Mary Statue in St. Albert Hall- St. John’s Queens Campus

Authored by Alicia J. Collumbell

A statue of a “Miraculous Mary” located in the main lobby of St. Albert hall. Created by St. John’s University, Office of University Mission.

A statue of a “Miraculous Mary” located in the main lobby of St. Albert hall. Created by St. John’s University, Office of University Mission.

This sculpture located inside St. Albert Hall is modeled after the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The statue is believed to have belonged to St. John’s University since at least 1958. It is probable that the statue came around the time of construction of the Hill Crest (Queens) Campus, but knowledge about whether the sculpture was commissioned, donated or how it otherwise came to be in the possession of the university has thus far eluded researchers. However, the object’s prominent location in the main lobby of St. Albert Hall should indicate that some one somewhere knows why and possibly when it was placed here. Continue reading

The Holder of Knowledge

Authored by Danielle Griffith

DEUS SCIENTIAE EST DOMINUS

St. Albert Hall Inscription

Introduction

This inscription, Deus Scientiae est Dominus, translates to “God is the Lord of knowledge”. Artists Ferrenz and Taylor created the inscription that is located at St. John’s University’s Queens campus. It is inscribed outside of St. Albert Hall, which was built in 1956. St. Albert Hall houses the science department. St. John’s University made no mistake in carefully choosing the name of the hall where the science department is housed or the inscription on the building. Each was chosen carefully to depict a powerful, unified message. Continue reading

Take Up And Read

Authored by Ian Ustick

St. Augustine Hall on the Queens campus of St. John's University.

St. Augustine Hall on the Queens campus of St. John’s University.

Saint Augustine was one of the foremost intellectual thinkers of his time. He lived in the Roman Province of Northern Africa, which today would be modern-day Algeria. In a pluralistic society, not unlike ours, there were competing thoughts, ideologies, and religious faiths. With Christianity now legalized and having become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Augustine, who had formerly been a pagan, took it upon himself to become the intellectual defender of the church[1]. Continue reading