-Gothic architecture in the country. Its dimensions compare with Europe’s more famous Notre Dame in Paris and London’s Westminster Abbey and it is, in fact, longer than New York’s St. Patrick’s. The church’s decorative arrangement deliberately incorporates the best achievements of the medieval artists and planners, from its statuary to its stained glass windows, which are modeled on Chartres Cathedral. Yet at the same time, it ingeniously expresses the experiences of the local Catholics of New Jersey who built it.

Sacred Heart has an additional reason to be of interest to Seton Hall Pirates. Its principal architect was Jeremiah O’Rourke, a colorful, eccentric immigrant and largely self-taught architect. O’Rourke dreamed big and achieved big results. One of his far-looking plans is Seton Hall itself. It was O’Rourke who designed and built the University Chapel, Presidents Hall and the original Stafford Hall to house with suitable dignity the beginnings of an experiment in higher education that was not then typically accessible to immigrants and their children. Both the Cathedral and his University buildings reflect his conviction that if something can be practical it should be beautiful, too. Note: You would need to block out from about 11:45am until about 2:15pm for this trip)

HONS 1102 students will have “first dibs” on this trip. If you are an HONS1102 student, be on the lookout for the sign up sheet that will go around in class. Other interested Honors Program students and alumni should contact Maisie, if they are interested in going on the trip.

Note: Travel to and from the cathedral will be by bus, leaving campus at 11:45am and returning at about 2:15pm.