Skip To Main Content

bg-image

Mass in Holy Cross Chapel

Mass in Holy Cross Chapel


One month after the Rite of Dedication for Jesuit High School's new Chapel of the Holy Cross, it was time for the students to celebrate Mass in their new spiritual home.

Friday morning (Sept. 14), Jesuit president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross with the Jesuit High School student body in the beautiful new Chapel of the Holy Cross.

The magnificent 950-seat Holy Cross Chapel – the heart of the school at the center of campus – represents the fourth major sacred space in Jesuit's history. It is preceded by St. Louis Church (1899-1905), Sacred Heart Church (1905-1962), and St. Anthony's Chapel (1962-2016).

Since the fall of 2016, the students have watched the gorgeous new chapel rise. Featuring the captivating works of Spanish painter Raul Berzosa and Florence, Italy-based sculptor Cody Swanson, the new student chapel will serve the greater Jesuit community and boys in the Tampa Bay area for the 21st century and beyond.

Friday, more than 800 students, the largest student body in school history, filed into the chapel after homeroom for Mass. In his homily, Fr. Hermes, S.J. said "This chapel is a student chapel, built above all for you and your spiritual life."

The chapel, along with Gonzmart Hall (the new administration and student services center that was dedicated in March), and Oliva Courtyard that connects the chapel to Gonzmart Hall, are all a part of Phase I of Jesuit's Campus Master Plan, which was made possible by the school's $50 million 'For Greater Glory' capital campaign.

Click here for the story and photos from the Rite of Dedication of the Chapel of the Holy Cross with Bishop Michael C. Barber, S.J. on Aug. 7.

Click here to view the text of Fr. Hermes' homily from the first all-school Mass in the new chapel on Friday.

Please see below the video of Fr. Hermes' homily, and below that is an extensive photo slideshow from Friday:

 

  • All School News
  • Alumni News
  • Homepage News
  • Spiritual Life News
  • Top 5