These have been some exciting weeks at the Capitol Campus. With the move from 640 Massachusetts Avenue for the SCS community and the arrival of faculty and staff from other units and programs at 111 Massachusetts Avenue, there is much anticipation as the fall semester begins next week. 111’s opening to students marks a major milestone in the evolution of Georgetown University. Like all of our endeavors at the University, this growth in Capitol Campus strives to remain anchored in Georgetown’s foundational Jesuit heritage, mission, and values. There are many indications of this commitment on the campus, but two stand out especially.
First, we have opened the new Mission and Ministry Multifaith Center on the fourth floor of the 111 Massachusetts Avenue building. You can learn more about what the Georgetown community can expect from this new space, along with other Mission and Ministry spaces and programs on Capitol Campus, by visiting this website. Adorned with a common area filled with comfortable seating, offices for chaplains and staff, and a contemplative space suitable for individual and group use of a diverse spiritual nature, the Multifaith Center expresses in its design Georgetown’s abiding commitment to sharing its Catholic and Jesuit heritage in a way that is open to all. Soon enough, students, faculty, and staff will begin making their way into this space along with the other shared services offices and suites on the fourth floor of the building. In future posts, we’ll share more about developments in Mission and Ministry on Capitol Campus, including available opportunities in this amazing new center.
Second, the cornerstone of the 111 building, customary for all Georgetown constructions, is marked by AMDG, or Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, and the year of opening (in this case, 2025). The Spirit of Georgetown tells us that AMDG is the motto of the Jesuits and refers to the primary religious purpose of all Jesuit works, which is to more effectively reveal God’s active presence in the world. It is fitting that the cornerstone of 111, situated as it is the middle of the East End of Washington, D.C.’s downtown and in the shadow of the civic heart of the federal government, communicate Georgetown’s mission to the world that engages with this new dynamic building. There is something appropriate and resonant with Jesuit mission strategy that such a modern glass building, heavily renovated from its prior condition, is anchored by such a classic cornerstone. The mission strategy of the Jesuits has always sought to balance the competing goods of mobility and place, discerning in each situation of work how to be free to meet the greatest good as circumstances change while maintaining a fixed presence in a particular place (as in schools and their brick-and-mortar facilities).
St. Ignatius was well aware of this tension and constantly guided and counseled his earliest companions, dispersed around the world, to ensure that in running schools, they did not become too attached to particular activities and places. Remaining faithful to the investment needed to establish excellent schools also means deeply resourcing the needs of the land and property where the school is located. 111 represents both the fluidity and mobility of Georgetown’s newly created undergraduate and graduate programs as well as the fixity of Georgetown’s traditions as an exemplar of humanistic education rooted in Washington, D.C.
I hope that newcomers to the 111 building reflect more deeply about the meaning of this AMDG cornerstone and the opportunity it presents for all of us in this dynamic new moment on the Capitol Campus to commit to mission in all that we do.