Summer wedding bells will soon ring again at Saint Mary's LeMans Hall Holy Spirit Chapel - an on-campus Catholic church that has not been utilized for weddings in several years - when the College re-opens its doors for couples in summer 2007.
The chapel is located on the third floor of the residence hall, and College alumnae can only schedule weddings during the summer months, Campus Ministry Director Judy Fean said.
It was available for weddings a few years ago, Fean said, but even though they were set to take place in the summer, scheduling became difficult because of unpredictable renovations such as plumbing and wiring.
Not knowing what to expect for the next few summers, the chapel was made temporarily unavailable for weddings.
Although the on-campus Church of Our Lady of Loretto has successfully remained open for weddings, many requests still came in for Holy Spirit Chapel after it became unavailable, Fean said.
Now that the chapel will open again next summer, many faculty and alumnae think it is thrilling that weddings can once again be held in such a beautiful place, Fean said.
"It's exciting for them to be able to come back to a place that's so important to them to celebrate a sacrament in their lives," she said.
As future Saint Mary's alumnae, College students are also intrigued by the idea of returning to their alma mater to wed.
"I would definitely consider getting married there," junior Erica Rath said. "It's gorgeous.
"I think it's an ideal place to get married except for the fact that it's in a dorm."
The reopening of the chapel has not been highly publicized yet, Fean said, but there are already a few requests for next summer.
An undetermined fee will be charged for couples to reserve the space, obtain rehearsal time, work with a wedding coordinator and hold the actual ceremony, Fean said.
The Office of Special Events will work with couples to do most of the coordinating for the events, but the department of Campus Ministry will take part in preparing couples for the sacrament.
