Mary, Mother of Wisdom Chapel

About Mary, Mother of Wisdom Chapel

Mary, Mother of Wisdom Student Chapel is the dedicated Catholic worship space for the students of Saint Vincent College, located inside the Robert S. Carey Student Center at 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA. Built in 2003, the chapel is administered by the Office of Campus Ministry and serves as the daily gathering place for the college's Eucharistic, devotional, and sacramental life. It functions as a parish church for the campus community within the Diocese of Greensburg and is staffed by Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the same community that founded the college in 1846.

History of the Chapel and Campus Ministry

The chapel opened in 2003 as part of the Carey Student Center expansion and was dedicated to Mary under her title 'Mother of Wisdom,' reflecting the college's Benedictine commitment to seeking God through prayer and study (the 'wisdom' tradition of Saint Benedict). Saint Vincent College itself was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., on land that had been a Catholic mission since 1789. While the Archabbey Basilica (1892–1905, restored 1996) serves the monastic, seminary, and parish communities, the chapel was built specifically to bring daily Mass, Adoration, and Reconciliation into the heart of student life. The Office of Campus Ministry has grown alongside the chapel, launching service trips in 2007 and rotating its directorship among Benedictine priest-scholars.

• 2003 — Chapel dedicated within the Robert S. Carey Student Center
• 2007 — Campus Ministry begins organized alternative-break service trips
• 2021 — Fr. Maximilian Maxwell, O.S.B., begins term as director
• 2025 — Fr. Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B., named director of Campus Ministry; Fr. Maxwell appointed prior of Saint Vincent Archabbey

Mass and Worship Schedule

The chapel offers twelve Masses a week, timed around the academic day so that students, faculty, and staff can attend around classes. Two evening Sunday Masses (7:00 PM and 9:30 PM) accommodate weekend schedules, and a Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:30 PM fulfills the Sunday obligation.

• Monday–Friday — 12:05 PM
• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday — 4:15 PM
• Saturday Vigil — 4:30 PM
• Sunday — 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM

Campus Ministry Staff

The chapel is pastored by the Office of Campus Ministry under the direction of Benedictine priests and brothers of Saint Vincent Archabbey. The current director, Father Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B., is assisted by two professed Benedictine brothers and a lay coordinator of formation programs.

• Fr. Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B. — Director of Campus Ministry ([email protected])
• Ms. Bridget DiVittis — Assistant Director, Campus Ministry for Spiritual Formation (724-805-2025)
• Br. Jose Rosa, O.S.B. — Assistant to the Director (724-805-2350)
• Br. Francisco Whittaker, O.S.B. — Assistant to the Director

Faith Formation and Fellowship

Rooted in the Catholic tradition and the Rule of Saint Benedict, Campus Ministry forms students through OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults), Bible studies, men's and women's groups, and four annual retreats. The OCIA program prepares students who wish to become Catholic or to complete the sacraments of initiation; Bible studies are offered for freshmen, upperclassmen, and a midnight option, plus a Protestant group led by volunteer campus minister Pastor Kirt Conroy of Latrobe Alliance Church.

• OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) — for inquirers, catechumens, and Confirmation candidates
• Bible Studies — freshmen-only, upperclassmen, Protestant, and midnight options
• Women's Ministry — weekly small groups, Big/Little mentorship, Women's Ministry Nights
• Men's Ministry — 'The Legion' weekly gathering and the student Knights of Columbus council
• Four annual retreats — Men's, Women's, Advent, and Ignite
• Rooted Discipleship Group — Protestant worship and fellowship with Pastor Kirt Conroy

Service Trips and Mission Outreach

Since 2007, Campus Ministry has organized alternative-break service trips to places where Saint Vincent Archabbey's Benedictine monks serve on the foreign missions. Students have traveled to Alaska (National Shrine of St. Therese), Brazil (mission sites in Vinhedo and Jundiaí where Saint Vincent monks serve), Taiwan (orphanage and pastoral visits near Taipei), West Virginia (local food banks and rural ministry), and Rome. The trips are framed as encounters with Christ in the poor and marginalized.

• Alaska — service at the National Shrine of St. Therese
• Brazil — ministry with the Missionary Sisters of Christ in Vinhedo and Jundiaí
• Taiwan — teaching English at an orphanage and pastoral visits near Taipei
• West Virginia — local food bank service
• Rome — Benedictine pilgrimage

Respect Life and Community Outreach

Faith leads to action at Saint Vincent. The Respect Life Club organizes the annual pilgrimage to the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., with a special Mass for Life celebrated in the chapel and all-night Adoration kept by the Knights of Columbus before departure. Campus Ministry also sponsors Sports Friendship Day, high-school retreats, and visits to local nursing homes.

• Respect Life Club and annual March for Life
• Knights of Columbus student council
• Sports Friendship Day and high school retreats
• Nursing home visits

Liturgical Ministries and Hospitality

Students serve the chapel community as lectors, cantors, ushers, and ministers of hospitality. These roles are central to the Benedictine principle that liturgy is the work of the whole community (the 'opus Dei'), and Campus Ministry actively recruits student volunteers for each Mass.

• Lectors and cantors
• Ushers and hospitality ministers
• Mass intention and prayer request ministry (contact Fr. Thomas More Sikora)

Interdenominational Opportunities

While Mary, Mother of Wisdom Chapel is the Catholic worship center, Campus Ministry welcomes students of all faith traditions. A guide to local area churches of every denomination is available, and a partnership with Latrobe Alliance Church brings Protestant worship, Bible studies, and the annual Jubilee Conference (sponsored by the Coalition of Christian Outreach in Pittsburgh) onto the campus.

• Volunteer Protestant campus minister — Pastor Kirt Conroy, Latrobe Alliance Church
• Rooted Discipleship Group — Sunday evening worship, Bible study, and fellowship
• Jubilee Conference — annual 3-day Pittsburgh conference
• Testimony Nights — students share their faith stories

Visit and Contact

The chapel is located inside the Robert S. Carey Student Center on the Saint Vincent College campus at 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650. Visitors are welcome at any Mass or during Wednesday Adoration; prayer requests and Mass intentions may be sent to the director.

• Address — 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650
• Phone — 724-805-2350 (extension 2350 from any campus phone)
• Email — [email protected] (Fr. Thomas More Sikora, O.S.B.)
• Office — Campus Ministry, Carey Center, Saint Vincent College
• Diocese — Diocese of Greensburg