More than 2,000 Notre Dame students attend Mass at outdoor ice chapel

It isn’t every day that 2,000 college students attend Mass at an outdoor chapel made of ice in 19-degree weather singing “In the Bleak Midwinter,” but that’s exactly what happened at the University of Notre Dame Feb. 2.

After 38 inches of snow fell on the campus, seniors Wesley Buonerba and Martin Soros, residents of the university’s Coyle Hall, built a chapel from ice and snow. 

“Soros, a civil engineering major, and Buonerba, who studies architecture, spent over 50 hours constructing the chapel,” the university stated on Facebook. “Everything from the crucifix, candle holders, cross, and altar was created or carved from a mixture of snow and water.”

The chapel, which boasts “stained-glass” windows made of ice, was christened “St. Olaf’s,” after the 11th-century Norwegian saint. 

When asked why the chapel was named for Saint Olaf, the university’s official X account posted, 

“St. Olaf was a Viking warrior saint who served as king of Norway and converted that nation to Christianity,” the post said. “He's also the patron saint of snow and cold weather.”

The Mass was celebrated by Father Peter McCormick, the university’s assistant vice president for campus ministry. On Facebook the University of Notre Dame reported more than 2,000 students attended the liturgy.The university reports a total of just under 9,000 undergraduate students, meaning that more than one-fifth of the total undergraduate student body attended the Mass.

In a Feb. 4 emailed interview, Fr. McCormick told Zeale News that Mass at the ice chapel taught a valuable lesson

“The ice chapel was a quiet reminder that sacred space isn’t defined by permanence or polish,” he said. “When students carve out a place for prayer in the middle of winter, they are saying something profound about what they value and about where they believe God meets them.”