Empty Grandeur

Final exams have ended. The last of the underclassmen (except RAs) seem to have moved out, a year (or two, or three) at Holy Cross under their belts. Nearly thirty students and a handful of chaplains entered the silence of the five-day Spiritual Exercises retreat this evening. While many of my Jesuit brethren are grateful for the peace that attends the close of a busy semester, not to mention the conclusion of grading final papers and exams, I already find myself missing the students who contribute so much to this school's identity and the vitality of this beautiful campus. While most of the seniors have departed to enjoy a few days on Cape Cod and elsewhere, before returning for the social events of Senior Week, a handful have chosen to remain here, engaging in one last, long, loving contemplation of the home they've created, and been created by, at Holy Cross. The Class of 2012, and legions of their proud admirers, will assemble next Thursday and Friday for the pomp, circumstance, and emotion of Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement. In the meantime, if my stroll this evening through a suddenly empty campus is any indication, every nook and cranny will continually hum with the echoes of the fine young men and women who breathed life into this community throughout the year.