Neil McNeil Catholic High School celebrates return of chapel space and its symbolic The Mural of the Four Evangelists
By ISABELLE FERNANDES
Neil McNeil Catholic High School recently celebrated the consecration of the school’s chapel and its newly preserved (though permanently unfinished) mural.
A mass and dedication ceremony was held on Thursday, Nov. 28, with Rev. John A. Boissonneau, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, representatives from the school and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and Neil McNeil Alumni, Class of 1966, to celebrate the event.
In the summer of 1972, Canadian artist William McElcheran initiated The Mural of the Four Evangelists at the Victoria Park Avenue school’s chapel.
However, the mural was never fully completed as midway through McElcheran received the opportunity to open a studio in the city of Pietrasanta, Italy, known for its bronze foundries. While McElcheran created many iconic sculptures, some of which can be found throughout downtown Toronto, the mural at Neil McNeil had remained unfinished.
A decision by the Spiritan Fathers resulted in the mural being left incomplete for good; serving instead as a symbol of the students of Neil McNeil; just as the mural is a “work in progress”, so too are the students. The lack of the mural’s completion is a “testament to growth, learning, and the ever-evolving journey of education and self-discovery”.
When the chapel was turned into a classroom in the early 2000s, a false wall was put up to protect the mural. This summer, the false wall was removed, leaving the mural as it was, with, now, only an oak border put around it.
Recently, school officials decided to reveal the mural as they brought back the chapel space. The consecration ceremony was about more than the return of the sacred space as it also celebrated the importance of the mural’s legacy that bridges Neil McNeil’s past, present and future.
The preservation of the mural and the return of the chapel is greatly attributed to the school’s Brotherhood Leadership students who joined the Angel Foundation For Learning’s A-Team initiative, and worked tirelessly on their pitch to the Angel Foundation and its panel of judges at the TCDSB’s Catholic Education Centre as to why the community needed a sacred space back at the school.
Neil McNeil’s proposal placed third in the Angle Foundation competition and was the starting point for the restoration of the school chapel and a return to displaying the mural.
The display of the mural now symbolizes “a reminder that we are to spread the Good News, in not just our words, but also our actions” and that its speedy restoration “showed the students that their voices, wants, and needs matter,” said the TCDSB.
“We are very fortunate to have this piece of Spiritan history restored for a new generation of Neil McNeil students,” said Neil McNeil principal Sandra Mudryj in a statement to Beach Metro Community News.
