SOUTH BEND, Ind. — At 10 p.m. on the feast day traditionally known as Candlemas, students at the University of Notre Dame gathered on the north quad of campus for an unusual event: the celebration of Mass at a chapel made entirely of snow and ice.

Although the temperatures didn’t rise above 20 degrees, more than 2,000 students surrounded St. Olaf’s Chapel, a massive ice structure complete with snow-fashioned “stained glass” windows, crucifix and altar, to participate in the feast-day Mass, presided by Holy Cross Father Gregory Haake.

The chapel, built by seniors Wesley Buonerba and Martin Soros, was constructed when the two saw their friend Liam Devine’s massive igloo on the quad and wanted to join in the fun. But after nearly a week of building, the two were inspired to ask Father Haake, their priest-in-residence in Coyle Hall (currently housed in Zahm Hall), to celebrate Mass in the snowy structure.

 

According to Father Haake, he initially denied the students’ request because of the frigid temperatures. But after Holy Cross Father Pete McCormick, assistant vice president of campus ministry, agreed to preach the homily, Father Haake was persuaded to say the Mass with Father McCormick and two other Holy Cross priests.

The Mass began with a hymn led by a choir of volunteers, as altar servers carrying an ice-carved crucifix, a thurible and candles processed into the chapel, followed by Father Haake and several other Holy Cross priests. Students held candles in gloved hands and sang along using hymn sheets.

 

In his homily for the feast of the Presentation in the Temple, Father McCormick spoke of Mary’s joy amidst suffering. He exhorted students to share in her hope, saying, “What is evidenced by tonight is that each and every one of you also know that thing to be true, that Jesus has overcome sin and death, that Jesus calls us to live our lives like his, with open hearts, with a love for one another that knows no limit, a love that willingly sacrifices and a love that calls others into communion.”

At the homily’s conclusion, Father McCormick invited students to sing the university’s alma mater, Notre Dame, Our Mother. He reminded students, “As we sing this hymn that we all know so well, let us be reminded that first and foremost it is a prayer … asking the intercession of our Blessed Mother, that we, like her, might be drawn close to Jesus.”

During the consecration, the gathered students knelt in the snow as Father Haake lifted the Eucharist above the ice-hewn altar. The four priests then distributed Communion to the crowd, quickly running out of Hosts despite consecrating 1,500 during the Mass. After retrieving 500 previously consecrated Hosts from the nearby chapel in Zahm Hall, the priests ran out again, leaving hundreds of students unable to receive. 

Yet even those who were disappointed to not receive the sacrament remained moved by the reverence and beauty of the Mass and the witness of the thousands of students on the quad. As the Mass concluded, students joined together to sing the hymn O God Beyond All Praising, cheering and hugging one another at the end of the song.

According to sophomore Patrick Bunal, who sang in the choir, the magnitude of the crowd at Mass showed the true priorities of the university and its students. He said, “I’ve got a test tomorrow morning, and it’s like, I’ve got to come and pray, ‘God, please help me on the test.’ But actually, I forgot about the test at the Mass, because I started thinking about eternity instead.”

Father Haake echoed this sentiment in describing the Mass as an “amazing experience,” saying, “I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced anything like that at Notre Dame. … The impromptu nature of it, how everyone just showed up, and we had over 2,000 people — it was absolutely beautiful. And what a wonderful moment to praise Jesus, it’s just fantastic.”

He continued, “I’ve been here, associated with Notre Dame, for 30 years, and the students are so faithful and so wonderful and so creative. They love beauty, and it just shows that. And this is one of the great things about being Catholic, that you come together for something like this, and it is so unexpected and beautiful.”

In the lead-up to the ice chapel Mass, some off-campus voices expressed concerns that the celebration of the liturgy outside with so many nearby chapels was forbidden by canon law. In response to such concerns, Father Haake told the Register. “We have permission [from the diocese] to have outdoor Masses here on campus … and we gave [Bishop Kevin Rhoades] a heads-up about this.”

Buonerba, an architecture student, and Soros, who studies civil engineering, described the building process as arduous but rewarding. According to Buonerba, the two started with a vague plan and a drawing of one arch. But as they continued to build, they “played around” with the ice, using baking pans, lids of plastic containers and food coloring to freeze “stained glass” ice windows and carve the crucifix inside the chapel with wood-carving chisels. A leftover car hood from a Coyle Hall fundraiser that involves smashing an old car served as a mold that allowed them to support the structure as it grew.

“We have learned to brave the cold,” Buonerba said. “There were some mornings that were rough this week, but I think our biggest thing was just embracing the joy in the faith. And this has been something that, as people walk by, they smile, they take pictures, they get hyped when they see the sign that Father Pete will be preaching, and they’re looking forward to Mass.” 

He continued, “As we got further and further along, [we realized that] this was becoming something bigger than what we started with and that we have the chance to use it to evangelize and offer an encounter in prayer with Christ.”

Soros added, “I think the fact that this fits perfectly for the feast of Candlemas is just so extraordinary. And Father Pete’s homily was incredible. Everything he said was a perfect encapsulation of what we wanted to transmit with this project … being a light for the world in the midst of darkness, in the midst of cold, in the midst of suffering, and how we can be a joyful and loving presence and bring the mercy of Jesus. We hope we did a little bit of that.”

 

Added fellow student Bunal, “And I think that’s one of the beautiful things about Notre Dame: that you’re here for four years, but the hope is that you’re finding a home in heaven forever.”