Wolfington Chapel and Center

The Wolfington Center has been a staple of SJU since the 1890’s. In 2022 it still serves as a Welcome Center, Office of Mission Programs, and organizes many different events.

The Chapel of Saint Joseph, is a place for worship, mass, a place for reflection, and prayer. Built and ready for its first service in 1992, The Chapel has been a prominent part of SJU for over 25 years. The Chapel is where church services and many other events take place.

Both the Center and the Chapel changed the school forever, honoring the Jesuits, Catholic priests, and educators who fought for and honored everything the Jesuit mission stands for. Turning back time to “Old Saint Joseph's.” In the mid-1800s, before both the Center and Chapel arrived on the campus, students gathered in swarms in a courtyard located at Saint Joseph’s Church, in the city itself. After attending mass, these students (all men at this time), moved over to attend class in the educational building which was right across the street.

Jesuit Education since 1851! This is the motto and backbone of Saint Joseph's University. Hence, it was vital to plan, create, and build sites such as the Wolfington Welcome Center which opened in the 1890s, and the Chapel of Saint Joseph’s, which opened in 1992. The Wolfington Welcome Center has been a staple of SJU since the 1890s. This has always been a place to continue the Jesuit tradition which Saint Joseph’s values so highly. Back in the 1930’s the center was home to Priests and has always been the home of Campus Ministry, serving any purpose it needed to, to continue the Jesuit mission. Here in 2022 it still serves as a Welcome Center, Office of Mission Programs, and organizes many different events. Now onto the Chapel of Saint Joseph, this is a place for worship, mass, a place to pray. Built and ready for its first service in 1992, The Chapel has been a staple of SJU for over 25 years. The Chapel is where church service takes place, a place for worship and prayer. It's truly a beautiful Church, always open to anyone, and has a whole mass schedule which you can find along with much more info. This Chapel is a sacred holy piece of SJU that took over 25 years to think of, sketch, plan, and execute. What better way to instill the Jesuit values of Saint Joseph’s than by building a Chapel and Center to honor the Jesuit mission. Both the Center and the Chapel changed the school forever, honoring the Jesuits, Catholic priests, and educators who fought for and honored everything the Jesuit mission stands for. Turning back time to “Old Saint Joseph's.” In the mid-1800s, before both the center and chapel arrived on the campus, students gathered in swarms in a courtyard located at Saint Joseph’s church, in the city itself. After attending mass, these students (all men at this time), moved over to attend class in the educational building which was right across the street. Literally a precursor for what life on campus was soon to look like. So let's look at how these two university-altering sites came to be. 

The Wolfington Center was built in the 1890s to encourage the ideas of Faith, Ministry, and Service. This is the home of Campus Ministry and the Office of Mission Programs. Here you will find a welcoming atmosphere to relax, study, meet new friends, and find out more about our Campus Ministry programs. These programs include retreats, liturgy and worship, service and justice, and also Jesuit Tradition. This is very important because it backs and stands for exactly what SJU was founded upon- Ignatian Spirituality. “Saint Joseph's University was founded by the Jesuits — visionary Catholic priests and educators who prioritized social justice, the pursuit of excellence, service to others, and the development of the whole person, or, cura personalis.” Before it was sold in 2012, the Wolfington Center was the residence for the archbishops of Philadelphia since the 1930s. The center was the location in which the religious events, planning and more took place before the chapel was built 102 years later. It’s really interesting to think about the Chapel being planned within the Maguire Wolfington Center, which transformed the campus and added to the Wolfington Center Jesuit mission. 

The story of the Chapel could not be told without Margaret Gest. Gest was a steady contributor to group exhibitions in Philadelphia. She was a well-known and famous artist, as well as an author. From 1927-1960's she was very prevalent throughout Philadelphia while living right on Saint Joe's campus. She sold the space that she occupied to Saint Joe's on the terms she could live there until she passed away. During her stay, Gest had a wall built around her property to gain needed privacy from the university itself. The relationship between Gest and the University was strained, yet they both had a respect for one another. Sadly, Gest passed away in the year 1965. Shortly after her passing, the brainstorming for a huge chapel which took many many years to plan out, fundraise for and execute began. Without Gest living where she did and that estate being sectioned off through her life, who knows if the grand space for our Chapel would be around. Definitely would not be in such a prominent place on campus, as it is now.

