About St. Edward's University (Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel) · Austin, Texas
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel is the Catholic worship center at St. Edward's University, a Holy Cross institution founded in 1877 on a hilltop just south of downtown Austin, Texas. The chapel is at the spiritual heart of campus: a simple wood-frame building originally built in 1897 that has served as theater, engineering shop, and even a WWII armory before becoming a chapel, and was thoroughly renovated and re-dedicated on October 21, 2014. Campus Ministry celebrates daily noon Mass on weekdays and two Sunday Masses during the school year, and tends to the sacramental, retreat, service, and pastoral counseling needs of the Hilltopper community. The chapel is open 24 hours a day to members of the campus community via Hilltopper ID card.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- Our Lady Queen of Peace
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel welcomes the whole St. Edward's University community — students, faculty, staff, and alumni — into a liturgically active Catholic and Holy Cross community where faith, learning, service, and social justice meet. Daily noon Mass, two Sunday Masses during the school year, weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary, Bible study, retreats, sacramental preparation (including Confirmation), pastoral counseling, and liturgical ministry opportunities let any Hilltopper find a place to pray, serve, and grow. All programs are built on Holy Cross values of retreat, faith development, critical thinking, service, social justice, inclusiveness, and global responsibility.
Mass times at St. Edward's University (Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:00 PM
- By appointment — contact Fr. Rick Wilkinson or Fr. Lou Brusatti
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00–7:00 PM — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel is open 24 hours a day to members of the campus community (Hilltopper ID Card required), with Perpetual Adoration available
History of Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel
Originally built in 1897 and the oldest unreconstructed building on the St. Edward's University campus, the modest wood-frame structure has served as an engineering shop, woodworking and blacksmith shop, theater, bowling alley, and during World War II a shooting range and armory, before becoming the Catholic chapel at the heart of the Hilltopper campus. The chapel is set in a grove of centuries-old live oaks and towering cedar elms, with a century-old oak floor and white pine walls. After a nearly two-year renovation it was blessed and re-dedicated on October 21, 2014, with a renewed interior, an adjoining Campus Ministry building, and a 1.5-acre contemplative garden.
- Original construction: 1897
- Re-dedicated: October 21, 2014
- Pollen Architecture & Design (Elizabeth Alford and John Algood) led the renovation
- Ten Eyck Landscape Architects designed the surrounding garden
- EEA Consulting Engineers (MEP), Lumen Architecture (lighting), Sabre Commercial (builder)
Liturgical Art, Furnishings & Sustainable Craft
The 2014 renovation was guided by a Holy Cross philosophy of meeting students where they are and helping them fashion something new — and the chapel's new furnishings literally embody that. Austin-based artisans Mark Macek (lead), Rebecca Cantos-Busch, Kathleen Ash, and Hawkeye Glenn hand-crafted the altar, tabernacle, crucifix, baptismal font, ambry, lectern, and candle stands from storm-fallen elm and other campus trees, adding to the original white-pine walls and the restored century-old oak floor. Four small crosses marking where the walls were blessed were made from pieces of the Sorin Oak that fell after a lightning storm. The original pews were donated to an impoverished chapel in south Texas, and the original custom cabinetry, built on site when the chapel was constructed, was saved and refurbished. The garden's rainwater-fed water feature and native plantings make the landscape a model of sustainability.
- Mark Macek, Macek Furniture Company (lead artisan)
- Rebecca Cantos-Busch (carved Christ figure for crucifix)
- Kathleen Ash (fused-glass baptismal font basin)
- Hawkeye Glenn (candle stands)
- Sorin Oak wood used in wall-blessing crosses
- Original pews donated to a chapel in south Texas
Mass & Worship Schedule
During the school year, the chapel hosts a full weekly worship rhythm: a noon Mass every weekday, and two Sunday Masses — 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. In summer the 9:00 p.m. Mass is suspended; only the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass continues. The 9:00 p.m. Sunday Mass is also not celebrated on Spring Break (March 14), Easter Sunday (April 5), or after May 4. Call the office (512-448-8499) to confirm celebration during holidays, Holy Days of Obligation, and school breaks. For a larger Mass schedule, the campus points visitors to its parish, St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church.
- Weekday Mass: Monday–Friday at noon
- Sunday Mass (Fall & Spring): 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
- Sunday Mass (Summer): 10:30 a.m. only
- Office: 512-448-8499 to confirm holiday/break schedules
Sacraments at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel
Campus Ministry coordinates the celebration of the Sacraments for the St. Edward's community. Baptism of children is offered for children of current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, with baptismal preparation for parents and godparents coordinated through St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church (contact Medina Bills). Catholic weddings are open to current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, with couples prepared in their respective parishes (contact Medina Bills). Sacramental Preparation — for those asking questions about the Catholic faith, interested in joining the Church, or already Catholic and seeking Confirmation — is offered through weekly classes each Fall semester; already-Catholic candidates are Confirmed by the Bishop in December, while those baptized in another Christian church or never baptized are fully received in the Spring. Reconciliation is available by appointment and on Sundays.
