The St. Katharine Drexel Chapel Campaign

About the Chapel

Spirituality and the belief that striving to emulate the life of Jesus Christ will inspire students to grow into caring, well-rounded individuals has led the University to launch an $10 million Chapel Campaign. The St. Katharine Drexel Chapel will be a place where the Xavier community can come together to celebrate the Eucharist, enrich its knowledge of the liturgy, foster religious vocations, attend life-altering retreats, participate in ministries of service, and give time and talent to assist the poor.

Chapel Dedication Update

The construction of the new St. Katharine Drexel Chapel continues to excite the Xavier community as well as the city of New Orleans. The chapel is being designed by architects from the Cesar Pelli firm and they remain very pleased with the overall progress of the construction.

Due in part to the complexity of the building design as well as the many unique architectural components, the scheduled March 3, 2012 opening date has been postponed. The new date for the dedication and opening mass of the new chapel has not been determined and will be announced to the public at a future time.

Please call Institutional Advancement at 504-520-5797 with questions or for additional information.

St. Katharine Drexel

The chapel is contemporary in design, yet the sanctuary's octagonal plan is rooted in traditional religious structures. Raised four feet above the grade, the building is reached by an 80-foot long sloping processional approach. This path is aligned with the original campus quadrangle and the site from which Pope John Paul II spoke in 1987.

With a limestone base crowned by a copper roof that will change over time into a beautiful green color, the 11,000-square foot building connects to the university's tradition of building materials and color. The main sanctuary is a 65-foot tall volume with seating for up to 430 worshippers. A ring of skylights will allow natural light to be diffused through a screen and illuminate the sanctuary.

A smaller day chapel will be used for daily Mass and for individual reflection. The two worship spaces will be served by common liturgical areas including a narthex, work and vesting sacristies, and a reconciliation room.

The new chapel will be open, inviting, and easily accessible throughout the day and evening every day of the week. Parishioners from the surrounding neighborhood, who continue to rebuild their lives following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, will be welcome for daily and Sunday Mass.

Your gift, combined with the generous contributions of countless donors also interested in fulfilling the mission of Katharine Drexel, will ensure that Xavier continues to be a beacon of hope.

Regardless of the size of your gift, your personal support of the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel is critical and appreciated.

At this very critical period in Xavier's history, it gives me great pride and joy to publically share with you our plans to construct the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel. This chapel, which will occupy a prominent location at the center of the campus, will be the first free-standing house of worship ever constructed at Xavier.

The chapel will, without question, send a powerful message of hope, inspiration, and Catholic values to all, especially our current and future students who now more than ever need the message of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Having survived the greatest natural catastrophe in American history, I am convinced that St. Katharine Drexel continues to guide and protect Xavier. Please join with me as together we build what will be a special place of reverence to her legacy.


Dr. Norman C. Francis '52
President

$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
$750,000
$500,000
$500,000
$500,000
$350,000
$250,000
$150,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$20,000
$10,000
$10,000
$5,000
$1,000