Elizabeth Edwards ‘20, Staff Writer
He never expected to be a believer. By all accounts a perfectly rational and reasonable man, Tyrone Jennings will be the first to tell you that there are things that go bump in the night on campus. Immaculata has been around for a long time – nearly 100 years – and there is one thing that very old places have in common: ghost stories. Jennings, long-time Immaculata Safety Officer, will swear up and down that the stories are true.
It was fifteen years ago, and Jennings was a new recruit to the Department of Safety and Protection. He was walking around campus with a senior officer, ensuring buildings were secured. Campus can be eerily quiet in the middle of the night, and this night was no exception. The moon shone on the green copper dome of Villa Maria Hall and everything seemed pretty routine until they arrived in Gabriele Library.
The library is not an inherently spooky building, at least not during the day. But there is something about the veil of night that can change the mood of a place. As Jennings and his colleague entered through the double doors, they could not have expected what was coming. No sooner did they reach the glass display case featured in the lobby that the room became noticeably cold. And on the other side of the room, the two men saw a figure.
It was the specter of a nun, dressed in an old habit. Her form glowed from within as she floated out of the right-side wall. His colleague ran out of the building, but Jennings was frozen in his steps. The little hairs on his back rose to attention like well-disciplined soldiers. “I couldn’t move,” he said, “and my body got really cold.” The figure did not appear to take notice of him, and shifted from one side of the room to the other. Without a pause, she slowly faded into the opposite wall. With a breath, Jennings was able to move again. He backed out of the library, locking the exterior doors.
Fifteen years later, Jennings claims he has experienced seven separate encounters with ghosts on campus. Each one was different. But every time, the ghosts simply made their appearances and did not seem interested in him. He has come to accept that Immaculata is home to more than students, sisters and employees. The spirits of past occupants never really left.
