When junior Casey Linsey first saw a wedding at Sacred Heart
Chapel a year ago, she took it as a sign. “I’m a wedding fanatic,” she said. “After
seeing that wedding, I knew I wanted to research the history of the
chapel.” Her fascination took form
as a research paper, “Religion Becoming: Loyola University’s Sacred Heart Chapel and
Mary’s Hour,” which earned an honorable mention in the 2009
Undergraduate Research Award contest sponsored by the Von der Ahe library.
Linsey had always assumed that the chapel was one of the
first buildings on campus, but found that it took almost 40 years for the
“focal point” of LMU to begin construction.
“Faith is an integral aspect of the university,” she said. “The
building of Sacred Heart Chapel exemplified the university’s physical,
financial, and spiritual evolution that has continued to grow.”
To illustrate this point, Linsey chronicled the evolution of
Mary's Hour, a day of prayer started by Loyola students on the Westchester
campus' Sunken Gardens to honor the Mother of God and pray for world peace. The
event grew so large that it was moved to the Hollywood Bowl and
eventually the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
“Mary’s Hour offered the Loyola community, as well as Los
Angeles, the opportunity to practice their faith in the form of group prayer,”
she said. “I was surprised by how devoted the students of the era were to
making Mary's Hour a success year after year.”
Linsey said her research has made her even more proud to be
a student at LMU. “Researching the university I attend was great. I feel more
connected and I got to understand the history of the place I love.”
The research award contest recognizes LMU undergraduate students who make the
best use of resources and services of the Von der Ahe Library. To be considered
for the award, students had to submit a research project or paper, an essay
explaining the student’s research process, a bibliography and a letter of
nomination from a faculty member.
For more information about the Von der Ahe Library Undergraduate Research
Awards, please click here.