New chapel on SU campus to provide more space as attendance increases
By Eileen Jevis
Staff writer
The Catholic Campus Ministry serves the faithful at Syracuse University, SUNY ESF and Upstate Medical Center. On Oct. 20, World Mission Sunday, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia celebrated two Masses on campus. The bishop greeted students, faculty, staff and visitors at the Catholic Center, currently under renovation and expansion.
Due to the need for additional space, a new chapel is also under construction made possible by a generous gift from alumnus Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 and his wife, Gayle. The new St. Thomas More Chapel will be located at the corner of East Adams and Walnut Place and is slated to be completed in November 2025.
A magnificent pipe organ built by Greg Harrold of California and donated by a friend of the University, will also find a home in the new chapel, said SU’s Catholic chaplain Father Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. “The organ represents the highest quality craftsmanship and sound, and it will be used for concerts, teaching and Mass.”
Boston native Evan Fay is a sophomore at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. He said that after having a difficult year as a freshman, he began attending Mass at the Catholic Center this year. “For me, my faith is life and death,” he said. “I was an atheist for most of my life until two years ago. I was at my lowest point and I had an encounter with God. Now, I cannot get enough of Him.” Fay said when he arrived at SU, he did not know about the Catholic Center and was embarking on his faith journey alone. Now, he said, he is grateful to be part of a fellowship with people his own age. “The Catholic Center is my favorite place on campus. I go there throughout the week to pray, do homework, to find peace and to see Father Gerry,” he said. “The Center is peaceful, vibrant and awesome, and my life would look a whole lot different if I wasn’t a part of it.”
Fay said attending Thursday Mass and dinner, Tuesday night Bible Study and Sunday Mass are his top priorities. He looks forward to these events every week. As a broadcast journalism major, various events pop up, he said, but for his well-being, he prioritizes his faith over everything else.
Freshman student Lillie Kochis, of Scranton, Penn., is also a broadcast journalism major at the Newhouse School. She grew up Catholic, attended weekly Mass, sang in the choir and became an altar server and lecturer. She said her involvement at church was done out of a sense of obligation. Her parents stressed the importance of having a moral foundation but allowed her freedom to choose whether she would continue her faith as an adult. Kochis said she is grateful for that freedom and the guidance of her parents who helped her grow in her faith through high school. “When I arrived at SU, I was really looking forward to becoming involved at the Catholic Center,” Kochis said. “The first week I went alone, but I’ve begun to form friendships with a lot of people. The sense of community has truly begun to take shape for me in just two months.”
Both Kochis and Fay said they are inspired by the number of students who attend Mass on Thursdays and Sundays as well as those who stop by to learn more about Catholicism. “I think the new chapel will be an awesome addition to the Catholic Center and will be beneficial to everyone as it provides an optimal spot for worship and fellowship,” Fay said.
In an interview in May with Syracuse University News, Father Gerry said the Catholic community [at SU] has grown dramatically over the last several years, with significantly increased attendance at worship services and growing student interest in activities hosted at the Center. “The unprecedented interest in Catholic ministry services has necessitated additional seating to accommodate increased attendance. Each folding chair we’ve had to add and the long lines at post-Mass Thursday dinners and Sunday brunch gatherings demonstrate that our ’Cuse Catholics find strength in fellowship,” he said in the interview.
Kochis describes the Center as welcoming, exciting, comforting and lively. “But most importantly, it feels like home,” she said. “The door is always open and I take full advantage of that.”
