An article for The Cathedral Times
by the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral
Join me!
And thanks to so, so many of you have contributed in good faith to this beautiful mission! I have been praying in the site of the Good Faith Chapel ever since we began planning, before we had even broken ground. And I loved praying in the former playground as we broke ground that wonderful Sunday, about eighteen months ago. And I have prayed as I walked through the dramatic progress of those walls, and those screens, and that transcendent oculus! And I look forward to more prayer!
Here is where we are: With the amazing expertise of our architectural and construction firms (Cooper Cary Architects, and Holder Construction Company), and with the faithful diligence of our own staff (David Rocchio and Dan Murphy and George Maxwell), the Good Faith Chapel is still set to be open by early July 2026. That is two months away!
There are so many pieces of this fine project that merit more attention! The floor of the Good Faith Chapel will be a classical labyrinth woven into the carpet; each floor will have a full ambulatory with windows on one side and art displays on the inside; the oculus at the top will always be open to whatever sky is there; the five interior screens will provide “variable stained glass windows;” all the liturgical chairs and the octagonal altar will be movable. In recent months, the sound-absorbing wood panel walls have been installed and other interior details — like glass, metal paneling, and tile flooring in the narthex — have been installed. AV systems are nearing completion. And on the outside, landscaping is in and several small seating areas for prayer and conversation are being assembled. As of last week, the Andrews Drive driveway has been repaved and is open again to two-way traffic!
And one of the additional special gifts we have been able to secure in this project is a copy of the famous Saint John’s Bible (from St. John’s, Collegeville, Minnesota), a modern version of an illustrated manuscript. That bible can be on display at various times, in the narthex of the chapel, but also in other places around the Cathedral campus. With that physical bible came the rights to the digital images of it; thus, we will have beautiful images of bible texts inside the Good Faith Chapel! Next week, many of us will be part of an introductory training session about that bible! (Contact David Rocchio if you would like to be a part of that training on Saturday, May 16.)
Meanwhile, we still need and welcome gifts of financial support! We are almost at our goal, having raised $30,602,523 of the $31,000,000 goal. One generous benefactor has pledged $1000 for every new pledge, of any amount. That could mean $250,000, if we receive 250 new pledges. Every one of us can be a generous benefactor! Your pledge of any size indicates your commitment to a new generation of prayer on this beautiful cathedral campus. (We already have 260 pledges of $10,000 and under!) Join me! Be a part of the joy and creative faith of the Good Faith Chapel!
Blessings to you!
The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler
Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip