About MIT Chapel · Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Tech Catholic Community (TCC) at MIT is the official Catholic campus ministry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, rooted in Cambridge, Massachusetts and serving the Institute's international community of students, faculty, and staff. Centered on its motto to "Pray. Learn. Serve. Together," the TCC celebrates Mass in MIT's iconic non-denominational MIT Chapel (the Eero Saarinen–designed cylindrical brick building on the Kresge Oval), offers daily and weekend Masses, Eucharistic adoration, confession, rosary, and Compline, and runs formation programming through FOCUS Bible studies, the MIT Thomistic Institute chapter, Tech Catholic Talks, liturgical ministries, and service projects including mission trips and the Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen outreach. The community is led by Catholic Chaplain and Director of Catholic Ministry Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W., a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston (one site lists it under the Diocese of Worcester, but Fr. Medas's own biography identifies him as an Archdiocese of Boston priest assigned to MIT).
- Rector
- Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W. (Catholic Chaplain and Director of Catholic Ministry)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston (Fr. Medas is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston; one third-party listing notes 'Diocese of Worcester' — likely incorrect given Fr. Medas's Archdiocese of Boston biography)
Why belong here
If you are an MIT student, faculty member, or staff — or simply a Catholic in the Cambridge area — TCC offers a daily Mass schedule (including three Sunday Masses at the MIT Chapel), weekday noon and evening Masses, and an unusually full prayer life: weekly Confession, Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Rosary, and Compline/Night Prayer, plus a monthly Saturday Devotion at St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center. Formation runs through FOCUS Bible studies, monthly MIT Thomistic Institute lectures, Tech Catholic Talks, and faith-formation programming, while service happens through FOCUS mission trips, the Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen, and liturgical ministries. As the TCC puts it, 'Pray. Learn. Serve. Together.'
Mass times at MIT Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (W11-Catholic Chaplain's Office)
- Wednesday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (MIT Chapel lower level)
- Anytime by appointment ([email protected])
Adoration times
- Tuesday 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM (MIT Chapel)
- Wednesday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (MIT Chapel)
About the Tech Catholic Community
The Tech Catholic Community (TCC) is the official Catholic presence on the MIT campus. As the chaplaincy's own homepage puts it, TCC 'fosters unity among our international community of students and faculty, giving them space to pray, learn, serve, and grow together.' It is organized around the motto 'Pray. Learn. Serve. Together.' and serves a body that is largely international — reflecting, as the chaplaincy says, 'the universality of the Church.' The TCC is led by Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W., Catholic Chaplain and Director of Catholic Ministry, with student leaders including a President, Vice President, Liturgical Chair, and Formation Chair.
- Official Catholic presence at MIT
- Motto: Pray. Learn. Serve. Together.
- Chaplain: Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W.
- Student leadership: President, VP, Liturgical Chair, Formation Chair
Bible Study & Faith Formation
Weekly Bible studies are organized by FOCUS (Fellowship Of Catholic University Students), led by campus missionary John Ortega. Broader formation is provided through Tech Catholic Talks (the TCC's own discussion series) and the MIT chapter of the Thomistic Institute, which hosts monthly lectures on 'today's big issues from a Thomistic perspective.' The TCC also points students to online Catholic resources (Aquinas 101, Thomistic Institute videos, CatholicTV Mass, Archdiocese of Boston livestreams).
- FOCUS Bible studies (contact: John Ortega)
- Tech Catholic Talks — weekly discussions
- MIT Thomistic Institute — monthly lectures
- Online resources: Aquinas 101, Thomistic Institute videos, CatholicTV Mass, Archdiocese of Boston
Service & Outreach
Service is one of the four pillars of TCC's identity. Students participate in FOCUS Mission Trips during winter, spring, and summer breaks, and the TCC sends volunteers into Boston for the Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen (passing out socks, sandwiches, and snacks). Liturgical ministries (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, lector) are also a core way members serve.
- FOCUS Mission Trips (winter, spring, summer)
- Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen (contact: Chris Johnstone)
- Liturgical ministries (contact: Fr. Michael)
- Service chairs and Catholic Charities / CRS links
The MIT Chapel
The MIT Chapel is the building where TCC celebrates its Masses, adoration, and prayer events. It is administered by MIT (not by the Catholic chaplaincy directly); the Campus Activities Complex manages access for the broader MIT community, and it is also used for memorial services, concerts, weddings, baptisms, and interfaith observances. MIT notes it was built to meet the needs of all faiths represented in the diverse MIT community.
- Non-denominational chapel administered by MIT's Campus Activities Complex
- Seats up to 140 people
- Used for religious services, memorial services, concerts, weddings, baptisms, and bar/bat mitzvahs
- Open visiting hours: Monday–Friday 10:00–11:00 AM and 1:30–2:30 PM
- Chapel organ accessible to experienced organists from the MIT community with CAC approval
Architecture & Design of the MIT Chapel
Designed by Eero Saarinen and dedicated in 1955 (completed 1956), the MIT Chapel is widely regarded as a landmark of mid-century modern architecture. Saarinen conceived it as 'a self-contained, inward-feeling environment,' with undulating brick walls, low rounded windows, and a shallow encircling moat that bounces reflected light into the dim interior. Sculptor Theodore Roszak added the spire, bell tower, and bell in 1956 (the bell was cast at the MIT foundry in Building 35), and Harry Bertoia designed the metal-leaf screen that hangs behind a plain marble altar. The chapel sits between Kresge Auditorium and the Kresge Oval, all part of Saarinen's masterplan, and has undergone several renovations — including a rebuilt moat — to keep the landmark watertight and welcoming.
- Architect: Eero Saarinen (dedicated 1955, completed 1956)
- Sculptor: Theodore Roszak (spire, bell tower, bell — added 1956)
- Altar screen: Harry Bertoia
- Materials: undulating brick, encircling moat, aluminum spire
- Initiated under MIT President James R. Killian, Jr. and Dean of Students Rev. Everett M. Baker
Clergy & Staff
The TCC chaplaincy is led by Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W., a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston ordained in 1988. He has served as Parochial Vicar at St. Patrick (Watertown) and St. Theresa of Lisieux (Billerica); as Director of the Apostolate for the Deaf in Boston; as Director of Pastoral Formation and Professor of Homiletics at St. John's Seminary; as Director of Clergy Personnel for the Archdiocese of Boston (appointed by Cardinal O'Malley in June 2010); and as pastor of two Archdiocese of Boston parishes. He also serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, currently as Wing Chaplain to the 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vermont.
- Fr. Michael B. Medas, M.S.W. — Catholic Chaplain / Director of Catholic Ministry
- Ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston, June 1988
- B.A. Philosophy & U.S. History, St. John's Seminary College (1984); M.Div., St. John's Seminary School of Theology (1988); M.S.W. with distinction, Gallaudet University (1996)
- Director of Clergy Personnel, Archdiocese of Boston (2010)
- Wing Chaplain, 158th Fighter Wing, USAF Reserve, Burlington, VT