Integration Design Group

A new Narthex was added to replace the inadequately sized original entry foyer, the roof was raised to add new clerestory windows. Custom furnishings and altar adorn the sanctuary which has been redesigned and redecorated with paint and stonework. The final Master Plan provides a phased, long term road map for the parish to revitalize existing buildings as well as grow into new facilities as the school and parish size continue to grow.

Integration Design Group envisioned a full remodel of the Chapel, Choir Area, and Sacristy, as well as minor finish updates throughout the residence area. The Nave and Sanctuary of the Chapel received a new vaulted and decorative ceiling, ornamental wood work, paint, and finishes, a new Chancel Arch, and a custom Grille separating the Choir from the Sanctuary. New Pews were commissioned, as well as a custom High Altar and Reredos to allow for both the Latin Mass and ordinary form of the Roman rite Mass. New Stained Glass was designed in collaboration with Conrad Schmitt Studios.

The master plan anticipates a new church, parish hall, offices, and formation spaces to accommodate the growth of the parish in the coming generations. The first phase includes the new 500-seat church and full site development. The church is designed as a beautiful space that can expand naturally to double the seating in the future. The design maintains clear focus on the sanctuary and the symbolism emphasizes the centrality of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The design elements draw from the life and ministry of St. John Paul II, especially his emphasis on Divine Mercy and devotion to the Blessed Mother. The new church building is expected to be completed and dedicated around Easter 2026.

The current project includes new brick arches, new sanctuary lighting, stone tile flooring on the sanctuary platform, new stone altar, and a complete decorative paint scheme. A new ceiling canopy over the main altar was built and new statuary placed in remodeled devotional areas.

The family asked Integration Design Group to develop the vision and carry out the detailed drawings for all elements of the project. IDG worked with a team of artisans in Verona, Italy to design and produce the marble altar with carved details, the altar rail, new stained glass windows, statuary, crucifix, one-of-a-kind floor mosaics, 4' by 8' cast bronze doors, and smaller details such as the custom candle brackets. IDG was responsible for the design of the custom millwork, stone flooring, vaulted ceiling, and lighting.

The new design incorporates two beautiful icons - each more than 8 feet tall - which were already present in the chapel, and from which the chapel receives its name. These traditional Byzantine-style icons, worthy in their own right, served as a source of inspiration for the project. They focus the attention of the worshipers toward the altar and monstrance, presenting the Host for Adoration.

Integration Design Group was responsible for the design of the new custom carved stone Altar, new decorative reredos with red onyx tile niches, new stone and wood altar rail with gold leaf engravings, new tile flooring, updated and integrated lighting, new paints, and new pews. Other aspects included an upgraded ventilation system, revised entrance windows, a new roof, and the addition of a new accessible restroom near the chapel entrance.

The new design creates a worthy space for communal worship and celebration of the Holy Mass. Light pours down through 5-foot clerestory windows beneath the raised center of the existing roof. Besides enlarging the Nave, an addition to the west front of the church provides a new narthex, a choir loft, confessionals, and devotional side chapels. A complete interior renovation transformed the sanctuary into a rich focus for the liturgical life of the parish. A dramatic arch sets the sanctuary apart as sacred space, surrounding the new baldachino which marks the location of the new altar and altar of repose.

In the future, the parish will install stained glass for all windows in the nave and narthex. Spaces for devotional artwork have been planned for future generations to fill.

Integration Design Group restored many of the historic elements that had been covered over in recent remodel efforts. A new barel vault was constructed, and the dome above the sanctuary was recovered. The resulting design is very clean and classical, with understated details and color palette.

The project included all new finishes, new pews and liturgical elements, remodeled sacristy spaces, and confessionals. New doors and a new ambry for the holy oils were installed. The lighting scheme highlights the deep chancel and the dramatic arch with the tabernacle pedestal and simple crucifix at the center of the composition.

The chapel is now visually grounded by a rich gold wall of venetian plaster in a particular mix of colors. New artwork was commissioned and includes a new tabernacle door which depicts the visitation of the angels to Abraham. IDG designed new liturgical furnishings, altar, ambo, pews, and benches, and stations of the cross.

The existing skylight was modified to receive a new artistic installation of hand-made colored glass to filter the bright daylight from above. IDG worked closely with a glass artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico on this unique piece.

Around the skylight is inscribed the text, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain" in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew - thus calling to mind the great liturgical hymn of praise sung by the angels in the Book of Revelation.

Centered on a new statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, specially commissioned for this project, the grotto has integrated spaces for students, staff, and guests to rest, pray, kneel, and light candles for particular intentions. Visitors approach from a long sweeping walkway that opens to the west, descending toward the river valley along a hillside. A tunnel provides protected access to the new University Center nearby, and an under-slab heating system allows students to visit the grotto during all seasons of the year. Local fieldstone integrates this project with the material palette employed elsewhere on the campus, and it emphasize the permanence of this place of prayer.

Located on the upper level of the new building, this chapel - named Occursus Domini, the Encounter of the Lord - will accomodate 40 students in a group setting, and is available for personal prayer as well.

The chapel's primary dedication is to the Woman at the Well, and is focused on the theme of "encounter" - a personal meeting and conversation with the Lord.

The chapel incorporates a broad wood surround as a frame for the simple tabernacle. The tabernacle is positioned in front of an alabaster screen. The alabaster panels diffuse the daylight from the windows behind, providing a soft glow.

The entry to the chapel offers an extended path, with a wood screenwall allowing for a transition from the active space of the residence hall into the contemplative space of the chapel.

As they enter the chapel, students find a space that focuses attention on the tabernacle, supported by commissioned iconography of three encounters - the Woman at the Well, Simeon in the Temple, and Mary Magdalene at the Tomb.

In addition to a full scope of design and planning services, Integration Design Group worked very closely with the General Contractor to develop a strategy for logistics and sequencing—enabling the parish ministries to continue in place during construction. The result is a well-integrated campus of buildings. The church has most prominence, and the offices, chapel, classrooms, and fellowship hall connect to it with a consistent aesthetic appearance.

IDG partnered with a local design firm to provide master planning services, and then proceeded to lead the design effort for the new church building. Included in the scope is a church to seat 550 occupants in a traditional cruciform configuration, with a large narthex and forty-foot tall ceilings.

Substantial site work was necessary to accommodate the new building and parking requirements.  The lower level of the building was left unfinished for a later phase of classrooms and parish offices.

IDG provided design guidance for all aspects of the project, including coordination of engineering consultants, and careful oversight of the construction process.

The church interior was brightened with a new paint scheme in which the dark roof trusses were painted, and the ceiling and walls received a new lighter color as well. Behind the altar, a new reredos panel was constructed in front of the existing parabola element to properly frame the new crucifix. The floor pattern at the narthex, with the parish insignia in bold blue tile is a highlight of the project. General facility improvements included roof replacement, site lighting, sidewalk replacement, stromwater drainage, etc.

Integration Design Group was asked to design a two-story addition to the existing parish hall building to accommodate these needs. The resulting construction integrates well with the existing building from 1995. A new patio was created as an amenity for the flexible classroom space on the upper level, and it extends over the parish offices’ entry below.

The interior design of the office and conference areas is a very clean, transparent design with rich color, light stained wood trim, and extensive glass between spaces. Daylight fills the rooms, even on the lower level of the building. The spaces in the upper level are flexible for gathering three separate groups or one event for 100 or more. The project was very successful, meeting many important needs with limited additional new building area.