KATIE DIARY

Katie Diary

BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17

ARCHBISHOP OF ST. PAUL JOHN MURRAY ADDRESSES STUDENTS AND SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET DURING A 1937 SODALITY MEETING.

Photo/University Archives

Since its dedication in 1924, Our Lady of Victory Chapel has been an icon at the heart of campus. Poised atop the second-highest hill in St. Paul, the Chapel has long served as a beacon of light and justice in our community and as a beloved haven for both individual and communal spiritual reflection. The space is a quintessential setting for many landmark moments in the lives of our community members. For students, it’s a full-circle experience — from a first-year’s opening convocation to a graduate’s closing convocation — and is punctuated by Masses, academic inductions, and musical performances. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and families all convene among its pews to share in times of great difficulty and great joy.

Now, its upcoming 100-year anniversary in 2024 also honors the first St. Catherine president, Mother Antonia McHugh, whose legacy is embedded into the Chapel’s rich history. Beloved St. Kate’s anecdotes detail her storied persistence in its development. “Sister Antonia asked to build a chapel,” Archbishop Austin Dowling said, “but she built a cathedral” —and her keen vision for its future at the center of the St. Catherine community.

Mother Antonia was a woman with vision and tremendous energy, who marshaled donors, builders, and the community to erect a building that embodies the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the St. Catherine mission. In the spirit of her indomitable vision, we dedicate one of the pillars of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence to ensure this beloved icon remains preserved as we see it today for another century to come.

THE EARLY STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION FOR OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL, WHICH WAS COMPLETED AND DEDICATED IN 1924.

Photo/University Archives