For nearly 75 years, the Chapel of the North American Martyrs on Jesuit High School’s Mid-City campus has been a central focus in student and alumni life. Dedicated in September 1953, it is where thousands of students, teachers and families have attended Mass and where graduates return for homecoming each fall. It’s so special to some alumni that they choose it as the spot for their wedding and even their funeral.
When the Rev. John Brown, S.J., became Jesuit’s president in 2021, he witnessed the importance of the chapel, but also saw something more.
“It needed not just functional improvements, but I also saw ways we could enhance its beauty,” he said. “Worship space is never only functional. Making things beautiful is fundamental to expression. This space is such an important part of campus life here, I knew it could be so much more.”
Brown and his team raised money for a multi-million dollar renovation. Functional repairs included fixing plaster cracks and water damage, updating the sound system and adding a much-needed elevator, restroom and bridal suite to make the chapel more attractive for weddings.
The artistic improvements, overseen by Brown and creative director Brittany Donnes, are even more striking.
The ceiling, once covered with acoustic tile, now bears a dark blue stretched canvas, where images of stars depict constellations as they might have appeared over New Orleans more than 2,000 years ago on the night of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. For the design, the team worked with the Rev. David Brown, S.J., a New Orleans native and former Jesuit physics teacher, who is an astronomer at the Vatican Observatory.
Adorning the walls of the chapel are portraits of the North American Martyrs, a group of eight Jesuit missionaries sent to upstate New York and Canada during the 17th century. Killed during their missionary work among warring tribes of the Iroquois, Mohawk and Huron Indians, the martyrs were canonized in 1930.
While generations of Jesuit students know them because of the chapel bearing their name, Jesuit’s Rev. John Brown felt the renovation was the perfect time to honor their legacy.
The school commissioned portraits by local liturgical artist Jaclyn Warren, featuring elements based on research done by Brown and others. “I really wanted to help our young men understand the historicity of the martyrs and their lives and deaths,” he said. “Each of them is painted in a realistic style but in prayer or worship.”
Brown called the recently completed work phase one of the project, which was done by Ryan Gootee General Contractors, LLC, led by CEO Ryan Gootee, president Michael DeGruy and project manager Patrick Thomas, all Jesuit alumni, as well as architect Scott Welty. Brown said phase two may include more artistic elements, including stained glass windows.
“I’ve gotten nothing but positive reaction to the work,” Brown said. “It shows how much we care about the spiritual lives of our students even after they graduate, when they come back to fulfill their spiritual needs. That is a vital part of our ministry, now performed in an even more beautiful space.”
Dominic Massa, executive vice president and chief operating officer of WYES-TV, is a longtime New Orleans journalist. He is a 1994 graduate of Jesuit.
