Above: The Holy Cross School building cornerstone was moved during construction, only to find a hollow center with a time capsule inside.
Holy Cross School discovers time capsule from 1958 inside building cornerstone
By Tami S. Scott, associate editor
When construction recently began at Holy Cross School in DeWitt, little did anyone know that a very well-hidden treasure from decades past would soon be revealed.
Superintendent of Schools Amy Sansone looks closer at a religious medal, one of many items found inside a 1958 time capsule at Holy Cross School in DeWitt.
The school is in the middle of an expansion project to add a new entryway and porch, which required moving the building cornerstone. Weighing lighter than expected piqued a curiosity that led to the discovery of its hollowed-out center. Inside? A carefully packed time capsule from 1958.
Among the items inside were coins, including a half dollar with the image of Benjamin Franklin (John F. Kennedy’s presidential election was still some years away – the half dollar with his image wasn’t issued until 1964); a large cross that a nun would have attached to a rosary and worn with her habit; an issue of The Catholic Sun, The DeWitt Times and The Syracuse Post Standard; several religious medals – and two vials sealed with wax.
Also included was a comprehensive list of donors for the school, which cost $250,000 to build versus today’s $300,000 expansion project.
Holy Cross Principal Nina Walters held a school assembly on the morning of May 28 for students to see what exactly was in those vials. Nobody knew, but Walters attempted a couple of guesses.
Holy Cross students gather with Principal Walters to see the discovered items placed in a time capsule 66 years ago.
“So maybe these little vials just tell us how to operate the dishwasher,” Walter said as a joke. Laughing, she added, “They could also lead us to secret treasure … we’re hoping for [that] … so is Father …”
Instead …
The first vial contained a hand-signed letter by Father Joseph Ritchie, the first pastor of Holy Cross Church and founder of the school. “It’s a beautiful letter with a beautiful signature … and it’s written in Latin, so … we’ll get this in Google translate in just a few minutes!” said Walters, who shared the English version with the Sun the next day. Here it is:
To the perpetual memory of the matter
For the greater glory of God
In the year of restored salvation 1958, on the 15th of August, on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pius Divine Providence Pope Twelfth governing the whole Church, the Supreme Republic of these Federal States Dwight D. Eisenhower the President, the State of Neo-Eboraca Averill Harriman the Moderator, the Governor of this state Anthony Henninger, of this parish, the Reverend Joseph I. Ritchie, Parish Priest, in the presence of the clergy and people in attendance and applauding the gathering of the church, under the title of the Holy Cross, the Most Reverend and Most Illustrious Walter Andreas Foery, D.D., Fifth Bishop of the Church of Syracuse, laid the auspicious stone.
Principal Nina Walters (right) peels away the wax from the sealed vial found inside the 1958 time capsule. Holding the microphone is 2nd-grade teacher Joanna Huegel.
In whose faith I affix my name and the seal of the church.
The second vial listed the names of the teachers and original students who attended Holy Cross School, which at the time only went up to grade 4. There were 35 students in first grade alone. “These are your alumni that really paved the way for all of you to attend Holy Cross …” Walters said to the students. “This is very, very cool that this school is still thriving today. Amazing.”
The morning assembly culminated with curious children surrounding the display before returning to their classrooms – just a mere 24,028 days later.
