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A beautiful remodeling
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October 6, 2023Since June 5, the Emmanuel Chapel has been a construction site. And next week, everyone can see and experience how much has changed: the chapel underneath the Corpus Christi Cathedral will reopen after the rededication on Tuesday morning.
The Rededication Mass will be at 9 am on Tuesday and is by invitation only. Bishop Michael Mulvey will preside over the ceremony. It will start in St. Joseph’s Hall, with a procession into the renovated chapel. After the liturgy of the Word, the Litany of the Saints will be recited, and a Prayer of Dedication, the anointing of the altar and the walls and the incensation of the Altar and the chapel are elements of this special rite.
After the first celebration of the Eucharist on the new altar, the Most Blessed Sacrament will be inaugurated as well.
The Emmanuel Chapel will be open to the public after Tuesday’s celebration, from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. The morning Mass at 7 am will resume in the chapel on Wednesday, October 11; the chapel will be locked after Mass. Beginning Wednesday, October 18, there will be adoration following the 7:00 am Mass until 5:00 pm if enough adorers can commit to being there regularly.
The chapel has already gone through various modifications. Bishop Ledvina specifically requested a chapel be included in the plans for the Cathedral, located in the basement, and to include a crypt for the burial of the Bishops of Corpus Christi. The chapel was named for Bishop Ledvina, whose name is “Emmanuel” B. Ledvina. A small Victorian chapel was included with crypts for 24 bishops. The remains of Bishop Nussbaum, Bishop Ledvina, Bishop Garriga, and Bishop Drury are buried there.
The original chapel was relatively small and only permitted visitation by a few people. It was enlarged in 1985 under architect Jim Rome and artist Michael Tracy, including the colors of the hierarchy of the Church with a plain gold leaf reredos. Masses on weekdays were celebrated along with small rites of the Church and hours of adoration.
