A beautiful space for public and private prayer

The work at the Emmanuel Chapel underneath the Corpus Cathedral is in full swing: the old tiles are removed; the new ones are partly laid out but covered so that the dust will not harm them. Everything is prepared for the new lights, and the walls await fresh paint.

Now, after the basics are done, the new design of the chapel will take shape. The plan was designed by Michael Raia, president and founder of Studio io. He lives in Austin and leads a team passionate about the renewal of liturgical spaces. Besides his architecture studies, he holds a Master of Arts in Liturgy and specializes with Studio io on liturgical projects.

His design for the Emmanuel Chapel will honor the beauty of the Cathedral: “This building has a very fine architecture, and the Emmanuel Chapel, created in the 1980ies, wasn’t so respectful to the style of the Cathedral,” he says. The new design honors the Spanish-Romanesque style of the building.

Two reliefs will be added to the chapel: one behind the altar will be a reproduction produced by a sacred art studio in Spain, containing a crucifixion scene. The other one in the back, close to the tombs of the former bishops of the diocese, will honor the Saints Peter and Paul. Bishop Michael Mulvey donated Stations of the Cross for the chapel as a gift, and there will be statues of Mother Mary and Saint Joseph.

Raia hopes that besides the technical improvements, the new chapel will invite the faithful to pray and celebrate the sacraments during the week. He hopes to come to Corpus Christi for the inauguration.

Fr. James Stembler, Rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral, looks forward to the renovated chapel: “Faith is not stagnant; it is always growing within us.” The Emmanuel Chapel was a beautiful space that served the people of the Cathedral parish and the Diocese well for many years. “Now that we have entered a new millennium, the Chapel, through the renovations taking place, will reflect the faith that has grown in us over the years.”

He looks forward to the reopening: “This smaller chapel will provide an intimate space in the Cathedral for public and private prayer. It also provides a resting place for former Bishops of the Diocese and a place to remember who has shepherded us in the past.” Anyone can come to a quiet, intimate worship space “and be connected to God through Jesus Christ – certainly, the Chapel name reflects this: Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us.’”