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Shining a light on scarcely-seen campus locations

Shining a light on scarcely-seen campus locations

There are many places at Brophy that just have a mysterious aura around them. Most of which, students don’t see in their school days. There is no doubt that Brophy has one of the most beautiful highschool campuses. It’s a shame that there are so many parts of the campus that students rarely see. Through Jackson Stack ’25’s photos, we attempted to reveal some of the hidden beauty on campus and show the nooks and crannies so often left unseen.

 

Keep scrolling to see such places.

Romley Basement

As the door swung open, the mundane stairs of Romley Hall met our eyes. We walked right up to them and entered a hallway neither of us had seen before. While this corridor felt a little dark and dingy, in reality it is just a hallway with rooms used by administration. We waved hello to a few members of the facilities team and saw sunlight shining into a room at the end of the hallway. 

 

This room opens up to the Jesuit Garden, another place many Brophy Students have never seen.

Jesuit Garden

The garden is one of the most beautiful places on campus, with trees and greenery surrounding a serene courtyard. A fountain bathed in shadow filled the garden with calming sounds. One odd part of the garden was the little gnomes hidden among the greenery and architecture.

First Floor of Bell Tower

Other places with this mystifying sense are simply off limits to students. One such area is the Brophy bell tower. While students have most definitely seen the outside of this Brophy icon while driving into school or taking pictures for photography classes, few have seen the inside. So few, in fact, many people don’t even know how to get up there in the first place. To start the climb to the top of the tower, we first had to gain access into Mr. John Buchanan’s office on the second floor of Brophy Hall. Then, after a climb up a tall and narrow ladder, we arrived on the first level of the bell tower. 

Inside First Floor

There was unexpected brick architecture and an abundance of dust and animal droppings. Trash and light fixtures filled the southwest corner, and in the northeast corner an open wall allowed a view into the space above the Brophy chapel.

Over the Chapel

Mr. Cooper Davis ’10, demonstrated that what seemed to be floor tiles could actually be pulled up to allow a clear view of the chapel from in the rafters.

Jim Reardon May 23, 1931

As we carefully backed away from the gaping hole in the wall, and as our eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room, graffiti on the walls revealed that we were not the first people to be curious about this staple of the Brophy Skyline. 

Going up…

Yet another climb up a rickety ladder led us into the second tier of the bell tower, a much brighter room hosting the large windows that are visible from the outside. 

View from the Top

The room offered a great view of Camelback and we could even see the Sunnyslope “S” on the mountain to the south. 

Sacristy

Climbing down and finding our way into the Brophy Chapel, Father Juan Pablo Marufo Del Toro S.J. took us into the sacristy to show us what goes on behind the beautiful altar that every Brophy student has seen. 

Document Shelves

He showed us the shelf where they store the holy books used in mass, and the drawers filled with the marriage and baptism registries.

Robe Closet

He pointed out the closet where the robes for mass are held and the cabinet filled with the chalices and dishes used for communion. 

As Jackson and I walked out of the chapel door and out into sunlight again, we saw the extent of dust on our shirts and reflected on our experiences in places many Brophy students have never seen. We both agreed that we would love it if the Jesuit Garden was more open to students as we both loved the relaxing atmosphere. We thought that seeing the sacristy of the Brophy Chapel gave us insight into what actually goes on behind the scenes of mass. Finally, we found common ground in that climbing the Brophy Belltower was one of the coolest experiences either of us have had at Brophy.

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