As a symbol of the St. Andrew’s mission and identity, the school’s new Episcopal Chapel will stand at the heart of the north campus in memory of the Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray Jr.
Gray was a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and later served as its seventh Bishop from 1974 to 1993.
“Bishop Gray was courageous in believing all people should be treated with respect, compassion and love,” said Stephanie Garriga, director of Institutional Advancement at St. Andrew’s. “The chapel will be physically located at the end of the Walker Research Center and beside the McRae Science Building.”
Construction is currently underway and is slated to be completed by March 2021.
The chapel is fully funded through fundraising. In fact, it is the final project to be funded by the Forward Saints initiative, which has been the school’s most successful fundraising campaign.
The Chapel Cabinet helped raise $2,430,000 from parents, parents of graduates, former faculty, alumni and members of the greater Mississippi Episcopal community.
“This chapel is funded entirely by our very kind community that felt the new Episcopal Chapel was an essential part of our mission,” Garriga said. “It replaces our prior Dave Wood Chapel which was relocated to Livingston when we needed to expand our facilities.”
St. Andrew’s alum Jack Allin is the architect of the chapel. Allin’s connection to the school and its mission runs deeper than the fact that it is his alma mater.
Allin’s paternal grandfather was Tom Biggs, Presiding Bishop for the Episcopal Church. His wife, Hailey, is one of two chaplains for St. Andrew’s. The couple serves together on the chapel committee, and Hailey will oversee use of the chapel.
The chapel will seat about 120 students at a time, which is enough room to gather an entire grade for a worship service, a class meeting or to come together for prayer in a time of celebration or difficulty.
According to Garriga, entire divisions will keep their tradition of weekly worship together in the Center for Performing Arts.
“It is also intimate enough for religion classes, a respite on a stressful day, to visit with our chaplains or practice diverse faiths in our interfaith prayer room,” Garriga said of the chapel.
The chapel will also be open to St. Andrew’s alumni and greater community for small weddings, baptisms and recitals.
The Forward Saints campaign has already funded new state-of-the-art early childhood facilities built around the new Lois Kennedy Hall, including a Discovery Center at the south campus.
They have also opened the new athletics and recreation center (The ARC) at the north campus which hosts Rumble in the South.
