Sunday was not a day of rest for some of Georgetown’s Catholics and members of Campus Ministry. During the 12:30 p.m. ass, a chunk of plaster fell from the wall, causing Mass attendees to move later services to Gaston Hall.

Matt Brennan (COL ’10), a coordinator for the 8 p.m. Mass said that there were two large cracks in the back wall after the incident.

“There were two long cracks on either side of the wall next to the stained glass, about half the length of the wall,” Brennan said. “Near the top to midpoint of the crack, a pretty big chunk of the plaster had fallen off.”

No one was injured by the partial collapse of the back wall.

“Engineers will be coming over [today] to accurately assess the current situation,” said Fr. Timothy Godfrey, director of Campus Ministry. “But until then, we won’t know how long it will take to fix the wall or how long the Masses will be relocated.” He added that Campus Ministry will take further steps to ensure the safety of the students.

Cracks had been present along the back wall of the chapel for at least a year, but they had not been fixed.

Weekday Masses will be held in Copley Crypt and Sunday Masses will be held in Gaston Hall until further notice. Fr. Alvaro Ribeiro, S.J. said at the 10 p.m. Mass on Sunday that Campus inistry had asked for microphones and a sound system to be set up for the time being.

Vice President for Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank was unavailable for comment.

– Shinnam Park