Update, 5:15 pm: According to Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, the crucifix was damaged in a minor way, though it did not constitute “desecration,” which is property damage with intent to religiously offend.

“The preliminary investigation indicates … that there was no evidence of desecration, and desecration means property damage with the intent of making religious offense,” he said. “In the investigation we have now … any property damage was not intended to make religious offense. It’s property damage.”

The crucifix fell off of its base, and part of the hand of the crucifix was damaged. Investigators’ best guess is that whoever was inside the chapel knocked it off as he or she was moving around the piano and organ, which was also damaged.

According to University Spokeswoman Rachel Pugh, there will be increased security around the chapel in the coming days.

Original Post: According to an email to students from University President John DeGioia, the Department of Public Safety received a report early this morning that the interior Dahlgren Chapel itself had been vandalized. The Metropolitan Police Department is working along with DPS in the investigation.

According to Travis Richardson (COL ’15), who is active in campus ministry, chairs were vandalized and a mirror was missing from the organ. According to DeGioia’s email, “The preliminary investigation indicates that there was no desecration of the Blessed Sacrament or any religious symbols. The primary damage was to furniture and other fixtures.”

Sam Dulik (SFS ’13), an active member of Georgetown’s Catholic community, said that the chairs were tossed about the room, with some broken. He also also mentioned some windows possibly being broken, as well.

Some reports to Vox also indicated that, contrary to DeGioia’s email, the crucifix used for processionals did sustain damage, but that detail hasn’t been confirmed. The tabernacle, however, was not damaged.

Morning masses have been relocated. Evening masses will proceed as scheduled.

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In a letter sent to Vox, the Georgetown Women’s Club Volleyball team accepted responsibility for the condoms and trash left on the steps of Dahlgren Quad late Tuesday night. The incident was condemned by the student leaders and Jesuits as an extremely disrespectful act in what is a sacred space at Georgetown. The club sent a formal apology within 24 hours after being implicated in the incident.

Letter attached below:

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Student groups and Jesuits on campus have expressed extreme disdain for the events that unfolded yesterday night at Dahlgren Quad. Tuesday night at 10:30pm, the steps of Dahlgren Chapel were found covered with alcohol, open and unopened condom packs, and condoms wrapped around bananas. A few hours later, a DPS officer and several students went to the scene to clean up the mess.

Rev. Patrick D. Rogers, Director of Campus Ministry, and Father Kevin O’Brien, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, were both appalled and disappointed at the reflection these events have on Georgetown’s student body.

“What is so profoundly disappointing to me and to many in our community is that as far as anyone can tell it was Georgetown’s own daughters and sons that did this.  It’s about as childish a stunt as one could imagine.  One would hope that any student bright enough to get into Georgetown would have more respect for themselves,” Rogers said in an email. “What they did was not only incredibly immature, it was disrespectful to all those who hold, teach, or love the Catholic faith.”

Student leaders were equally scornful. GUSA Secretary of Mission and Ministry Laura West (COL ’13) and Undersecretary Jon-Matthew Hopkins (COL ’13) sent a press release earlier today asking for all students to be more respectful to sacred spaces in Georgetown. “To deface it with vandalism is disrespectful and hurtful to those who treasure the beauty and serenity of the Chapel and Quad,” the press release read. “As a community that represents and honors a diverse array of religious and humanist perspectives, we ask that all students demonstrate respect and reverence toward all of our sacred spaces on campus.”

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At 10:30pm on Tuesday night, a group of approximately 20 or 30 students left the steps of Dalhgren Chapel strewn with trash that included dozens of small paper cups filled with unidentifiable liquids, both open and closed condom packs, a bottle of liquor, and condoms wrapped around bananas.

Students studying in Maguire Hall with the windows open heard the group approach Dahlgren Quad. “I think we heard the phrase ‘whoever gets the most condoms from one end of the quad to the other in their basket wins,’” Ron Boehmer (COL ’12) said.  ”People just started running, looking for condoms, and took them over to the chapel.”

According to Boehmer, a DPS officer came out of Healy Hall in response to the loud commotion, prompting the students to run away immediately. The officer walked away after the students left, not noticing the mess in front of the Chapel.

