On the night of April 13, Dahlgren Chapel was broken into and vandalized, with the organ, piano, chairs, and part of the crucifix damaged as a result. While the intruder has yet to be identified and the motive remains unclear, this sort of vandalism against the religious and historical heart of our University should be interpreted as nothing less than an attack on the entire Georgetown community.
As of Wednesday evening, no one had been detained for the crime, so it is possible that the damage was caused by destructive alcohol-induced belligerence and not religious bigotry, as many on campus initially believed. From Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J.’s perspective, the damage to the crucifix appears accidental.
Nevertheless, accidental indifference in one of Georgetown’s sacred spaces can never be tolerated. In May 2012, the seniors of the women’s club volleyball team apologized for littering the steps of Dahlgren with condoms and alcohol. Though this act lacked any anti-religious zealotry, the volleyball team’s actions demonstrated complete disregard for the religious symbolism behind many of Georgetown’s locations.
Dahlgren is not the only sacred place on campus. The Jesuit cemeteries, Copley’s Muslim Prayer Room and St. Williams Chapel, Makóm in the Leavey Center, and McSherry Hall are all religious sites reflecting the religious pluralism that exists here at Georgetown. In this sense, vandalism at Dahlgren is much more than vandalism against the Catholic Church—on the contrary, it disrespects the campus-wide commitment and investment Georgetown makes to respect diversity of religious expression.
Georgetown has a long history of being a collegiate leader in fostering a vibrant interfaith community. Georgetown employs both a full-time rabbi and an imam on campus, staffs dormitories with chaplains-in-residence across the wide faith spectrum, and regularly organizes interfaith events, like Campus Ministry’s Hallelujah Shabbat and the Hindu Student Association’s Holi festival.
Keeping this identity in mind, we hope to see the intruder brought to justice and made to pay for the damages to the 120-year-old chapel. But more importantly, we hope this crime will be a reminder for students of the importance of paying due respect to religious buildings on campus, taking into consideration the personal significance they have to our peers.
Dahlgren is a Catholic space, but it is symbolic of our University’s inclusive emphasis on pluralism. If not of Georgetown’s particular religious affiliation, students should at least be conscious and respectful of our tolerant identity.
