On Sept. 16th, Queens College students, faculty, and administrators gathered on the second floor of the Student Union to take part in a Mass, blessing the Catholic Newman Center’s newly renovated chapel.
The Mass and the subsequent unveiling of the new chapel marked the first major renovations done to The Catholic Newman Center in decades.
In a statement given to The Knight News prior to the event, President Frank Wu stated, “It is wonderful to see this chapel re-dedicated to serve our many students, we welcome catholic students and their families. We know it’s important for them to have a space such as this, which has existed since the student union was open.”
Since the Catholic Newman Center’s chapel first opened its doors in 1988, it has been the designated place for QC’s Catholic community to celebrate daily Mass. However, in September 2023, due to an overall increase in mass attendance, the chapel was no longer large enough to accommodate QC’s Catholic community, forcing daily Mass to be held in the multipurpose room outside the chapel.
The Most Rev. Robert J. Brennan, bishop of Brooklyn, presided over the Mass, blessing the space and officially naming it The Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel.
“I’m impressed that you would make this space for the Lord. This place where people could stop in the middle of a busy day and just offer a moment of prayer, giving praise to God, seek some help or ease, or just to have a moment alone with the Lord. So I’m glad that all of you saw that as a priority and that you did such important work, beautiful work, to make it happen.”
The renovations to the QC Catholic Newman Center Chapel were funded by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. Carlos Castaño and Guillermo Franco, the owners of C & GA Plus Interior Remodeling, the company contracted for the renovation, donated the chapel’s new altar and thousands of dollars worth of labor to the project.
Rev. Jose Diaz, Priest Chaplain at the QC Newman Center, describes the new chapel as a sanctuary where students, staff, and faculty can go and spend time in prayer, heart to heart.
The project is significant because it represents the return of the Eucharist to the chapel as Omar Cortez, the Newman Center campus minister, states, “We agreed to bring our identity back to the Eucharist and the chapel models that for us.” For Catholics the Holy Eucharist is the “real presence” of Christ’s divinity under the appearances of bread and wine, that can only be kept inside the Chapel.
In light of the renovation, the Newman Center also unveiled a new logo, designed by Leslie Cajamarca. It represents the idea that God is the Alpha and Omega, and incorporates the presence of the holy spirit and eucharist within a knight’s shield. Its colors were chosen to match the new chapel, with the hope that students will feel a sense of home when they see the logo.
Madeline Liu, the former president of the Catholic Newman Club, welcomes all by saying that it is a place that everyone can call home. She said: “I know we all get busy with work and school and going back home, but you’re always invited to the Newman Center.” She says that it ultimately “is a place for us, for the students.”The Newman Catholic Club is located in Student Union room 207. It is open from 10:00am – 7:00pm on Monday – Thursday when classes are in session. If you would like to learn more, please take a look at their website or stop by the center on the second floor at the Student Union. You can also follow them on Instagram at @qc.catholic