Boehmer mentioned that the group seemed like upperclassmen, but could not identify any of the students. “It was more like an initiation-type thing, it didn’t seem like a protest,” Boehmer said. Twitter was abuzz with suppositions that the act was meant to make a point about the recent debate over contraception in Georgetown’s health care, but Boehmer did not see or hear anything that indicated the group had any clear motivation or goal.

Students also expressed the blatant lack of respect the action demonstrated to the sacred location. “It is disrespectful to Georgetown’s Catholic identity to leave these items in one of Georgetown’s most sacred spaces. Many members of the Catholic faith on campus, including the Jesuits, an institution of Georgetown, would be shocked to find this scene at Dahlgren Chapel on their way to practice their faith,” Boehmer said.

Update: 2:50AM Vox obtained a screenshot of a Facebook conversation between students, presumably members of the intramural volleyball club, describing the night’s events. Based on the evidence, it appears that the condoms were placed in the fountain of Dahlgren Quad for the students to collect.

Picture of the conversation below:

Vox will continue to update this post as we learn more about the situation.

Photos of Dahlgren Quad taken by Kirill Makarenko

This week, Georgetown is celebrating Jesuit Heritage Week, which highlights the University’s Jesuit community and Catholic identity. While the comprehensive schedule of events is available here, here we offer Vox‘s rundown of this week’s most notable events.

Today at 3 p.m. English professor John Glavin will lead a tour of campus that will highlight Jesuit iconography and provide a unique insight into Georgetown’s heritage. The tour departs from White-Gravenor patio.

At 5:30 p.m., join Fr. Kevin O’Brien SJ and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jeanne Lord for a mini-retreat using Ignatian reflection in the Leavey Center Makom space next to Cosi. Free dinner! (RSVP required)

Ever been curious about the goings-on at a Catholic Mass? At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, all faiths are welcome to join Fr. Dennis McManus in Dahlgren Chapel for a thorough introduction to the ritual, imagery and theology of the Catholic Mass.

For the one or two SFS positivists among us, SFS Dean Carol Lancaster will moderate a discussion with African Jesuits Fr. Jean-Baptiste Mazarati SJ and Fr. Rodrigue Takoudjou SJ, on how they hope to tackle Africa’s developmental challenges. A reception with African food will follow. The discussion starts at 6 p.m. in the Mortara Building at 36th and N Streets.

At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, head over to Yates Field House to cheer on the student team in the annual Spike-A-Jesuit competition. The students are the reigning champions.

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For a cheery, wholesome start to your Christmas holiday Festivus season, head over to Dahlgren Quadrangle at 5 p.m. this evening for the official lighting of the Georgetown University Christmas Tree.

Mask and Bauble will be performing their interpretation of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, and Georgetown’s musical groups will be adding their dulcet tones to the festivities.

If the cordial invitation you received earlier this week from, among others, the Department of Facilities Management and Auxiliary Services didn’t entice you, perhaps the complimentary hot cocoa and holiday snacks will lure you into the crisp, jovial air of the evening.

Still need another reason to abandon your pre-pregame on the last Friday night before quiet hours begin? This merry gathering usually heralds the traditional holiday-time appearance of Georgetown’s very own Father Christmas, President John J. DeGioia! Although Santa attended last year, will DeGioia himself hear Hoyas’ wishes this Christmas season?

In other Yuletide-related news, Page 13 has the latest updates on the neighbors’ efforts to steal Christmas.

Dahlgren Chapel will spend much of the next two years in construction as the University works to repair structural damage that has accumulated over the space’s 118-year history, according to an announcement from the Office of Mission and Ministry.

“We have been planning restorations to stabilize the foundation and make other necessary improvements to this sacred space for some time,” wrote Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J. and V.P for Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank in an email to the student body. According to O’Brien and Frank, the restoration was made possible through a gift from alumni.

The repairs will include stabilization and waterproofing to counteract water infiltration and structural settlement, as well as some external renovations. The University plans to refurbish and re-install the chapel’s stained glass windows, including the previously-removed Rose window in the rear of the chapel. In addition, a “decorative fence” will be installed to separate construction from pedestrian traffic on Dahlgren quad.

Aside from some brief weekday closures, the chapel should remain open throughout the renovations.