Coming (Very) Soon ...

Jesuit High School president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. announced Tuesday (Feb. 2) that Phase 1 of the campus master plan will break ground this summer and include two new projects: a two-story, 32,000-square foot Administration and Student Services building, the face of Jesuit on Himes Ave., and a new Chapel, to serve both spiritually and spatially as the heart of Jesuit’s campus.

Since the historic unveiling in September of ‘For Greater Glory,’ Jesuit's $35 million campaign that supports the campus master plan, the school has been in preparations for Phase 1. The new chapel – named the Chapel of the Holy Cross – will be the fourth primary sacred space for Jesuit. It follows St. Louis Church and Sacred Heart Church downtown for nearly six decades after Jesuit’s founding in 1899, and then St. Anthony’s Chapel, which was built soon after the school moved to Himes Ave. in 1956. An extensive study determined renovating St. Anthony's Chapel was not feasible.

Phase 1 is expected to take more than a year to complete. Click here to view a video with details about the new Chapel (a rendering of the new Chapel is displayed on the homepage of the website, and two renderings are at the end of this story) and new Administration building plans, or click on the video display at the end of this story.

The new Chapel will have many improvements and upgrades, and also allow for growth in enrollment. The school had reached capacity of about 775 in St. Anthony’s Chapel, where the entire Jesuit student body gathers each morning for Convocation, and where all-school Mass and other vital spiritual events are held.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross architect is Duncan G. Stroik, a liturgical specialist who teaches Sacred Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. The architect for the Administration and Student Services building, and for the rest of the campus master plan, is Cooper Johnson Smith. The construction manager is Batson-Cook.

Campus Master Plan rendering with Administration building at bottom and Chapel of the Holy Cross at center.

The ‘For Greater Glory’ campaign, for which more than $30 million already has been raised, ensures the school will continue forming young men in the Tampa Bay area in the 470-year tradition of Jesuit education, preserving and strengthening Jesuit in Tampa for generations – and dramatically transforming the campus.

“This campaign represents our tremendous commitment to Jesuit in Tampa, and is possible through the remarkable generosity of our alumni and parents,’’ Fr. Hermes said. “Now future generations of young men in Tampa can achieve their academic, personal, and spiritual development at Jesuit.

"The campaign secures the legacy of Jesuit in Tampa another 60 years and beyond."

When the Chapel and Administration building are complete, Phase 2 will begin. It will include a comprehensive new two-story, collegiate-style Student Activities Center with an adjacent 500-seat Dining Hall among its many amenities. Also included in the campus master plan are a new Fine and Performing Arts Center with a 450-seat theater/auditorium, and a new two-story, state-of-the-art Science and Math building.

For more information about the 'For Greater Glory' campaign, the campus master plan, and naming opportunities, please contact Jesuit's Development Director, Nick Suszynski '98, at development@jesuittampa.org, or (813) 877-5344, ext. 704. Click here for the campus master plan page of the school website, with links to renderings.

Please see a video below about Phase 1 and the new Chapel and Administrative building, and below that are two renderings of the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and one of the Administration and Student Services building: