If anyone has been wondering what is happening with our project with the Vatican
Museums (remember Festa Italiana last spring—the event held to raise funds for
restoring a Museum artifact?), here is your answer.
On a beautiful summery evening at an elegant outdoor reception in North York,
Teresa Tomory presented the final instalment of the funds raised by Hawthorn for
our restoration project with the Vatican Museums.
Dr. Tomory presented the cheque, for $3000 (US), to Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo,
Vatican City Governor. The Cardinal graciously accepted the cheque and seemed
very pleased with Hawthorn’s support. The reception was a gathering of the
Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, a group of people dedicated to
preserving the vast and unique collection of art housed in the Vatican Museums.
The Vatican relies completely on donations from the Patrons and other supporters
(like Hawthorn) for the preservation and restoration of all new museum artifacts.
“Our” artifact, an Estruscan funerary urn of a married woman, dates back to 75-50 B.C. and is one of only a
hundred ever made. It has an alabaster cover and a calcarenite casket. The urn was placed on a bench inside a
chamber tomb, which belonged to a single family and was used for generations. The restoration process involved
cleaning the surface, eliminating previous restorations and interventions,
and consolidating and integrating the entire object. We have received a
report that the restoration process is now complete!
What will our next project be? We don’t know the details yet, but
whatever it is, Hawthorn’s continuing support of the undertaking of
preserving and restoring important artifacts for the benefit of the whole
world is something to be proud of as a school community. Archbishop
Thomas Collins was also in attendance at the reception, as well as
Archbishop Luigi Ventura, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, and Fr. Mark
Haydu, International Coordinator of the Patrons of the Arts in the
Vatican Museums.
The beauty which is the fruit of human artistic creativity, is a clear expression of mankind’s highest aspirations
and a manifestation of the glory of God, the transcendent Author of all truth and goodness.
-John Paul II
