Returning students arriving to campus at the flag circle may have noticed a new adornment to the rear wall of the Chanel building: a stone engraving of Saint Peter Chanel that was installed in early September.

What many people may not know, however, is the backstory of the engraving, which originates in Bedford, Ohio.

Bedford, a suburb of Cleveland, was home to Chanel High School, a private Catholic school started by the Marist Fathers and Cleveland Archbishop Edward Francis Hoban in 1957.

For over fifty years, the school continued to grow and develop, with the Marist Fathers eventually giving control of the school to the Diocese of Cleveland in 1973.

By 2012, however, financial problems and low enrollment led to discussions about shutting down the school, with it finally closing in 2013.

Even though the school had closed for good, many alumni of Chanel High School who had very fond memories of their time there were unwilling to allow the memory of their alma mater fade away.

In addition to creating the St. Peter Chanel Foundation, which aims to continue the philanthropic work that the school was known for, a number of significant items from the school were preserved by alumni. Many of these items ended up at the Marist School, including a painting of St. Peter Chanel, a marble engraving of the Virgin Mary, and of course, the stone panel of St. Peter Chanel that now adorns the Chanel building.

The panel engraving of St. Peter Chanel began to be removed from its original home around two years ago, prior to the school building’s demolition in 2020.

Through the work of several St. Peter Chanel alumni, the panel was removed with minimal damage and transported to Atlanta by alumnus Jim Caputo and his wife.

This past September, the panel was lifted and set on the outside of the Chanel building, with it being formally dedicated on September 10th.

A number of Chanel High School alumni attended the heartfelt dedication.

As one might expect, a number of Marist brothers and priests worked at St. Peter Chanel High School, with a number of them having also worked at Marist, showing the connections between our own institution and theirs.

And with the engraving of St. Peter Chanel now at our school, we can all be reminded of St. Peter Chanel’s life and his sacrifice for his faith.

We can reflect on the Society of Mary’s purpose and statement to the world, as well as our mission to “Seek What is Above.”