CCUP Mission Statement

Experience Corpus Christi

The Building

The building consists of several different worship locations as well as multi-functional areas for studying, recreation, research, and meetings.

Upon entering the building from the main entrance, the gathering space provides an area for the congregation to gather before and after masses to socialize and meet new people. On one side is a parlor for small, informal meetings. On the other is a small classroom and large meeting room.

On the east side of the building is the Student Section. This two-room wing consists of the Newman Room and the Zak Student Lounge. These areas are for the Catholic Student Association committee meetings and for students to study and socialize. Near the Student Section is the Charles L. DeBenedetti Room, named in honor of a deceased UT history professor and peace activist. This room contains tables and chairs for social justice groups to meet, as well as many books on the topics of justice and peace.

Beyond the DeBenedetti room are two doors that lead down the Memorial Hallway to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Down this hallway, quiet time can be spent in the Meditation Garden, with contains a powerful crucifix portraying the intense agony of the face of Jesus. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel features a 13-foot high limestone tabernacle with a bronze cylinder, which hovers over a granite shelf and holds the consecrated bread reserved for communion services and Viaticum.

Near the Memorial Hallway is the Daily Chapel. Noon masses or communion services are celebrated here every weekday. The Daily Chapel holds an eight foot high painting of the crucified Christ and the traditional Stations of the Cross, both of which are items from the Falvey Chapel, the chapel on campus that was used before the current building was constructed.

The Reconciliation Chapel is inside the Daily Chapel and offers the opportunity for either anonymous or face-to-face celebration of the Sacrament in a prayerful setting.

The Main Worship Space

Just inside the main worship space is the three-tiered baptismal font made from eight tons of granite. Surrounding the font are six bas-relief modern witnesses to the baptismal ideals. On one side of the font are Mother Teresa of Calcutta (dedicated lover of the poor and neglected), Thomas Merton (Trappist monk and world-renowned writer), and Karl Rahner (influential Jesuit theologian). On the other side of the font are Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights leader), Therese of Lisieux (a Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church), and Dorothy Day (lay peace and justice advocate and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement).

The low-ceilinged baptismal area leads into the soaring circular worship space which seats 560 people around the black walnut altar in the center, representing Christ. The ambo, which is on axis with the font and complements the altar, highlights the renewed emphasis on Scriptural proclamation and preaching. Within the circular space formed by 18 poured concrete pillars, worshipers feel included in the liturgy and embraced by divine love, which, as the 12th century mystic Hildegard of Bingen put it, encompasses "all that has life in one vast circle."

The clerestory windows of the cupola and the prismatic art-glass windows flood the area with natural light. The large laminated windows, with horizontal lines at the bottom giving way to the sweeping vertical lines near the top, raise the eye and heart upward, while suggesting both the immanence and the transcendence of God. Five times a year, the colorful hangings change, heralding new liturgical seasons. The porcelain tile floor and stained white oak ceiling combine to produce an acoustically fine space.

The labyrinth, modeled on the one in the famous cathedral of Chartes, reminds worshipers that the spiritual journey ultimately leads to Christ at the center. The Lord's death and resurrection are represented by the movable 10-foot high wooden cross, with subtle impressions of Christ's body left on the surface. Everything within the worship space is moveable and on the same level, providing flexibility and a reminder of the universal priesthood. Specific days have been chosen to allow the public the opportunity to walk the labyrinth during the 2006-2007 academic year. They are: 9/15, 10/6, 11/17, 12/1, 1/19. 2/16, 3/16 and 4/20. For hours of availability, please refer to our online calendar.

The ambulatory around the worship area provides for extra seating and for traditional Catholic symbols, including a hammered copper statue of Mary the Teacher with the toddler Jesus and a bronze statue of Joseph the Worker. The 14 Scriptural Stations of the Cross cast in bronze and laid in the tile floor invite individuals to trace the steps of Jesus, eyes cast down in prayerful reflection.

On the back wall of the church, an icon depicts the "Risen Christ," along with the "Road to Emmaus" and "Jesus Teaching Mary and Martha" stories.

The full beauty and power of the church is revealed only in the common celebration of the Eucharist. The faces and voices, the color and sound, the praying and singing of the worshiping assembly add a powerful dimension to the experience, which is different at each and every gathering.

The David C. Lovell Memorial Library

Located on the west side of the building, the
David C. Lovell Memorial Library offers researchers countless resources dealing with religion, philosophy, and social justice. The library also includes a wide selection of audio and video tapes dealing with theology, as well as a collection of lectures given at Corpus Christi University Parish.

The Grounds

Facing the south entrance to the University of Toledo's Main Campus, the "outstretched arms" formed by the art-glass windows invite all to explore the grounds of Corpus Christi.

First encountered is a large Celtic Cross. This area serves as both a meeting place and a place of prayer.

The Meditation Garden serves as a place of quiet reflection. Around a small pond is a garden and bench, with the portrayal of Christ in Agony as its focal point.

The gardens at Corpus Christi offer a welcome retreat to parishioners year round.