GUIDES TO HEAVEN’S SPHERES
RENOVATING JESUIT’S CHAPEL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS
For more information or to discuss supporting this special initiative, contact Jamie Roy at roy@jesuitnola.org or (504) 483-6631. You can also visit jesuitnola.org/donate or scan the QR code to the right.
Renovations and additions to the Chapel of the North American Martyrs are estimated to
cost $5 million.
Before all else, Jesuit’s purpose is the relentless pursuit of God’s greater glory. In light of this mission, our responsibility to this sacred space goes beyond maintaining its historic character. We owe it to generations of Blue Jays to come to beautify and elevate it—to orient the gaze of each student towards Heaven as we continue the work of forming men of faith and men for others.
• Commissioning of striking paintings of the eight North American Martyrs (work in progress pictured to the right)
• Replacement of acoustic tiles with acoustical plaster on the ceiling featuring a beautiful painting of the night sky at the time of the first Easter
• Construction of a bridal suite to enhance the chapel for alumni, who frequently use the chapel for sacraments including Baptism and Matrimony
• Addition of an elevator (large enough to accommodate a casket) that will serve as an accessible new entrance for faculty, staff, students, and visitors
• Installation of state-of-theart sound, lighting, and electrical systems
• Upgrades to the narthex and lobby areas featuring a new restroom
• Repair of walls and plaster after decades of moisture and cracking on wall finishes
• Restoration of pews and addition of kneelers
• Updates to the Mary and Joseph side altars
• More renovations, additions, and updates to come in future phases
$1 ,000,000 AND UP
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES: CHAPEL CEILING, MAIN ALTAR AND SANCTUARY, AND MORE
$1 ,000,000 ALREADY RESERVED
NAMING OPPORTUNITY: NEW ACCESSIBLE CHAPEL ENTRANCE AND ELEVATOR
$500,000 – $999,999
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES: BRIDAL SUITE, MARY AND JOSEPH SIDE ALTARS, AND OTHER MAJOR RENOVATIONS AND ADDITIONS
$250,000 – $499,999
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES: STAINED GLASS WINDOWS (PHASE 2), SOUND, LIGHTING, AND SPACES AND RENOVATIONS INSIDE OF THE CHAPEL
$100,000 – $249,999 ALREADY RESERVED
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES: EIGHT PAINTINGS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS AND MORE
$50,000 – $99,999
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES: FOURTEEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS, AND MORE
Artist Jaclyn Warren has been commissioned to produce life-size paintings of the North American Martyrs themselves that will permanently hang in the renovated chapel. The martyrs are depicted concelebrating Mass.
Dedicated on September 13, 1953, the Chapel of the North American Martyrs is named after a group of Jesuit missionaries sent to upstate New York and Canada during the 17th Century to work with the Mohawk, Huron, and Iroquois tribes. Their self-sacrificial deaths eventually resulted in large numbers being received into the Church. This character of missionary zeal animates every aspect of Jesuit’s educational model to this day.
On their journey to become the men they were made to be, Blue Jays begin and end their education at Jesuit in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs. The heart of student life and formation on campus, the chapel is also the cornerstone of the spiritual lives of Jesuit parents, alumni, and friends who choose to celebrate baptisms, weddings, and funerals on Carrollton & Banks.
Seventy years after its dedication, the Chapel of the North American Martyrs deserves a renewal that fulfills its capacity for beauty. Your help ensures that the saintly examples set by the North American martyrs will continue to be Guides to Heaven’s Spheres for generations of Blue Jays to come.