Holy Spirit Mosaic Dedicated

Festive Chapel Service Honors Sam Salas

At the October 1 All-School Chapel, special guests including Headmaster Emeritus Sam Salas and his wife, Cecilia, gathered for the dedication of the Holy Spirit mosaic commissioned in his honor and designed by Minneapolis artist Lori Greene.

The mosaic features expressions of the idea of the holy spirit from a number of faith and cultural traditions. It is 10 feet wide and 37 feet tall, contains 83,250 pieces of glass tile and weighs more than a ton.

Quotations and images are in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, music, Greek, Spanish and Hebrew. During the Chapel service, members of the Breck community read each quotation in both English and the other languages.

Other design elements include Ojibwa or Anishnaabe beadwork flowers, a butterfly to symbolize transformation, seven flames of the Holy Spirit suggested by Phyllis Lehmberg's silk hanging displayed in the space from 1983-2008, and the dove, herself, which appeared in the Rose Window of the original Chapel of the Holy Spirit on Breck's River Road campus.

Also dedicated by Bishop James Jelinek, chair of Breck's board of trustees, was the Samuel Salas Commons, the new entrance to the Upper School.

A special feature of the Chapel was a performance by Breck's orchestra of a new piece composed specifically for Orchestra Director Claudette Laureano by composer Shelley Hanson.

The piece, entitled Albinoni Elegy, was commissioned by Ms. Laureano using funds from her Wigley Award for teaching.