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A member of the College's Board of Governors since 2007, Mr. R. Scott Turicchi is Co-president of j2 Global Communications. Before joining j2 Global, he was the managing director of the investment banking department of a securities corporation. His wife, Lannette, who was formerly employed by DreamWorks, is currently working on a documentary on the life of Pope John Paul II. She is also a member of the board and trustee for the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Scott and Lannette are the proud parents of three daughters. The Turicchis recently made a magnificent gift to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel and were kind enough to share their thoughts about this project in the interview below. Q: How did you learn about Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel? Lannette: The College's Director of Development, Robert Bagdazian, introduced us to the project. Then we met President Tom Dillon, and his passion for Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel was evident to us from the beginning. We were inspired by his courage and his perseverance in the face of the many challenges he has faced in making this chapel a reality. When someone takes on a daunting task such as this one, it is a sign to us that his work is that of the Holy Spirit. How could we not want to be part of this unique project? Q: What prompted your magnificent gift? Scott: We understood that this chapel was being built for the ages and that the goal was beauty for the ages. Since so few churches are built to the scale and grandeur of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, we saw the project as a rare opportunity and wanted to participate in it. We had been watching the campus develop over the years and understood the school's mission as unique in Catholic higher education. Because of its mission, we understood that the Chapel would be the centerpiece of the campus. We were impressed with the time, attention, and focus being put on the project and saw that this new chapel would make visible to all what was already the case-that the Chapel was truly the center of the school. Q: What effect do you think the Chapel will have? Scott: The students at Thomas Aquinas College understand well why they are there and what they are doing. For them, the chapel—whether it be modest (as the temporary chapel certainly is) or grand (as this one will be)—is the center of the College's life. These students really are self-selecting; they see well that they are at the College primarily to learn pursuant to a very specific and difficult program. But they know, too, that all of this is for the sake of deepening their faith. This is why, in a way, Mass could be offered in a grassy field, for instance, or in the humble chapel in a section of the dining hall where it has been offered these past 30 years, and it would be much the same to the students. So, while it will be wonderful for these young men and women to have this beautiful place of worship, we believe Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel will have a greater effect on those who are not on campus every day, on outsiders, particularly today when the liturgical experience is so poor. There will be a very stark difference apparent to all those visit Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, one that will enhance their spiritual lives and prod them to ask "Why is it that our churches don't look like this?" Lannette and I are convinced that Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel will have a good influence within the Church, far beyond Thomas Aquinas College and Santa Paula, California. Q: What do you find remarkable about the design of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel? Scott: First, of course, is the sense of tradition that the Chapel conveys. Just as the College taps into our roots in its curriculum, studying what the greatest minds of Western civilization have articulated—not what others say about them—so, too, it is important in architectural design to connect back with traditional design. What is especially interesting, though, is that the design is not trapped in time. Just as the Church fits herself in some way to the times in which she exists, so, too, this Chapel of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity is not ossified in time. It is a work of our time, not 20 centuries ago. Lannette: We are also attracted to it for its European flavor and for the features, like the dome over the sanctuary, that signify a connection to Rome. We said to ourselves, 'Why shouldn't a little piece of St. Peter's be in Santa Paula?' Scott: We believe, too, that its beauty will be powerful and effective in drawing believers and unbelievers to itself. Q: What are your thoughts about the name that was chosen for the Chapel? Scott: To honor the Blessed Mother as Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity is not at all typical. On reflection, though, that title for her seems so fitting because of her singular relationship with the triune God. She is, of course, the first among all saints in the depth and intensity of her spiritual relationship with the persons of the Trinity, but in addition, she is the only human being to have a physical relationship with the Son through the miraculous conception of the Word made Flesh. She is truly Theotokus, the vessel through whom the Son came to be in time and, therefore, through whom He remains physically present in the world in the Holy Eucharist. As human beings, we want sensory experiences, we need them; yet the immaterial God is beyond us. But through Mary, Theotokus, we have a vessel through whom the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, came to be in time with a tangible human nature. How appropriate, then, is this title of Our Lady for us human beings who depend on sensible things to know what is insensible, especially in this age in which we crave tangibles. Q: Is there anything you would like to add? Scott: I am pleased by all the attention that has been given to each stone, each pillar, each cornice-the thought that has gone into each element of this chapel and every detail-it all bespeaks a deeply spiritual attitude. Lannette: For us, this is a marvelous opportunity to do real good both here on the campus of Thomas Aquinas College, but also beyond, in the larger Church. Scott: It is a real privilege to be part of this project and to be a part of the College community. Almost to a person, everyone affiliated with the College is exceptional. -- Qtrly Newsletter, Spring 2008 |
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