Project: New Chapel and Ministry Center
Client: St. Xavier University
Location: Chicago, IL
Case Study: McDonough Chapel
& Mercy Ministry Center
Challenge: Saint Xavier University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1847 and has been on its current site on Chicago’s south side since 1956. In responding to the University’s vision to construct a chapel and ministry center near the main entrance of its campus, we moved forward on an elegant multi-purpose concept that symbolizes the institution’s Catholic heritage.
Solution: New planters, landscaping, sculptures, and custom wood punctuate the facility’s main entrance, which includes a plaza walkway and concrete pavers that list the names of all of the Sisters of Mercy. The building’s exterior, which highlights three-dimensional arches that frame the interior’s altar and tabernacle niche, include elements that correlate with other important liturgical elements found inside the space. In the evening, the varied exterior materials combine with custom art glass and interior lighting to provide a striking view.
In entering the facility, you are welcomed by the refurbished marble statue of Saint Francis Xavier, which stands at the intersection of the building’s circulation axes. The 200-seat chapel is designed to accommodate religious services, Eucharistic celebrations, concerts for sacred music, and a place for students to participate in silent meditation prayer. Its flexible seating can be set for intimate and larger gatherings. The design also provides a reconciliation room, ambulatory, sacristy, storage areas, and an adjacent ministry center. The use of earth tones and natural materials within the interior help create a seamless transition with the outdoors, and the building itself serves as a framework for all of the wonderful paintings, art glass, and bronze sculptures incorporated into the facility. Students and faculty alike now view this unique and peaceful building as a central gathering place on campus.