- Baptism for Children (parents/godparents prepared through St. Ignatius Martyr)
- Marriage (for current students, faculty, staff, alumni)
- Sacramental Preparation / Confirmation / RCIA-OCIA (Fall weekly classes)
- Reconciliation (Sunday & by appointment)
- Sacramental coordination: Medina Bills; Sacramental Prep: Josh Stagni
Liturgical Ministries
All are called to participate actively in the liturgy through song, prayer, silence, and ritual action, and specific liturgical ministries are open to any student who wishes to serve. Training sessions are held near the beginning of each semester; to sign up or learn more, contact Josh Stagni.
- Lectors — proclaim the Scriptures during Mass
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — distribute the Body and Blood of Christ
- Altar Servers — assist the celebrant during Mass
- Music Ministers — any singer or instrumentalist may join a choir and rehearse with that choir
- Ministers of Hospitality — welcome the assembly, collect the offering, and carry it to the altar
Campus Ministry Programs & Holy Cross Values
All programs of Campus Ministry are built on the values of the university's Holy Cross identity: Retreats, Faith Development and Moral Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Service, Social Justice, Inclusiveness, and Global Responsibility and the Common Good. In addition to liturgical and sacramental life, the office runs retreats, small groups and Bible studies, faith formation, service and social-justice immersion, and pastoral counseling available to students, faculty, and staff of all faith traditions. Small groups and Bible studies meet Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Brothers of Holy Cross Community Room at Campus Ministry.
- Retreats
- Faith Development and Moral Reasoning
- Critical Thinking
- Service
- Social Justice
- Inclusiveness
- Global Responsibility and the Common Good
- Small Groups / Bible Study — Tuesday 7:00 PM, Brothers of Holy Cross Community Room
Pastoral Counseling & Spiritual Direction
Pastoral Counseling is available to students, faculty, and staff of all faith traditions who wish to deepen their relationship with God, have questions about practicing their faith, hope to discern or prepare for major life decisions, or otherwise seek to integrate spirituality more fully into daily life. Appointments are arranged through the campus ministers.
- Josh Stagni
- Liza Manjarrez
- Fr. Lou Brusatti
- Fr. Rick Wilkinson
Contemplative Spaces Across Campus
Beyond Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel, St. Edward's offers a rich variety of contemplative spaces for prayer, reflection, and meditation — including the Muslim Prayer Room (Ragsdale 320), the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, the historic Sorin Oak, the All-Faiths Claire Kolodzey Memorial Garden (next to the Chapel), and a number of quiet courtyards and gardens around campus.
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel
- Muslim Prayer Room (Ragsdale 320)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
- Sorin Oak
- All-Faiths Claire Kolodzey Memorial Garden
- Brothers of Holy Cross Garden
- Multiple named courtyards (Fleck, Equity, Moody, RAC, Fondren, Premont)
Staff & Contact
Campus Ministry is housed in the Brother Stephen Walsh, CSC '62 Campus Ministry building, connected to Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at 3001 S Congress Ave, Building SWCM, Austin, TX 78704. Office hours are Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–noon and 1:00–5:00 p.m.; phone 512-448-8499; email [email protected].
- Fr. Rick Wilkinson, CSC
- Fr. Lou Brusatti, CSC
- Brother Stephen Walsh, CSC '62 — Director of Campus Ministry
- Josh Stagni
- Liza Manjarrez
- Medina Bills (Sacraments)
- Alissabella Adame (Spiritual Development Coordinator)
Heritage: St. Edward's University & the Congregation of Holy Cross
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel stands within St. Edward's University, a Catholic and Holy Cross institution founded in 1877 by Father Edward Sorin, CSC, on farmland south of Austin donated by Austin widow Mary Doyle. The school was named for Sorin's patron, King Edward the Confessor, and grew from a class of three farm boys in a makeshift Doyle farmhouse (1878) to an academy chartered as a college in 1885 and a university in 1925. The same Congregation of Holy Cross, founded in 1837 in Le Mans, France, by Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, founded the University of Notre Dame in 1842; Father Sorin led that earlier American mission before coming to Texas at the invitation of Bishop Claude M. Dubuis of Galveston. The chapel and its ministry are a direct expression of that 19th-century Holy Cross mission of education, faith, and service in central Texas.
- St. Edward's University founded 1877 (first classes 1878)
- Founder: Father Edward Sorin, CSC
- Congregation of Holy Cross founded 1837 in Sainte-Croix, France, by Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau
- University named for Sorin's patron, St. Edward the Confessor
- Chartered as a college in 1885; as a university in 1925