The Chapel of St. Ignatius

We had our wedding ceremony at St. Ignatius. I was a student at Seattle U and loved how intimate and modern the chapel looked. The campus ministry was helpful in making sure all the requirements were put in place, although there were a few glitches due to staffing changes. If you plan to have a smaller wedding and were planning on a Catholic wedding, I would definitely recommend this venue. You must book it at least a half year in advanced.

A few years ago when I was taking classes at Seattle U, I would walk past this Chapel a few times a week.
I’ve never had an opportunity to worship here. But I have been here to meditate and pray. The Chapel is wonderful for that and I would highly recommend it to all. It has what the architects would say are very clean lines. I believe Lauren B has captured it well in her photo.
The Baptismal fount is equally beautiful and reminds me of the one in St Mark’s Cathedral’s. Alyssa has taken a equally beautiful picture of it. The inscription reads: «No barrier can divide where life unites: one faith, one fount, one spirit, makes one people»
So don’t do as I use to do, and run past this spiritual place. Regrettably, I only stopped toward the end of my time at SU.

Irony is attending mass at the extraordinary St. Ignatius when the sermon is about appreciating the ordinary things in life.
But there I was, on the 28^th Sunday of Ordinary time. It was 7.45PM and I was in Seattle with nothing to do on my last night in town. I had sworn off visiting downtown, the routine routes around skyscrapers and confusing one-​way streets of trips past seemed less than appealing on this rainy weekend. And nearly every visit in recent memory included a stop at St. Ignatius to admire its form and space with fellow architects and academics. Yet as I flipped through an architecture guide in my hotel room across town, my conscious was laying on the Catholic-​Guilt like a champ: «y’know you didn’t go to church this weekend… and you’ve never been there for mass…»
45 minutes, and a couple of hurried prayers for way-​finding later, I stood in front of the reflection pool, the chapel windows softly glowing the colors that typically wash the interior with light. The door stood ajar and the faint sound of the choir drifted outside into the night sky. I knew this would be an experience unlike any I had witnessed before.
While the space feels open and bright during the day, in the evening, and when the pews are full of people who’ve rushed in after the bells chime (and just moments before mass begins) the chapel transforms. No longer do you feel as if you are in a sculpture of light, but more of a cave church, where the weight of the dimly lit ceiling serves as an ever present reminder of the forces overhead. The acoustics are wonderful. A single voice easily floats across the chapel, but the true magnificence comes from the low, resonant voices of the congregation.
Comprised primarily of students of Seattle U, there’s a youthful energy to the mass. During my visit, the officiant was also a professor of chemistry, resulting in an educated and yet understandable homily. Like many college chapels and Newman Centers, there’s a sense of permanence and community, which always strikes me as odd, given an ever-​changing group of students each academic year. Still, the experience is genuine, and the familiar liturgical words speak volumes in the setting.
At times it can almost seem hard to concentrate here. There’s so much to take-​in, and more than once I found myself struck with a dumbfounded awe, as if I was discovering some of the nuances of Catholicism. This is one of those places that makes me appreciate my faith a little bit more, and feel a twinge of jealously for those who get to worship here regularly. But the truth is, we can’t all have our own extraordinary St. Ignatius…
… and I prayed that I could learn to appreciate that.

Recently a relationship fell flat. Within that, this building played a significant role. So, while I study/​practice architecture and this remains my favorite space in the world, the meaning of St. Ignatius in my life has become as personal as it is professional.
Today, I visited the chapel as a way to find some closure in what may (but most likely may not) prove to be a continued story. I thought I might be upset, or overly emotional. I wasn’t.
Sitting in my typical spot at the end of the aisle, the legs of the altar form the first and last letters of greek alphabet; Alpha & Omega. The letters symbolize «the eternity of god» but today they represented that it was here where it began, and it is here where should end and I’m okay with that.

I’m not the first person to say this… but this building takes my breath away. Although I have much more to learn about Steven Holl, and although I don’t consider myself a terribly religious person, this «stone box with seven bottles of light» has become so important to me lately.
Before even setting foot inside to witness how colors bounce of walls, and how each of the seven colors corresponds to a part of the program of Jesuit Catholic worship, I loved this building.
It’s amazing how it’s so modern and yet it represents a belief and a community that is so old. The building manages to encompass and represent both old and new and I think that’s an incredible feat to accomplish.
I’ve heard that when you visit during different times of the day, the light and its reflections of color are totally different. Additionally, the church is at it’s most brilliant when it’s gray outside. Which is perfect considering that most of our days here in the NW are gray. So much though went into the construction of this building that I can’t help but appreciate it.
I’m glad that it can be a structure that people adore for many reasons. Because it’s a house of worship and because it’s been built with so much thought and care. When I’ve walked by it I’ve bumped into architects who visit it just to witness how creative and unique it is. If I don’t stop visiting this church I just might convert to Catholicism!

Ditto and you can visit at Noon during the week for a small, quiet liturgy. If you need weaning back to church (the Catholic church), start here.

I can’t believe it took me this long to write about St. Ignatius Chapel. I am one of those Catholics basically in name only, but after years away from the church this little space brought me back… at least to come and meditate in a beautiful space. This chapel is amazing both inside and out. The reflection pool outside is a great place to sit and relax, especially on gorgeous summer days. Inside is an open space with alcoves and separate rooms that still create a free-​flowing experience.
The energy in this place is amazing and the fellow congregants are always super nice, especially since I go here alone. It is on Seattle U’s campus so it is mostly college kids, but I go on Sunday morning and there is a whole mix. The homilies are really engaging and pertinent and I always leave feeling refreshed. I have brought non-​Catholics here and they concur. I recommend this for anyone wishing to have an hour to reflect or who can appreciate really innovative architecture. It sure beats the church I have to go to this summer in Chicago…
FYI: this is a great place for weddings and I can only imagine how special and wonderful it would be to have a ceremony here…:)