A Chapel Full of Memories

By Samantha Chater

For generations of Victoria College alumni, the chapel has been more than just a beautiful space— it’s where lifelong memories were made. We invited members of the Vic community to share their wedding day stories and what the chapel meant to them.

“Ours was a small family wedding in August 1972 with just our immediate family, and I remember it being incredibly hot—there was no air conditioning at all in the chapel back then. I was going into my fourth year at Vic and the chapel just felt like the right place. My husband Craig wasn’t a Vic student, but he spent so much time on campus helping with the annual Vic Book Sale, people thought he was a professor! Years later, after Craig passed away in 2015, we held his celebration of life in the chapel and I’ve been back for many book sales since. Each year, when volunteers set up the sale in the chapel, I feel his spirit there. It’s a special place full of memories for our family.” — Nancy Ruhnke Vic 7T3, member and former chair of the Friends of Victoria University Library

“My husband Helios and I were married at the Vic Chapel on Sept. 1, 1973, on what was, believe it or not, the coolest day of the week at 30 C. At the rehearsal, it was even hotter. Rev. Lutz wore Bermuda shorts and I came in a light summer dress. After the ceremony, while I signed the final paperwork, the wedding party drank all the ice water we’d brought, leaving me with only the cubes! Despite that funny little moment, we’re coming up on our 52nd anniversary. The chapel still holds a special place in our hearts, and we treasure the photo of everyone gathered on the front steps.”

— Marilyn Hernandez Vic 7T1

Christy and I were married in the Vic Chapel on Aug. 22, 1986, a glorious and sunny day, and not coincidentally, my mum Elisabeth’s birthday. Vic campus was a second home and oasis for us. Christy’s father, Prof. John M. Robson, edited The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill in ‘the Mill Room,’ and her mum, Dr. Ann Robson, taught Victorian studies at University College. Christy was an exceptional Vic student. She graduated in 1988 with a 4.0 GPA, won the Lincoln Hutton Essay Prize and many other scholarships. I was EngSci 8T5, far to the south end of campus (I also managed to pass and graduate). The Vic Chapel was the natural place for us to formalize our bond. The stained glass spoke to us both. I remember looking up on our wedding day and seeing the words carved in stone above the archway of the chapel, all caps: ‘THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.’ They are words to live by—as I have tried to do ever since.”

— James Benson (Ben) Bacque