Groundbreaking Announced for Chapel at Hillsdale College
Planned in the heart of campus, groundbreaking for the 27,000 sq. ft. Christ Chapel is set for this spring
Hillsdale, Mich. — Hillsdale College today announced it will break ground on a new campus chapel on April 6 during its Spring Convocation. Named for the Philadelphia church near the meeting place of the Continental Congress, the 27,000-square-foot Christ Chapel will join Central Hall as one of the College’s two most significant buildings on campus.
“The two chief ways of knowing are reason and faith,” said Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College. “There has never been a great university that was not heavily concerned with the question of God. There has never been serious Christian practices that was not heavily concerned with learning. This chapel will be a daily reminder of this central fact. It will be where the entire Hillsdale College family can learn, grow, and find inspiration. Its location in the middle of everything is profoundly intentional.”
With 27,000 square feet and seating for 1,350 people, Christ Chapel will be a non-denominational space for students, faculty, and staff members to practice their faith on campus. The chapel will also offer much-needed space for college ceremonies, concerts, and religious services. It will have two organs and accommodate the full student orchestra and choirs.
Jack and Jo Babbitt generously provided a leadership donation to begin construction. Duncan Stroik, a professor of architecture at Notre Dame University and a leading designer of sacred spaces throughout the United States, designed the chapel.
Those interested in more information or to support Hillsdale College’s Christ Chapel should visit hillsdale.edu/christ-chapel.