STA has an absolutely unique campus. The kind of campus that makes me happy to arrive at school in the morning, the kind of campus that makes me anxious to walk across the quad in the snow because the icy trees make it look like a scene from “The Chronicles of Narnia”, the kind of campus that makes me proud of my school, and if I may say, a little bit vain about it.

In other words, STA has the kind of campus that makes me want to walk up to a stranger and say, “I go to St. Teresa’s Academy.”

So then the stranger will say, “Oh really? I live around there; it’s such a beautiful campus.”

Therefore in turn I am free to nonchalantly say, “Yeah, [sigh/shrug/smirk/wink/stick my tounge out] I know…”

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. But my point is that STA is beautiful, and while the campus has grow to meet its own expanding needs, its buildings have maintained a since of cohesiveness.

When STA moved to the Windmoor campus site in 1909 it only had one brick building, now known as the M&A Building. A second building, Donnelly Hall, was added in 1941. It carefully mirrored the architectural design of the first building and served as the city’s first college for women. A third building, the Goppert Center, was added in 1982 between the two buildings to accommodate the growing women’s athletic program. After the last addition many believed the campus was finally complete, the first building became dedicated to music and arts, the second dedicated to math and science, and the third dedicated to athletics.

Perfect, right? This sounds like it’s everything one would need for a CATHOLIC school founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph… right?

What do you mean, where is our chapel? Didn’t I mention that we have a small, dark, rarely used room with mismatched chairs and a wooden cross shoved into the corner in M&A? Oh I didn’t? Well….that’s our chapel.

In case I was too subtle in my intentional sarcasm, I do not think the campus of STA was complete with the building of a gymnasium in 1982. A chapel is not a luxury in my opinion, but a necessity at a Catholic school.

Due to our lack of access to clergy and scheduling conflicts we have few masses at STA a year. However, during those few special times when we can pray as a school STA has relatively few options. Students are either haphazardly stuffed into the auditorium, forced into sitting on ledges and leaning over the balcony; or staring out the windows of the gym watching a Waste Management truck empty out a dumpster. Both locations also create the awkward dilemma of having to sit after consuming the Eucharist instead of more respectfully kneeling or standing, due to a lack of space/kneelers.

I understand that the new chapel will not be big enough to fit 500+ students in it, but my point is that STA, a catholic school, currently does not have a place for prayer.

Frankly, STA needs a chapel. The chapel will be big enough to house grade wide masses and provide a place where we can pray together and support each other. The mere presence of a chapel will change the atmosphere of the school and remind us how special it is that we are receiving a catholic education.

Some people are nervous about how “the look” of our campus will be affected by the change. I would be surprised if every addition to the campus was not initially greeted by similar apprehension. A chapel will not obstruct our campus but complete it. I’m certain the new chapel won’t feel like an unwelcome addition, but more like the final piece of a puzzle a century in the making.