First Steps for the New Chapel

We are making some meaningful progress in the construction of our chapel here at NPH! (The picture above is the site where we will build) The pastor of the local parish, Fr Tulio Privera, has been a great support and connected me with an architect he knows, who will work in collaboration with the kids from here who are studying architecture at the university. This architect is excited about being able to work on this project, and is going to contribute his services free of charge. Today, he sent a team to survey the land so that he knows what he is working with and can begin to put together some schematic design suggestions for the chapel. Chapels at NPH homes often do not have names, but after talking with Fr Phil Cleary, the head of NPH-International, we thought that naming this the Chapel of the Holy Family would help to communicate the focus of our mission here.

Some principles we want to keep in mind as we plan the design:

•    We are thinking in terms of seating for 400 adults (the present population of NPH Guatemala, including the high school kids in Chimaltenango and the university students in the capital , is about 340. If we make sure to include an ample ambulatory and space in the back, there should be plenty of space for more- on rare occasions we also have with us many of the 150 employees, 20 full-time volunteers, and groups of up to 50 high school and college visitors.

• The chapel should have a prominent presence among the other buildings, but also fit in style-wise with those that are already built.

• The construction should be fairly simple, not elaborate- reflecting the situation of the children and the fact that everything here depends on donations from individuals and organizations.

• We will look into the possibility of taking advantage of the slope in the terrain and investigate the possibility of including a walk-out  meeting room for Youth Ministry or other office space below the chapel itself- if this would not increase the cost too much.

• We would like to include an enclosed patio or small plaza in front of the chapel to help define the space, and to provide a transition between the “profane” and the “sacred” spaces.

• ·We plan to build the chapel in a traditional style- basilica or cruciform. The idea is to use a form and design that are compatible with what is found in other churches in this diocese.

I am excited to be at this stage already, and will be anxious to see the initial drawings that our architects produce!
You can learn about how to make a donation to help us make this dream become a reality by punching the button at the top "I Want To Help You Build This Chapel," or by clicking HERE