The Chapel is a place of worship, a place for mass, a place to pray. This revolutionized religion, faith, and the Jesuit mission of Saint Joseph. Sacred holy piece of campus that took over 25 years to think of, draw up, plan, and execute. The Chapel itself is named after Rev. Michael J Smith, a former Jesuit priest of Philadelphia who was a “fixture” at Saint Joseph's since 1948. Before the Chapel was opened and celebrated in early October of 1992, the creation of the site was the main focus and took many years. After the idea of the Chapel being built was approved, an estimated cost of around 5.2 million dollars was brought up which was mainly fulfilled by around 5,000 alumni who made generous donations ranging anywhere from $500-$2,5000. Around eight months after the planning committee met, several architects presented several drawings and models for both the Chapel and the Center. The model presented a main chapel with around 550 seats, 40 seats daily liturgy chapel in a new building, and a glass enclosure leading to the main chapel that would connect the chapel with the ministry center. Inside the Chapel, two major components that made a statement and still do to this day are both the stained glass features and the organ. The stained glass was designed by Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen and was fabricated by Franz Mayer of Munich. The organ which was also another essential part of the chapel was constructed by the Hook Organ Company of Boston in 1868. At the opening ceremony for the Chapel in 1992, there were several important figures present including; Paul Henkels (chair of Saint Joseph’s board of trustees), Sue Ann Hickey (graduate, co-chair for funds), Gerald St John (President of the alumni association), and Rev Nicholas Rashford (Former President of Saint Josephs). Since the opening of the Chapel, there have been many important events that have taken place there. In September 2015, Pope Francis visited the Chapel and blessed the Synagoga and Ecclesia statue out front of the chapel. This event celebrated the Catholics engaging with and learning about movements that are non-Christian.

Both the Wolfington Center and Chapel are very significant pieces of Saint Joseph's history and the lasting legacy the University has. At the time that all of these additions were being added to the University, they kept in mind the different priorities that each new addition would have with the students and the University itself. An example of a campaign that they included when designing was the Jesuit idea of the Spirit, mind, and body. The Spirit is the chapel, the mind is the library addition, and the body is the addition of the athletic center. Altogether, this fits the Jesuit goal of the “whole person.” Both the chapel and the center continued to be a place where people would become one. They both serve as a home for community outreach activities that involve the students, faculty, and staff. Some events that have been held here are Hand in hand, Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens, and Project Mexico. All events where the community just comes together as one and celebrates life. The chapel and center will continue to be an essential part of the University for times to come and will leave an ever-lasting legacy.

“Margaret Gest subject files, Saint Joseph’s University Records, Saint Joseph’s University Archives and Special Collections.”

“Chapel Articles+Documents, F1, FBLD.0035, Saint Joseph’s University Records, Saint Joseph’s University Archives and Special Collections.” 

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Contosta, David R. Saint Joseph's, Philadelphia's Jesuit University: 150 Years. Saint Joseph's University Press, 2000.

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“Looking Back on Pope Francis' Visit to Hawk Hill.” Saint Joseph's University, https://www.sju.edu/news/looking-back-pope-francis-visit-hawk-hill.

“Gest Estate .” Hub.catalogit.app, https://hub.catalogit.app/5341/folder/entry/9d4e8930-a3b5-11eb-a9ae-eba7cf117015. Accessed 2 May 2022. 

“Old Saint Joseph's Church.” Theconstitutional.com, Constitutional Walking Tour Philadelphia, 3 Aug. 2018, https://www.theconstitutional.com/blog/2018/08/02/old-saint-josephs-church. Accessed 2 May 2022. 

Saint Joseph's University . Wolfington Center, Sju.edu. Accessed May 2nd 2022. https://sites.sju.edu/campusministry/wolfington-center/.

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“Groundbreaking Ceremony .” Hub.catalogit.app, Saint Joseph's University, 1991, https://hub.catalogit.app/5341/folder/entry/823d36f0-a3b5-11eb-a9ae-eba7cf117015. Accessed 2 May 2022.