New chapel revitalizes spiritual life on campus

by Macie Capote

By Macie Capote
Clarion Herald

Fourteen years after its initial vision in 2010, Loyola University New Orleans’ Chapel of St. Ignatius and the Gayle & Tom Benson Jesuit Center has come to fruition.

Nestled among the university’s major educational halls, the former Academic Quad is now home to a towering chapel, standing 32 feet tall and 78 feet in diameter.

Loyola first broke ground for the chapel in the summer of 2022, and although a few final touches, such as a commissioned altar, are still awaited, the chapel is already open to students, faculty and staff for daily Mass, with the ultimate goal of being open 24/7. The chapel will be consecrated in early 2025 once the altar and other custom liturgical pieces have been delivered.

Strong Jesuit identity

The project, costing a total of $8 million, was completely donor-funded and was launched with a lead gift of $4.8 million from the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation. Upon announcing the project in 2010, the late Saints owner and Loyola alumnus Tom Benson said that nothing was more important than for Loyola’s Jesuit identity to remain strong.

“Loyola University New Orleans has always played a large part in my life,” Benson said at the time. “The philosophy of the Loyola community and the Jesuit tradition is one grounded in providing a well-rounded education. The university takes pride in ‘educating the whole person,’ and it is my hope that the (center) will continue that focus and provide our students a first-class facility in which they can reach their goals.”

A central place

The Office of Mission and Identity, in conjunction with Student Life and Ministry, will oversee the chapel, as well as the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center within which the chapel is located, according to Jesuit Father John Cunningham, vice president for mission and identity.

The first Mass was celebrated July 28, close to the July 31 Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. A special Mass for benefactors on the Feast of the Assumption was also celebrated. Father Cunningham said many events are planned, such as the blessing of the chapel and consecration of the altar by Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

“The chapel, in conjunction with Holy Name of Jesus Parish, will celebrate many sacraments, including marriages and baptisms,” Father Cunningham said. “A special room will be used for the sacrament of reconciliation, and funerals and blessings will be celebrated in the chapel, especially for alumni, faculty and staff.”

Father Cunningham noted that mission-based speakers’ panels and a concert series could also be featured in the chapel.

“Above all, the chapel will be a quiet place for all members of the Loyola community, as well as visitors, to come together to pray and find peace in the central part of campus,” he said.

Unique architecture

The architecturally modern chapel, designed by Trahan Architects, was inspired by St. Ignatius’ isolation for prayer and penance in a cave, which led designers to create cave-like, circular intersecting rooms that shape the light, shadow and composition of the building.

“The building exemplifies the core mission of Loyola University New Orleans in the image of St. Ignatius, to lead meaningful lives with and for others through truth, wisdom, virtue and celebrate the wholeness of each person who enters,” according to Trahan Architect’s website. “(It) provides a place for spiritual contemplation and an inspiring space for campus gatherings. The building’s simple cylindrical form, composed of textured, hand-made brick, harmonizes with the surrounding Tudor-Gothic buildings on campus while maintaining its own distinctive contemporary character. The chapel’s solid exterior evokes permanence and stability that reflects the surrounding campus.”

The building’s architecture, with its curved spaces, was designed not only for aesthetic appeal, but also to create a sense of “communal intimacy.” According to the website, the interior layout draws inspiration from the traditional axial plans of Gothic cathedrals, while integrating interfaith programs within the Catholic spaces to highlight Loyola’s commitment to diversity.

“Trahan Architects feels privileged to be working on such an important project which will enrich Loyola’s Jesuit Catholic identity,” said Trahan Architects owner, Trey Trahan. “It is important now more than ever to celebrate a faith that anchors us.”

Sacred experience

The Ignatius Chapel, previously located in Bobet Hall, was due for a makeover in order to keep up with the times, according to associate director of ministry Ken Weber. Having completed 15 years of campus ministry at Loyola, Weber said he has noticed students’ means to experience God have changed over the years.

“Bobet Hall’s Ignatius Chapel, while well-intended and certainly sacred, arguably was more beautiful for what happened there over the decades than for its own aesthetic essence,” Weber said. “Students have more recently sought more ardently an experience of God as explicitly, recognizably true, good and beautiful."

In contrast, Weber said, the new chapel consistently conveys a sense that something sacred is to be experienced within its walls.

“For the first time since there has been a chapel on campus, the new chapel will invite both familiar and curious students to experience the sacred, the divine, the transcendent of some kind simply by walking in, or through,” he said. “This invitation into transcendence deeply complements students’ academic and social pursuits and resonates with hundreds of years of the Jesuit educational tradition of educating the whole person.”

Students impacted

Similarly, Loyola student and ministry intern Alexander Colby believes the new chapel, centrally located for fellowship, worship and spiritual enrichment, has already begun to rejuvenate students in their faith journeys.

“The Chapel of St. Ignatius is bringing renewed vitality to the spiritual life at Loyola, where every person is invited into the sacred mystery of God’s love – a love that unites us to each other and God,” he said. “As the student ministry intern, I coordinate the 9 p.m. student Mass on Sunday nights, and I’m thrilled to say that attendance and participation reflect the passion that students have for living the Gospel. The gift of the Chapel of St. Ignatius is breathing new life into the campus and forming young Christians to walk in the way of love.”

Daily Masses are celebrated Monday through Friday at 12:30 p.m., with Sunday Masses at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. The chapel can accommodate up to 150 people, with flexible seating arrangements, according to Father Cunningham.

[email protected]