The first chapel on campus, in Caldwell Hall, needs complete restoration to return to its original beauty and to become fully serviceable again. Thousands of students, faculty members, and friends have worshiped, prayed, married, and found solace in Caldwell Chapel over the years.
Caldwell Chapel was the spiritual home of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen during his 24 years as a student and professor on campus. In this year of his beatification, to be held on September 24, 2026, on the path to sainthood, the University seeks to honor Sheen’s legacy by raising $1.2 million for the restoration and preservation of Caldwell Chapel.
• Nearly a quarter century of study, teaching, prayer, and preaching
• Authoring dozens of scholarly books and hundreds of articles
• Drawing students to packed classrooms, perched on radiators to hear his lectures
• Producing weekly talks on “The Catholic Hour,” a national radio program, presenting Catholic teaching in a way that had never been done before
• Honing his communication skills, as a precursor to his famous television series, “Life is Worth Living,” which would eventually reach millions of viewers each week, making it the most widely-viewed religious series in the history of television and for which he won an Emmy Award
• Offering regular Masses at Caldwell Chapel; stopping by to pray on his way to class
• Leaving with a debt of gratitude to the University for his formative time here
Immediate Needs
Restoring and preserving the original splendor of Caldwell Chapel, as befitting a space so dear to Archbishop Fulton Sheen, while bringing the infrastructure up to date, requires:
| New | Restoration |
| Wiring, lighting | Historic color painting |
| Sound system | Wood floors, grand staircase, railings |
| Organ loft beam support, wood trim | Wood doors and trim |
| Carpet for stairs and aisle runner | Pews |
| Sanctuary furniture | Altars and statues |
| Allan Rohan Crite Stations of the Cross | |
| Crucifix and sanctuary light |
Gifts of all amounts are welcome toward the total $1.2 million needed to fully restore our first chapel on campus, where generations of students, faculty members, and staff have explored and deepened their faith.
• Your support of $3,000 (or 6 at $500 each) provides restoration for Crucifix
• Your support of $20,000 (or 4 at $5,000 each) provides restoration for High altar, Mary’s altar, and St. Joseph’s altar
• Your support of $30,000 (or 3 at $10,000 each) provides restoration for Allan Rohan Crite Stations of the Cross
Recognition of Support
The restoration and preservation of Caldwell Chapel will deepen our community’s Eucharistic devotion, sacramental participation, and our overall art of celebrating. Essential to all Campus Ministry programming is our offering of reverent liturgies with inspiring homilies in beautiful spaces that lift the mind to God and move the heart to devotion and witness.