After a nearly year-long renovation, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the Sacred Heart Schools campus has reopened for worship.
A Sept. 1 prayer and blessing service attended by Ursuline Sisters and staff of Sacred Heart Schools marked the end of the $1 million restoration.
The renovation was funded by the Chapel Preservation Fund, started in 2017 by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. In January 2022, the Ursuline Sisters transferred ownership of the fund and Ursuline Campus chapel to Sacred Heart Schools.
Sacred Heart Schools President Dr. Karen McNay called the chapel an important and sacred space on campus.
“The Ursuline Sisters entrusted us with this cherished part of their campus, and we embarked on the restoration project to ensure the Chapel will endure for another 100 years,” she said in a press release. “The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception provides a sacred space on our campus for Mass, prayer, and retreats, and a place to experience our four core values.”
Echoing McNay, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville President Sister Jean Anne Zappa said the renovations go beyond “just preserving a physical structure.”
It’s also “a sacred space where we celebrate and give glory to God; are nurtured spiritually; and where we strengthen each other to build community wherever we go.”
The chapel was built in 1917 as part of the Ursuline Sisters’ Motherhouse. Renovations included repainting the six-story tall dome, rebuilding the flooring, adding LED lighting and enhancing the sound system.
Regularly scheduled activities, such as the Ursuline Sisters’ monthly Taizé prayer and Mass of the Air filming, have returned to the chapel. Wedding services, which had been suspended for several years, are being offered again.
