Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding this year, and the school kicked off the festivities with a dedication and blessing that included a Mass with Bishop Earl Fernandes as the principal celebrant on Friday, Sept. 8.

After the all-school Mass with supporters, benefactors and community members present, the bishop blessed the new Frank E. Murphy Convocation Center, a central plaza and the beautified Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto.

“Sisters and brothers, let us ask God, our all-powerful architect, that this facility which we bless today may contribute to the building of the kingdom and join us in faith and in the love of Christ,” Bishop Fernandes said in his blessing.

Students, faculty, staff and guests gather for a Mass on Friday, Sept. 8 in the Walter Commons at Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School preceding a dedication and blessing of a new convocation center, plaza and grotto. CT photos by Ken Snow

The convocation center, which bears the name of 1954 St. Charles graduate and major benefactor Frank E. Murphy, provides a state-of-the-art arena that seats up to 2,000 people for school athletic and other events that also can be used by the community. 

Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, a place of prayer and reflection on campus, was enhanced and beautified with the addition of a large circular gathering area and seating wall, paved walkways and two new waterfalls.

The renovated Our Lady of Lourdes grotto provides an outdoor space for prayer and reflection on the St. Charles campus.  CT photo by Ken Snow

“This sacred space will continue to provide a comforting and reflective setting for anyone who visits our campus,” St. Charles principal Jim Lower said during the dedication.

A new central campus plaza includes paved areas, walkways and seating areas surrounded by plantings and landscaping. This gathering space was designed to connect the buildings of the past with those of the future.

“Today, we gather in this beautiful new plaza, a beautiful space that has been supported by so many and will be enjoyed by anybody who sets foot on our St. Charles campus,” Lower said.

In 2018, St. Charles initiated “The Vision for the Future; Building Leaders for the Next 100 Years” campaign, which includes constructing new spaces and facilities for use by the school community; beautifying and improving existing spaces; and increasing its endowment. 

Visitors, benefactors and guests tour the new Frank E. Murphy Convocation Center on the St. Charles campus. CT photo by Ken Snow

The St. Charles endowment supports tuition assistance for families and provides for faculty recruitment and retention.   

An additional facilities project is underway to repurpose the school’s former gymnasium into a multi-story Brotherhood Center that will add classrooms and offices, a library and media center, and spaces that foster 21st-century learning and future programming for students. 

When it is completed, the campaign will have realized a total investment in the school and its students of more than $35 million. 

“There have been many capital improvements on our St. Charles property since the school was built in 1925,” Lower said. “Today’s opening marks the next significant expansion of our campus, laying the foundation for the next 100 years of educating the young men of central Ohio.”

In November, St. Charles will commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding by Bishop James J. Hartley in 1923 with several events. 

For more information, contact director of communications Louis Fabro at [email protected] or (380) 209-2233.