Chapel
The Chapel has been a central part of the university prior to the foundation being poured. The Chapel in Derham Hall served as a small place holder until the Our Lady of Victory Chapel was built in 1924. The Chapel has remained a central part of the university in various capacities. Today the chapel is most often used for holidays and university-wide celebrations while in the past it was part of the daily life of students. The use of the Chapel has changed with time, but it has always remained a central part in the culture of the university.
The "Pink Bible" was a student handbook published for first-year students to help guide them through the transition and to teach them the rules of the university. There is a section in the 1944 edition that includes information about life in the Chapel. Catholic students were expected to attend daily mass and evening prayers. They were expected to wear a chapel veil unless it was the first Friday of the month then students were expected to wear their cap and gown for adoration. The seats in the chapel were reserved and students sat with their class. The expectations for students have changed with time as fewer and fewer students are Catholic. Today students are not required to attend mass but invited each week and during special occasions.
Today we gather in the chapel for celebratory events, each year there is a welcoming ceremony for first-year students as the final part of orientation. The first day of school is a special day at St. Kate's and to there is a university-wide opening celebration. This begins in the chapel for Mass and then a procession leads to the auditorium. Just this year the university welcomed a new university president, her inauguration ceremony started in the chapel. Commencement festivities begin in the chapel with a hooding ceremony. Today the chapel is a place of beginning and celebration and while the way we use the chapel has changed its importance has always remained the same.
The chapel is peculiar because of the history within the building and the story behind it. The story of Sister Antonia creating a cathedral instead of a small chapel shows her remarkable spirit. The change in use of the space has made the chapel peculiar. No longer is the chapel used every day by the sisters and student population, today there is never a moment when we all gather inside. The memories have helped to preserve the stories of Sister Antonia and the chandeliers maintain the mystery of the building.
