Construction begins on St. Francis of Assisi Chapel
posted June 17, 2011
Construction on the new Saint Francis of Assisi Chapel has begun, and work is anticipated to conclude in September.
The new chapel, which was announced in March, is being constructed within space located in the southern wing of the second floor promenade/hallway of Bonaventure Hall.
A series of temporary partitions have been installed on both the first and second floors of Bonaventure Hall to facilitate the construction work. However, the work will not require the relocation of any offices, and the Sister Camille Kliebhan Conference Center will remain open during the construction. Noise will be limited during business hours as much as possible.
It is anticipated that construction will be completed by early September. The worship space will be formally dedicated Tuesday, Oct. 4 during the Feast of the St. Francis.
The architecture for the new chapel was supplied by Groth Design of Cedarburg and C.G. Schmidt of Milwaukee will handle construction. The chapel will be able to accommodate 160 people, which is four times the capacity of the present space in the old section of Bonaventure Hall.
The latest efforts to build a new chapel on campus began amongst students, who presented a letter with 60 signatures that described the need to Interim President Kent Bergemann and the Board of Trustees last December. Michael Brauer, vice president of University Advancement, envisioned a unique opportunity on the second floor of Bonaventure Hall.
The new chapel will be a modern facility with a central location that reaffirms the University’s ongoing commitment to its Catholic Franciscan identity. Construction is possible due to several generous donations that have provided all of the necessary funds.