“God is doing more than we ever imagined.” That was how Father Dave Pivonka, TOR ’89, responded to the extraordinary progress in the Rebuild My Church Capital Campaign. “He’s leading Franciscan University, and we want to follow. We’re called to do more! We can do more!”
As if in confirmation, generous donors stepped forward hoping to fund more at Franciscan University: to renovate and expand Christ the King Chapel, to launch an ambitious missionary effort in the heart of our nation’s capital, and to start a proposed new PhD in Theology Program with an anticipated launch in fall 2024.
To support these and other initiatives, and to cover the ongoing construction of Christ the Teacher Academic Hall, on October 4, Father Dave announced the Phase Three campaign fundraising goal: $110 million.
Honoring Christ the King
In 1969, Father Kevin Keelan, TOR, was president of the young College of Steubenville; the campus had been at its current hilltop location only eight years. That’s when the newly constructed Christ the King Chapel was first dedicated. Its design was meant to symbolize reaching from earth to the heavens to give glory to God.
The chapel stands at the spiritual and physical heart of Franciscan University. Its iconic shape graces the University’s logo. It has served as holy ground for decades of eucharistic liturgies, adoration, confessions, weddings, baptisms, and confirmations; Festivals of Praise, concerts, convocations, conversions; and much more. How many men and women have lifted up their hands in praise in Christ the King Chapel, bowed their heads in worship, shed tears, sung hymns? How many more will there be?
With most of the four weekday Masses and five Sunday Masses packed, many with standing room only, Franciscan University has discerned that now is the time to literally “rebuild my church” on campus.
“The University has looked at building a new chapel or renovating the existing chapel since I was a student in the late ’80s,” Father Dave explains. “Just in the last couple of years, everything has come together for a truly beautiful expansion and renovation of Christ the King Chapel.”
When the Thomas and Audrey Ruthman family stepped forward to provide significant funding for renewing the chapel, Father Dave couldn’t help but see the hand of God—and St. Francis.
“Tom and Audrey had a charism for renovating chapels— they led the renovation of 36 chapels in their lifetimes. That really resonated with me because St. Francis himself restored several churches near Assisi,” Father Dave says. “Christ the King has been such an important spiritual center of our life here; rebuilding it just seemed the Franciscan thing to do.”
“This renovation gives us opportunities to highlight Christ the King and our Franciscan spiritual heritage.”
Let Us Begin
April 2024 will see the beginning of the long-anticipated renovation of Christ the King Chapel. The work will enlarge the chapel’s footprint by 40 percent and increase seating capacity from 325 to 500.
There will be expanded office and rehearsal space, a conference room, upgraded bathrooms, even a cry room and a mothers’ room. There will be new stained glass windows, Spanish tiles on the extension roof, and Assisi-style stonework in the new walls. The additions will preserve the chapel’s iconic shape, harmonizing with and beautifying the space that has been a spiritual home for generations of Franciscan students and alumni.
Most importantly, says Father Jonathan St. André, TOR ’96, vice president of Franciscan Life, the beautification and expansion will give glory to God through its design.
“This renovation gives us opportunities to highlight Christ the King and our Franciscan spiritual heritage.”
The renovation will include new sacred furnishings: pews, altar, baptismal font, ambo, and stations of the cross. These will be newly created for Christ the King Chapel. But it’s hoped the stained glass, statuary, and other items will come from decommissioned Pittsburgh churches. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has been consolidating parishes—but saving much of the sacred art, furnishings, and stained-glass windows, and making them available for purchase.
The cost of the renovation will be about $10 million, according to Bob Hickey ’96 MBA ’01, vice president of Advancement. Generous donors have already contributed more than $7.4 million to the chapel expansion.
“We need $2.6 million more to make it a reality,” says Hickey. “We’re going to start work and trust that the Lord will provide the rest.”
Much of “the rest” is projected to come through naming opportunities within the chapel for alumni, families, and friends. That campaign kicked off in October 2023.
During renovations, Masses will be in the Christ the Teacher Conference Event Space. Christ the King Chapel is projected to reopen in May 2025.
For more details on the Christ the King Chapel renovation, watch the highlight video here.
