About Columbus School of Law (Mary Mirror of Justice chapel) · Washington, District of Columbia
Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel is the official chapel of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, located in Washington, D.C. Dedicated and blessed on February 13, 1996, the small chapel seats 25 adults comfortably and is open to the entire university community — law, graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. Daily Mass is celebrated there at 12:30 p.m. during the academic year, and the chapel is reserved for Catholic worship under university policy. Its distinctive feature is an area where students can draw their prayers and intentions in the sand, making it a contemplative sanctuary at the heart of one of the nation's premier Catholic law schools.
- Established
- 1996
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary under the title 'Mirror of Justice' (Speculum Iustitiae)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel offers law students, faculty, and staff a daily opportunity to pause from rigorous study and gather for Mass at 12:30 p.m., a rare midday rhythm of prayer in the middle of a busy academic week. It is intentionally intimate and contemplative, with its distinctive sand-prayer area inviting personal reflection. Open to the entire CUA community and part of a broader Catholic identity that includes the Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers and the annual Mirror of Justice Lecture Series, the chapel connects worship to the law school's mission of pursuing peace with justice through the law.
Mass times at Columbus School of Law (Mary Mirror of Justice chapel)
Weekly Mass schedule
About Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel
Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel is the official chapel of the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America. Located on the third floor of the Law School, it was dedicated and blessed on February 13, 1996. The small chapel seats 25 adults comfortably and is open to the entire campus community, including law, graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. Daily Mass is celebrated there at 12:30 p.m.
- Dedicated and blessed: February 13, 1996
- Capacity: 25 adults
- Handicap accessible
- Open to the entire CUA community
- No confessionals or musical instruments
History and Dedication
The chapel was formally dedicated and blessed on February 13, 1996, taking its name from the traditional Marian title 'Mirror of Justice' (Speculum Iustitiae). Its establishment reflected the law school's commitment to rooting its legal education in Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition. While the chapel itself dates to 1996, the related Mirror of Justice Lecture Series had been inaugurated in 1989, sponsored by the Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers, to honor Mary under that same title and to encourage lawyers and scholars who advance peace with justice through the law.
- Dedicated February 13, 1996
- Named for Mary under the title 'Mirror of Justice'
- Mirror of Justice Lecture Series founded 1989
Mass and Liturgical Life
During the academic year, daily Mass is celebrated at 12:30 p.m. in Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel for the university community. The chapel is reserved for Catholic worship under university policy, though the broader CUA community of every faith background is welcomed into the law school's spiritual life. The chapel's contemplative character — no musical instruments, no confessionals — supports its role as a quiet worship and prayer space at the heart of the law school.
- Daily Mass: 12:30 p.m. Monday–Friday (academic year)
- Reserved for Catholic worship per university policy
- No musical instruments
- Handicap accessible
Sand-Prayer Area
One of the chapel's most distinctive features is an area where students can draw their prayers and intentions in the sand. This tactile, contemplative practice invites students to bring their personal, academic, and vocational concerns before God in a deeply personal way, reflecting the chapel's purpose as a sanctuary for interior reflection amid the demands of legal study.
- Unique sand area for drawing prayers and intentions
- Encourages personal, contemplative prayer
Catholic Identity at the Law School
The chapel is one expression of the Columbus School of Law's broader Catholic identity, which also includes the Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers student organization, Law and Social Justice Initiatives and Clinics, and pro bono programs encouraging a lifelong commitment to using the law for the common good. Several academic centers embody the law school's commitments: the Center for Law and the Human Person (dignity of every human life), the Center for Religious Liberty (religious freedom as a fundamental human right), the Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (Catholic thought and American constitutionalism), and the Separation of Powers Institute (the federal constitutional framework).
- Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers
- Center for Law and the Human Person
- Center for Religious Liberty
- Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
- Separation of Powers Institute
- Law and Social Justice Initiatives and Clinics
- Pro bono programs
Mirror of Justice Lecture Series
Inaugurated in 1989 and sponsored by the Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers, the Mirror of Justice Lecture Series honors Mary under her title 'Mirror of Justice.' The series recognizes and encourages lawyers and scholars who, through scholarship, research, and teaching, clarify and advance the pursuit of peace with justice through the law.
- Founded: 1989
- Sponsor: Saint John Paul II Guild of Catholic Lawyers
- Recognizes lawyers and scholars advancing peace with justice through law
Chapel Use Policy
University policy reserves Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel (along with the other university chapels) for Catholic worship alone. Requests for use are subject to approval by the Office of Campus Ministry. Eligible users include university students, faculty, staff and their organizations; alumni; non-University Roman Catholic groups in good standing with the Archdiocese of Washington; and other groups whose requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Official university liturgies, registered student groups, and faculty/staff/alumni organizations are not charged; other authorized users pay a $150 chapel fee (including a $30 sacristan fee). Music recitals may be approved case-by-case by the University Liturgy Coordinator.
- Reserved for Catholic worship
- Use approved by Office of Campus Ministry
- $150 chapel fee for one-time non-university use (plus sacristan fees)
- Music recitals considered case-by-case
Location and Accessibility
The chapel is located within the Columbus School of Law building at The Catholic University of America, 3600 John McCormack Road NE, Washington, DC 20064. The law school sits on the CUA campus in Northeast Washington, within easy reach of the Brookland-CUA Metro station on the Red Line. The chapel is handicap accessible, and campus parking is available near the law school.
- Address: 3600 John McCormack Road NE, Washington, DC 20064
- On the campus of The Catholic University of America
- Handicap accessible
- Near Brookland-CUA Metro station (Red Line)
Contact
For information about the chapel or the law school's Catholic identity programs, the Columbus School of Law can be reached through its main admissions line and email. Mass and chapel use are coordinated through CUA's Office of Campus Ministry.
- Phone: 202-319-5151
- Email: [email protected]
- Chapel use: Office of Campus Ministry