About College of St. Benedict (Sacred Heart Chapel) · Saint Joseph, Minnesota
Sacred Heart Chapel is the Catholic worship space serving the College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a private women's Benedictine liberal arts college in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. The chapel is owned and operated by the Benedictine Sisters of Saint Benedict's Monastery, who also share it for their own monastic Liturgy of the Hours and daily Eucharist; CSB Campus Ministry hosts a weekly Sunday Student Mass there along with monthly Spanish-language Masses and seasonal celebrations. Rooted in more than a century of Benedictine tradition on the site, it functions as both the spiritual heart of the college community and a pilgrimage site within the Diocese of Saint Cloud.
- Established
- 1914 (chapel building; college founded 1913)
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Chapel is the spiritual center of the College of Saint Benedict, offering CSB students, faculty, staff, the Sisters of Saint Benedict's Monastery and the wider Saint Joseph community a place to gather for Sunday Eucharist, daily monastic Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours and seasonal celebrations. Visitors can worship alongside college students at the 6:00 p.m. Sunday Student Mass, join a once-a-month Spanish-language Mass with Los Mayordomos de Dios, or pray alongside the Benedictine sisters at their 10:30 a.m. Sunday Eucharist. The chapel is also a place of formation: CSB Campus Ministry runs OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) for students seeking Baptism, Eucharist or Confirmation, and recent Easter Vigils have welcomed dozens of new Catholics into the Church.
Mass times at College of St. Benedict (Sacred Heart Chapel)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Sunday Student Mass
- Saturday 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday 7:45 a.m.
- By appointment (320-363-7505, ext. 532; or via CSB Campus Ministry)
History of Sacred Heart Chapel
The chapel building was begun in 1911 and dedicated March 25, 1914, part of a project that also produced St. Teresa Hall. Bishop James Trobec blessed the cornerstone on October 13, 1912. Because Catholic churches are not consecrated until the building is free of debt, the chapel waited nearly thirty years for its consecration on October 24, 1943. Seventy years after construction, the Benedictine sisters launched a major renovation (1981–83) that reshaped the chapel to reflect post-Vatican II liturgical and spiritual sensibilities and added the three-level Gathering Place, with the new altar consecrated by Bishop George H. Speltz on October 24, 1983. The Noack organ was installed in 1985, and in 2015 the dome was repaired and the chapel received new eco-friendly windows and energy-saving lights.
- Cornerstone laid October 13, 1912 by Bishop James Trobec
- Officially opened March 25, 1914
- Consecrated October 24, 1943
- Renovation overseen by Sister Colleen Haggerty
- Architects: Hammel, Green and Abrahamson
- Liturgical/Design Consultant: Frank Kacmarcik
- New altar consecrated October 24, 1983 by Bishop George H. Speltz
- Noack organ installed 1985
- 2015 dome repairs and green upgrades
Architecture & Design
Architect George P. Stauduhar designed the chapel in a Roman Renaissance style with sixteen granite columns and a large dome ceiling that remains the chapel's most recognizable feature. The 1980s renovation preserved original Italian Siena marble pillars — both flanking the doors and supporting the Gathering Place — and reused the original marble statues of St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, Sacred Heart and the Virgin Mary. The base of the altar and the baptismal font even incorporate small pillars from the altars of the old chapel, a deliberate nod to continuity with the building's first century.
- Roman Renaissance style
- 16 granite columns, large dome ceiling
- Italian Siena marble pillars (original and preserved)
- Marble statues: St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, Sacred Heart, Virgin Mary
- Noack organ (1985)
- Three-level Gathering Place: top (events), middle (Oratory for Divine Office), bottom (Monastery Archives)
Sunday Liturgy
On Sundays the monastery community celebrates Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. and CSB Campus Ministry's Student Mass follows at 6:00 p.m. Approximately once a month, the Los Mayordomos de Dios team celebrates a Spanish-language Mass for students and the local community.
- Sunday 10:30 a.m. — Monastery Community Eucharist
- Sunday 6:00 p.m. — CSB Student Mass
- Approximately monthly — Misa en Español (Los Mayordomos de Dios)
Weekday Eucharist
The Benedictine sisters celebrate weekday Eucharist in Sacred Heart Chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m.
- Tuesday 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday 11:30 a.m.
Liturgy of the Hours
The monastic community gathers in the Monastic Oratory on the middle level of the Gathering Place to pray the Liturgy of the Hours — the ancient Benedictine pattern of morning, midday and evening prayer through hymns, psalms, scripture and silence.
- Morning Prayer: Mon–Fri 7:00 a.m.; Sat–Sun 8:15 a.m.
- Midday Prayer: Mon–Fri 11:30 a.m.
- Evening Prayer: varies (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri 5:00 p.m.; Thu 7:00 p.m.; Sat 7:00 p.m.)
Campus Ministry & Staff
CSB Campus Ministry, based in Murray Hall Suite 140, fosters the spiritual growth of students through worship, mentorship, reflection and service, grounded in Benedictine values and the Catholic tradition. The team is led by Director of Campus Ministry Cindy Gonzalez and includes both professional staff and student ministers, with the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict serving as essential partners in liturgical and spiritual life.
- Cindy Gonzalez — Director of Campus Ministry
- Sarah Barkley, Rito Reyes, Teresa Kopecky, Ana Popaca Santana, Jayda Francis, Mary Taraboi-Brown
- Courtney Huiras — Graduate Ministerial Assistant
- Noelle Aguilera, Karla Agustin Ambrocio, Pamela Arellano
- Office: Murray Hall Suite 140, 37 South College Avenue
Ministries & Programs
CSB Campus Ministry oversees the Sunday Student Mass and a range of liturgical ministries (lector, altar server, EMHC, hospitality, sacristan, liturgy planning). Los Mayordomos de Dios provides Spanish-language liturgy and community for Hispanic/Latine students. OCIA prepares adults for full initiation into the Catholic Church — most recently welcoming 33 Bennies and Johnnies at the Easter Vigil. The office also accepts online prayer requests and runs service and Benedictine-values programming rooted in the mission of CSB.
- Los Mayordomos de Dios (Spanish liturgy)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Liturgical ministries: Lector, Altar Server, EMHC, Greeter, Sacristan, Liturgy Planning
- Music Ministry
- Prayer Requests (online)
- Service and Benedictine Values programming
The College of Saint Benedict
Founded in 1913, the College of Saint Benedict is a private women's Benedictine liberal arts college in St. Joseph, Minnesota, sharing curriculum and resources with Saint John's University in Collegeville. The college grew out of St. Benedict's Academy, which traces back to four Benedictine nuns who arrived in Minnesota from Pennsylvania in 1857. CSB's motto is 'Sic Luceat Lux Vestra' — 'So Let Your Light Shine.' The college is a member of the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities and Phi Beta Kappa, and its 1,400+ students ('Bennies') are educated alongside 'Johnnies' from SJU in one of the country's most distinctive coordinate arrangements.
- Founded 1913 with 6 students; incorporated 1961
- Private women's liberal arts college, ~1,429 students (fall 2024)
- Benedictine, Roman Catholic affiliation
- Coordinate with Saint John's University (Collegeville)
- President: Brian J. Bruess
- Nickname: Bennies