About St. Michael College Chapel · Colchester, Vermont
The Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel is the Catholic chapel and spiritual heart of Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, serving the college community and members of the surrounding area. Originally dedicated on September 29, 1965, it anchors the eastern end of the college's central green, paired with Durick Library at the west end. The chapel is served by the Edmundite Campus Ministry, the pastoral arm of the Society of Saint Edmund (S.S.E.), the Catholic religious congregation that founded the college in 1904. Daily and Sunday Masses, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a vibrant Liturgical Choir prayerfully mark life here during the academic year.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Carter, S.S.E. '12 (Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Burlington (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
The chapel offers daily and Sunday Mass during the academic year alongside the praying of Morning and Evening Prayer with the Edmundite community, and welcomes both Catholic and non-Catholic students, faculty, and visitors into a Catholic intellectual and devotional life shaped by nearly 120 years of Edmundite tradition. Its retreat program (anchored at Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte), an acclaimed student Liturgical Choir, peer ministry, and broad service opportunities through M.O.V.E. and the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice make it easy to find a place to belong, serve, and grow in faith.
Mass times at St. Michael College Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Fourth Sunday of each month after each Mass
- By appointment at any time (contact Edmundite Campus Ministry office)
About the Chapel
The Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel is the principal Catholic worship space of Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. Dedicated on September 29, 1965, it has long served as both the spiritual heart and the architectural anchor of the college's central Quad, paired visually with Durick Library at the opposite end of the green. The chapel is staffed and animated by the Edmundite Campus Ministry, the pastoral outreach of the Society of Saint Edmund (S.S.E.) — the religious congregation that founded Saint Michael's in 1904.
- Dedicated September 29, 1965
- Diocese: Burlington (Roman Catholic)
- Served by the Society of Saint Edmund (Edmundites)
- Anchors the eastern end of the central Quad
History of the Chapel and College
Saint Michael's Institute was founded in 1904 by Edmundite priests and brothers who had come to Vermont from France in the late 19th century and bought the original Winooski Park farmland from a local farmer, Michael Kelly. The school grew slowly for its first four decades, reaching about 250 students by the end of World War II. With postwar veterans, enrollment expanded to roughly 1,145, and as the school matured into a full American-style college in the 1950s and 60s, its campus was reshaped.
- Founders Hall built in 1904; Jeanmarie Hall in 1921
- Postwar enrollment surge; college adopts 'Saint Michael's Plan' under Fr. Gerald E. Dupont, SSE
- Chapel site was previously the college's athletic fields
- Chapel dedicated 1965; Durick Library built 1968
- Saint Michael's became fully co-educational in 1970
Edmundite Heritage
The Society of Saint Edmund takes St. Edmund of Canterbury, the 13th-century Archbishop of Canterbury, as its patron saint. He taught at Oxford and Paris, helped build Salisbury Cathedral, and is buried at Pontigny, France — the place where the Society of Saint Edmund first began in 1843. Edmundite migration to Vermont in the late 19th century led directly to the founding of Saint Michael's. Today the college's Division of Edmundite Mission oversees Campus Ministry, M.O.V.E., the Institute for Equity and Justice, and the Edmundite Centers for Faith and Culture and for Peace and Justice.
- Society of Saint Edmund founded at Pontigny, France (1843)
- Edmundites arrived in Vermont in the late 19th century
- Founded Saint Michael's Institute in 1904
- Core values: social justice, education, spiritual renewal, ministry
Liturgy of the Hours
In keeping with the Catholic tradition of the Church's daily prayer, Morning Prayer is prayed each weekday at 7:30 a.m. in the College Chapel's Back Altar Space, and Evening Prayer is celebrated with the Society of Saint Edmund at 5:10 p.m. in Nicolle Hall Chapel.
- Morning Prayer — M–F, 7:30 a.m., College Chapel – Back Altar Space
- Evening Prayer with S.S.E. — 5:10 p.m., Nicolle Hall Chapel
Liturgical Music
The Saint Michael's College Liturgical Choir and Ensemble is the chapel's principal ensemble and is open to undergraduates as well as members of the wider worshipping community. Its mission is to facilitate sung prayer at most Sunday liturgies and all major feasts of the liturgical year. Under Jerome Monachino '91, the group is noted for an original, eclectic style that mixes African, Latin American, and Irish flavors with traditional hymnody.
- Director: Jerome Monachino '91
- Composed primarily of undergraduates plus community members
- Sings most Sunday liturgies and all major feasts
Campus Ministry Staff
The Edmundite Campus Ministry team is led by clergy of the Society of Saint Edmund and supported by lay professional staff, all working out of the Alliot Student Center and the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel. Fr. Michael Carter, S.S.E. '12, serves as Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry. Fr. Marcel Rainville, S.S.E. '67 and Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E. '86 serve as Campus Ministers. Jerome Monachino '91 is Associate Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry and Director of Liturgical Music. Fr. David Theroux, S.S.E. '70 is the inaugural Vice President of Edmundite Mission.
- Fr. Michael Carter, S.S.E. '12 — Director
- Fr. Marcel Rainville, S.S.E. '67 — Campus Minister
- Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E. '86 — Campus Minister
- Jerome Monachino '91 — Associate Director / Liturgical Music
- Fr. David Theroux, S.S.E. '70 — VP of Edmundite Mission
Retreats and Spiritual Formation
The Campus Ministry office coordinates a robust retreat ministry for students and the broader community. Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte serves as the college's satellite retreat campus. Retreat programming, faith-sharing at meals, and personal spiritual counseling complement the chapel's daily liturgical life, and explicitly welcome Catholic and non-Catholic students alike.
- Saint Anne's Shrine, Isle La Motte — satellite retreat campus
- Spiritual counseling
- Faith-sharing at meals
- Retreats for personal spiritual growth
Service, Justice, and Outreach
The Edmundite social mission is lived out through a network of volunteer and justice programs that operate alongside the chapel's liturgical life. M.O.V.E. (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) directs students into community service placements, while the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice and the Institute for Equity and Justice educate and advocate. VITA peer ministers walk with other students in faith formation.
- M.O.V.E. — Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts
- Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice
- Edmundite Center for Faith and Culture
- Institute for Equity and Justice
- VITA peer ministers
Visit, Contact, and Location
The Campus Ministry office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., in Alliot Student Center, Room 132. Visitors are warmly welcomed. The chapel's physical address is 810 Campus Road, Colchester, VT 05439; the mailing address is 1 Winooski Park, Box 271, Colchester, VT 05439.
- Office hours: M–F, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Office: Alliot Student Center, Room 132
- Phone: 802.654.2333
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: smcvt.edu/student-life/campus-ministry/