St. Titus Brandsma Chapel

Opened in 1962 as the Titus Brandsma, O.Carm Chapel, this extraordinary part of our campus has welcomed members of our Carmel community for generations. This sacred place is where students encounter Christ in Word and Sacrament, friends gather in community, and where alumni hold as a touchstone in their hearts. 

Our Chapel transformation began in April 2021, and thanks to the generosity of our many donors, renovations were completed in August 2022. On September 10, 2022, we dedicated the new St. Titus Brandsma Chapel, the Mary Frances Clarke, BVM Spiritual Center, and the Mary Frances Clarke, BVM Circle of Friends Garden, with special honorees and guests present. These true spiritual gifts reflect the legacy of our founders and will continue to be a gathering point for our students and extended community for years to come. 

Carmelite Saints 

There are many Carmelite saints, but these have specific significance to Carmel Catholic High School. Through their zealous witness and ongoing intercession, they impact the Carmel community to this day.

(in the order that they appear left to right on the southeast pillar)

St. Teresa of Avila - She is a Carmelite saint, a religious sister, a reformer and one of the four female Doctors of the Church. Her window (the burning heart to symbolize her profound experience and writing on prayer) and statue have been in the Blessed Titus Brandsma Chapel for the past 60 years.

St. John of the Cross - He is a Carmelite saint and was friends with St. Teresa of Avila and like her, was a reformer. He was a poet, mystic and priest and is also a Doctor of the Church, his statue has been in the chapel for the past 60 years.

St. Edith Stein - She is a Carmelite saint who wrote powerfully about the Feminine Genius and died at the hands of the Nazis in WWII. She is a prominent part of the Women of Faith course within our Theology curriculum.

St. Therese of Lisieux - She is a Carmelite saint and one of the four female Doctors of the Church. Her window (the cross and roses) and statue have been in the Blessed Titus Brandsma Chapel for the past 60 years. In recent Carmel Catholic history, Theology faculty member Jeff Ptacek gifted us with her relic. Her powerful intercession and example of “The Little Way” has been important to the work of the CCHS Mission and Ministry department, and one of the CCHS Christian Service Honors Societies bears her name. 

Patron Saint of the Chapel and Saints of Scriptures

(in the order that they appear left to right on the northeast pillar)

St. Michael the Archangel - Michael is known as one of the principal angels, and his intercession is traditionally sought after for protection. It is a Carmel Catholic custom to pray The Prayer to St. Michael after reciting the rosary. 

St. Joseph - St. Joseph, spouse of Mary and earthly Father of Jesus, has special significance to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he is the patron of the congregation. In past decades, his feast day was when many sisters made their first vows. He also has significance to the Order of the Carmelites and is considered to be the guardian of the order. His window (the lily and carpenter square) has been a part of the Blessed Titus Brandsma Chapel for nearly 60 years.

St. Titus Brandsma, O. Carm. - He is the patron of the Chapel and symbols of him have been a part of the chapel for nearly 60 years. His relic was recently given to Carmel Catholic. He is a powerful witness of commitment to the truth at all costs, as he was arrested and martyred at the hands of the Nazis for his writing as a journalist. His intercession for Carmel Catholic High School is special as we are one of the very few places under his patronage. His canonization took place on May 15, 2022, just as this chapel was concluding renovations. 

Elijah the Prophet - This Old Testament prophet’s life and zeal for the Lord provides profound inspiration for the Carmelite order. The motto of the Order of the Carmelites, "Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum" ("I am filled with a jealous zeal for God") are his words to God in the book of 1Kings. The flaming chariot window dedicated to him has been in the chapel for the past 60 years.

Missionary Saints

This mural depicts saints that impact the Carmel Catholic story, whose breadth of vision and God-given vocation either took them to faraway lands or to have influence felt in faraway lands. They served the people of God in creative and life-affirming ways.

(in the order that they appear left to right on the northwest pillar)

St. Anna Wang - She was a teen martyr for the faith in China in 1900; her integrity and courage is a powerful witness to our students. Being from China, she is meant to represent our CCHS international students. 

St. Damian of Molokai - The BVM sisters minister in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at Damian House, a home that cares for people with Hansen’s Disease. This place is named after St. Damian of Molokai, who sacrificed his life to care for people with the same disease. One of the CCHS Christian Service Honors Societies bears his name.

St. Martin de Porres - Other than the fact that this saint is a beautiful witness of faith and service, the religious name of the beloved Sr. Mary Sattgast BVM, the longest-serving faculty member in Carmel Catholic High School history was Sr. Mary Martin de Porres. 

Mary Frances Clarke, BVM - She was the fearless and faithful foundress of The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who have ministered in the United States since 1833. For nearly 200 years, the BVM Sisters have been devoted to cultivating the core values of freedom, education, charity and justice in the institutions they have developed.  She has been an inspiration and witness of faith first for Carmel High School for Girls and now for Carmel Catholic High School. 

Saints of the Americas

This mural depicts saints that enrich the Carmel community through their courageous witness of faith in different places and times within the Americas.

(in the order that they appear left to right on the southwest pillar)

Ven. Augustus Tolton - This priest who ministered in Chicago whose cause for sainthood is advancing. His powerful story of overcoming racism has deep meaning for our times. 

St. Juan Diego - Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe. He is an icon of faith and humility. The BVM Sisters minister in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at Damian House, which cares for people with Hansen’s Disease. The local community has a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego

St. Kateri Tekakwitha - She is the first Native American Saint and is the patron saint of ecology and the environment. This is a focus of both the BVM congregation and the Order of the Carmelites. As Carmel Catholic High School initiates Green Team initiatives in 2022, St. Kateri serves as a powerful intercessor and guide.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - She is the first saint canonized from the United States of America and the patroness of Catholic education. Her relic was gifted to the Brandsma Chapel collection by CCHS Theology Faculty member John Cannuli.