This year we celebrate 65 years of events at the Maryknoll Society Chapel, and today we look back on some of its most memorable events. The Chapel was begun in 1953, completed in 1956, and has been the home of major Maryknoll events ever since. These events include ordinations, oaths, anniversaries, remembrances, concerts, symposiums, special masses, holidays, and more. They show us how the Chapel serves as a gathering place to celebrate, to mourn, and to mark occasions special to Maryknollers and community members alike.

The Ordination of the Class of 1956 was the first major event in the Chapel after it was completed. Cardinal Spellman of New York presided over the service and ordained 54 new priests for Maryknoll alongside Superior General Bishop Raymond Lane. Click on the photos to scroll through the galleries and see the Chapel’s construction and ordination day.
Another annual event held in the Chapel is Jubilee. Jubilee is celebrated every year to honor those Maryknollers celebrating various anniversaries of ordination or oath. One of the earliest records of Jubilee in the Archives is the program from the 1973 Golden Jubilee of the 1923 Ordination Class. During this service, Maryknollers sang hymns and had communion to celebrate 50 years of ordination. Click on the portraits to read more about the guests of honor.

Besides annual Maryknoll events, the Chapel is also used for special services. These services commemorate events, movements, and people special to Maryknoll, the Church, or the world at large. They can be celebratory or somber, but they all bring the Maryknoll community together. Below you can see the programs for the 1989 “Service of Healing and Hope for the Relief of AIDS” and the 2001 “Memorial and Prayer for Peace” after the September 11 attacks.

One of the most popular kinds of events in the Chapel are musical presentations. Community concerts, fundraisers, and solo performances have all happened in the Chapel. The Chapel architecture lends itself to music and such performances are a treat to hear. One of the most iconic is the annual Christmas concert. Members of the Maryknoll choir perform a piece celebrating the season and the audience is invited to sing well-beloved carols. We invite you to enjoy an excerpt of the Maryknoll choir’s rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful, as you follow along in the concert program.

O Come All Ye Faithful