Every day, hundreds of Seattle Prep students walk across campus, attending classes and events, often without considering the history and meaning behind our school’s buildings. Each name carries a story and reflects our unique history. So how did all these names come to be?
The Adelphia building was originally constructed on top of a former cemetery, known as Holy Cross Cemetery. It was first bought in 1905 by Swedish Baptist missionaries hoping to start a school. It would later be called Adelphia Hall when it was bought by Seattle College and eventually used by our own school, Seattle Prep. Although the current Adelphia building is now the Merlino Center, the name Adelphia Memorial Hall was given to honor the past of that historic building. In fact, some of the original wooden pieces from the initial Adelphia Hall are incorporated into items in Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel, including the altar, the tabernacle, and the cross. Mr. Arthur, a Prep teacher and graduate, noted that the Prep campus has changed a lot, but said, “When I reflect on my past, I always think of how the buildings and their history have kept me connected to the school. I think it is really important that we remain aware of our history because not only can we learn from it, but we can then do better.”
While Adelphia honors the history of the physical campus, other buildings recognize individuals who embodied Prep’s mission. McDonnell Hall was named after Fr. Christopher J. McDonnell, SJ, the headmaster of Seattle Prep from 1937 to 1956. In 1983, the Class of 1953 established the Fr. Christopher J. McDonnell, SJ Memorial Endowment to provide tuition assistance to students who need a little help coming to Prep. The students choose to honor the legacy of Fr. McDonnell because of the values of the Jesuits that he taught them, as well as the deep care he had for all his students. To this day, we still remember the influence that he left behind and the impact he had on his students, even after he passed away. McDonnell Hall is a memorial to Prep’s history of great people, as well as a reminder that our education is a gift that we have been given, and we must use our gift for the best.
Prep not only chooses to honor our past, but also to consider the lives of our own students today. Most people know that Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel is named after the famous shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain, where St. Ignatius offered his complete service to Mary, the Queen of Heaven, after undergoing a spiritual conversion in 1522. But what most people don’t know is why Prep chose this specific point in his life to commemorate. The chapel was placed at Seattle Prep as a sanctuary for students as they progress through life and face crucial decisions, just like St. Ignatius. Mr. Mack, the Director of Community Ministry, noted that there were lots of choices for naming the chapel, as St. Ignatius had been in many places in his life. However, the Montserrat Chapel is where St. Ignatius made one of the most critical decisions of his life. Mr. Mack said that the Prep community “thought this was a key point in naming this as a symbol for high school students who are deciding what direction they are going in life and who they are going to be to try to ground themselves in St. Ignatius.”
So next time you are walking around the Prep campus, just take a moment to look around. There is so much interesting and meaningful history at our school if we just take the time to look a little closer.
