Aurora University has added a spot on campus it hopes will be a place for quiet meditation in a sometimes loud and busy world.
The labyrinth was erected outside the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action on the east side of the campus. The project was a gift from the class of 1967, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. School officials said it took three years of fundraising to secure the $50,000 needed to finance the project.
“Each class gives a gift to the school to celebrate their 50th anniversary, and plans for this began a few years beforehand,” said Amir St. Clair, executive director of the Wackerlin Center. “We wanted there to be a physical connection with the center here, which has a service, leadership and faith-based mission. We feel a labyrinth is a valuable tool that allows people to discover what matters.”
The labyrinth measures 40 feet in circumference and has seven circuits made of seven concentric rings circling the center. It was installed by the Yorkville-based Labyrinths in Stone Company, led by Marty and Debi Kermeen.
According to the company’s website, the labyrinth “is an ancient design and is found in many cultures around the world, as far back as 4,000 years ago.”
St. Clair credits the vision of University President Rebecca Sherrick for suggesting the project.
“I feel this was something badly needed given the noise in the world today,” St. Clair said. “There was the desire to provide a gift that would have permanency and meaning. While it looks like a maze, there is only one way in and one way out, and people aren’t going to get lost but will find their way.”
Jessica Tooley, director of projects at Aurora University, said the labyrinth “is a symbol” and that the intent was to “create an experience.”
“The idea of this was centering who you are and it’s about discovery in a spiritual sense,” she said. “We have benches positioned around the labyrinth and quotes from people like Martin Luther King, and our quote from the university that says ‘Discover what matters, and build your life around it.’ We feel this is part of the college experience where people discover who they are and can use the labyrinth as a resource.”
Marty Kermeen said his company started in the 1980s and added labyrinth designs and installations in 1998.
“We’ve done about 80 permanent installations so far, and this one took great scrutiny and about a year and a half to sort it all out,” Kermeen said. “We basically did the construction this past summer; it’s very forward-thinking but traditional at the same time. I’m proud of what we came up with. There’s not another like it in the world.”
St. Clair praised the work of Kermeen on the labyrinth.
“This piece contains more than 4,000 pieces of stone and many were hand-cut and sanded by Marty, who worked all day and often into the night,” St. Clair said. “It started in the middle, and the location had to be unbelievably precise. If something was just the tiniest bit out of place, as you moved out it would have affected the whole labyrinth.”
Marissa Sanchez, a junior marketing major from Hinckley, said she worked at the college during the summer and was able to watch the installation, and has walked the labyrinth a number of times.
“It was cool to watch this being built, and when school opened and we were hosting dinners for the resident assistants, people came over to see it and there were a lot of positive reactions,” she said. “It’s really beautiful, and unlike when people just for go for a walk around the block, this is a destination. People come here for a reason.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
