EWTN will broadcast the Dedication of Christendom College’s new Christ the King Chapel on Saturday, April 15, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. A culmination of years of work and generosity from so many, the new chapel will be dedicated by Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington with Francis Cardinal Arinze in attendance.
“Throughout the past four decades, EWTN and Christendom College have collaborated on countless television projects that have brought the incredible work of the college into homes around the globe,” said Michael P. Warsaw, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of EWTN Global Catholic Network. “EWTN is delighted to be able to televise the ceremonies of the dedication of the new Christ the King Chapel from the campus in Front Royal, Virginia. This is an important and historical event, not only for Christendom College, but also for the Church universally. I hope that by broadcasting this event, we once again are able to highlight for people that the liturgy and the Eucharist remains at the center of Christendom’s mission.”
The Dedication of Christ the King Chapel will be a momentous occasion for Christendom and the high point of the college’s forty-fifth anniversary celebrations. During the Mass of Dedication, the chapel will be filled to capacity with the many donors who made the construction of the chapel possible, along with many of the college’s alumni priests, faculty, and staff. The Mass will be invitation-only as a result, with the Mass broadcasted live on EWTN for those unable to attend.
“We are deeply grateful to Michael Warsaw and all the wonderful people at EWTN for their desire to broadcast this historic dedication of Christendom College’s Christ the King Chapel,” says College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. “As the premier Global Catholic Network, we are honored to be able to share this event with their viewers around the world.”
The broadcast will begin at 4:00 p.m. EDT on EWTN’s global television network, with the Mass also available for viewing on EWTN’s website and on Christendom’s Christ the King Chapel site.
Christendom first began publicly fundraising for the new chapel in 2016, launching the multimillion dollar A Call to Greatness campaign — the most ambitious financial campaign in the history of the college. Raising money for the college’s endowment fund, annual fund, and for the chapel, the campaign was completed in 2018, with the college breaking ground on the new chapel in the following year.
Designed by architectural firm O’Brien & Keene and led by the college’s Vice President for Operations and Planning Mike Foeckler and Chapel Project Manager Pat Haggerty, the chapel construction officially began in the summer of 2019. Site work was performed by GB Foltz, contracting with Hoar Construction as the General Contractor. Hoar Construction and their team of trade partners worked diligently for the next year and a half, constructing the steel frame, the intricate exterior, a slate roof, and the 115-foot-tall central crossing tower. During construction, late alumna Mandy Hain and a team of artists painted the crossing tower ceiling and decorated lettering of the Sanctus above the Sanctuary.
Following the completion of Hoar Construction’s work, interior work began in full, with the installation of steeples and 12 bells by the McShane Bell company, the restoration and installation of new stained glass by Beyer Studio, and the restoration and installation of the antique High Altar, Altar of Sacrifice, altar rail, and four side shrines by Rugo Stone. Beautiful wood flooring and wood detailing were completed in the final few months of construction, and the new 2,850 pipe organ from Kegg Pipe Organ Builders was installed and voiced as well. Directly outside the chapel is the new Piazza of Christ the King, which will serve as a place of community and Catholic culture, welcoming all into the heart of the college’s Catholic Faith and heritage.
For more information, visit chapel.christendom.edu.
For more information on EWTN, visit www.ewtn.com.