Major progress has been made on Christendom’s new Christ the King Chapel, with the exterior of the Chapel now over half complete and the slate roof nearly complete as well. With the interior of the Chapel well underway, along with artwork as well, the beauty of the new Chapel is already providing a ray of hope for students, alumni, and benefactors across the country.
The uncertainty of this past spring affected every aspect of life at Christendom, but construction of the new Christ the King Chapel remained on schedule. Limestone lettering, designed by Christendom alumnus Michael Schmitt, has now been installed above the main doors to the Chapel, and all 42,000 pieces of slate are almost installed on the roof.
The Chapel bell towers are already constructed, with 35-foot steeples for each tower going into production in 6-8 weeks. Once completed, those steeples will house the Chapel’s bells — five have recently been retuned, while the sixth was recently cast.
In the interior of the Chapel, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work are almost complete. A third layer of drywall is currently being installed, in order to preserve the acoustics of the choir and the organ, and insulating windows have now been installed as well. The stained-glass windows, designed by Beyer Studios, will eventually go behind protective glass; once finished, the Chapel will feature 115 windows, 100 of which will have been custom made.
For the rest of the artwork, progress is well underway. Beyer Studios is preparing 8,000 pieces of diamond shaped colored glass to be installed in the crossing tower in September, while artwork for the ceiling of the crossing tower is also currently being designed by alumna Mandy Hain.
The wood ceiling is slated to begin construction soon, and the console of the new organ from Kegg Pipe Organ Builders has now been constructed. The rest of the organ construction is set to begin in October — an organ that will be comprised of 2,800 pipes, which will take ten weeks to tune.
In just a few short months, Christ the King Chapel has changed dramatically, coming every day closer to its spring 2022 completion. Even in the midst of turmoil, the Chapel has endured as a beacon for the reign of Christ, reminding all who see it to remain steadfast in the college’s mission to “restore all things in Christ.”
To find out more about the construction of the Chapel, visit here.