[divider /]The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge celebrated the annual All School Mass on August 29, 2013, at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. The day began with Bishop Burbidge dedicating the final phase of a multi-step construction project.
The dedication was for a new academic wing with 10 new classrooms, outdoor quad, a commons learning area, and a piazza. The latest construction also included renovation of the library, administrative offices, two new science labs, and an outdoor pavilion.
The new additions are part of an 18-month project that combines with those that were completed in January. That phase included a new arts and athletics wing as well as a dramatic new front entrance.
Following the dedication, about 1,400 people, including 1,281 students and approximately 30 priests, gathered in the gymnasium for the celebration of the Mass. Bishop Burbidge spoke of how the new additions are a source of pride for the school and the entire diocese. Sister Mary Frances Taymans, former principal of CGHS, participated in the presentation of gifts.
In addressing the congregation, Bishop Burbidge said, “The Lord is asking us to expand much more than our facilities, especially as we embark on a new academic year. Our Lord is asking us to expand our hearts so to create that space where we can know God’s immense love for each one of us.”
Many guests were interested in touring spots throughout the campus that preserved the school’s history. Evidence of this history are the sections of the flooring, including two baselines and center court, from the gym on Gibbons’ former Western Blvd. campus that are on display throughout the campus. The new outdoor pavilion reuses the ceiling beams and purlins from the old Fr. Price gym on the former site of the school. Here the alumni gathered for a reception.
There is also the new oak tree planted on the campus green in front of the school that recalls the oak that was an iconic feature of the old campus.
Sister Mary Jean Korejwo
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