Chapel Construction Underway

By: Natalia Minasi
Posted In: News

Boooooom! The historic, years-old masterpiece buildings surrounding the

giant dirt pit off of Ochre Point Avenue quiver as the blast vibrates the

very foundation upon which they stand.

Previous to the earth quaking boom, piercing but harmless whistle warnings

braced onlookers, students, and faculty from the surrounding areas and

buildings. Despite the note of caution and preparation, bodies still jumped

as huge slabs and chunks of rock were blasted into pebbles and small

sheets. The new chapel was no longer a rumor or a hushed future prospect.

Construction had begun.

“I didn’t believe they were actually going to build a chapel here, but now

I can certainly see and hear that construction is official,” exclaimed Katherine Shaw, junior student at Salve Regina University and attendee of this summer’s 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia. “I think it will be very beneficial to the Salve campus and the student body for the school to have its own chapel.”

The usual pristine condition and nationally renowned beatific campus of

Salve Regina University witnessed quite the landscaping job over the past

few weeks. Amid the construction workers, the dinosaur-like excavating

machines, and the dirt piles and pit, the future site of Our Lady of Mercy

Chapel was being prepped and readied.

For years this chapel has been talked about while the Salve Regina

community has sought the means and funds for the much anticipated building

that will grace the campus with beauty, both physically and spiritually.

“We definitely are very excited,” said Anna Mae Mayer, Director for the

Mercy Center for Spiritual Life, previously known as Campus Ministry. The

chapel is our community and neighborhood of Salve Regina’s “commitment to

the future,” said Mayer, “a tribute to the Sisters of Mercy.”

“[The chapel] expresses in brick and mortar the values of the Sisters of

Mercy and the Salve Regina community.” This undertaking of such a major

project, especially during the current economic hard times, reflects the

faith and determination of the Salve community.

“A building is still just a building, it depends on the quality of the

people,” Mayer reminds us. “What will bring it life will be the worshiping

community.” She is confident and hopeful that the students, faculty, and community of Salve will embrace the new chapel, along with the ideals of mercy and compassion that the Sisters of Mercy built the foundation of the University and their life works upon.

Although the chapel will be a Roman Catholic chapel, it will also provide a

multidenominational prayer sanctuary, welcoming all.

Mayer notes that more and more students come from secular, non-practicing

faiths, so she looks to the faith of the University to call students in.

She believes the chapel will hold its values as a “designated, sacred

space” where students can find refuge and peace in, despite religious

orientation. The building will be a place of spiritual growth, reflecting

the “growth we are experiencing here right now,” Mayer said.

According to the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life’s homepage, the mission

integration “encourages and supports religious and spiritual life on the

Salve Regina Campus. The Center will move its home from the Administrative

Wing of New Residence to the new chapel when construction is complete. Here

the Center will be more open and visible to students, welcoming all who

enter.

Father Thomas O’Neill, the University Chaplain, hopes that the visibility

and central location of the chapel will encourage more people to

participate in the spiritual life available on campus.

“From what I’ve experienced, what encourages people to go to Mass is the

Homely, the harmony or the music, and the hospitality and the kindness of others,” said Father O’Neill. He wonders if a building will change that, and attract more of the student body to the Mass or the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life.

In relation to the design of the chapel, “I don’t call the shots or

determine the programs, although everyone looks to me” said Father O’Neill.

He did, however, ask Sister Therese Antone, the President of Salve Regina

University, to make the chapel as earth friendly as they could.

“I made the suggestion to the President that it would be environmentally

green,” said Father O’Neill. That is one of the reasons why overall

construction and planning is so expensive and expansive, because of the

University’s efforts to help preserve the environment.

While there have been many collaborative designs, sketched drawings, and

proposed plans presented for the construction of Our Lady of Mercy Chapel,

the process of finalization took careful consideration and sufficient time.

“The Our Lady of Mercy Chapel has been included in the long range plan of

the University for many years,” said William Hall, Vice President for

Administration and Chief Financial Officer. While concrete planning for the

chapel began over 3 years ago, the approval process was not completed until

this past summer, August of 2008.

The exterior of the chapel will reflect the same continuity and historic

presence of the surrounding buildings. “Robert A.M. Stern architects were

hired to design the exterior of the chapel and obtain all regulatory

approvals,” said Hall.

Local architect Richard Quinn was hired to construct the interior of the

chapel, with completion estimated for the spring of 2010.

“The first floor will be comprised mainly of worship space (i.e. Narthex,

Nave, special prayer room) and the lower level will house the Mercy Center

including offices, reception area and a common room,” said William Hall.

With approximately 11,500 square feet of usable space, the chapel will open

up onto a number of paths and walkways, welcoming the Newport community and

the Salve family.

Funded by a small campaign designed especially for the construction of the

new chapel building, the estimated costs are approximately six million

dollars from start to completion. Contributors include alumni and the Salve

community.

With construction depending much upon the weather and the rainy winters of

Newport, completion of the building will be ongoing. Throughout the

building process, interior designs, materials, and arrangements will be

ongoing before finalization and completion.

Named in recognition and honor of the Sisters of Mercy, “[the chapel] will

celebrate and sanctify those 60 years of commitment to Mercy ideals,”

according to an article at SALVEtoday online. Salve’s hope is that the

building will withstand obstacles, embrace Salve’s Mission Statement, and

“embody the principles of Salve Regina, past, present, and future.”

Three whistles ready workers for the blasts.

Three years and counting have prepared the Salve Regina community for what

will soon take the place of the rubble, gracing the campus with beauty,

hard work, and determination.