Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel

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The bell tower rings each day before Mass and for the Angelus at noon. Its three bells symbolize the Triune God. Courtesy photo
Students (top photo) at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., adore the Blessed Sacrament on campus at Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. The chapel (bottom photo) was designed in a cruciform shape, resembling the crucified Christ with the sanctuary as his head.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, located on the campus of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its dedication on March 7. After more than 12 years of planning and three years of construction, the building was dedicated on March 7, 2009, as a sacred space for students, faculty and staff to retreat from the pressures of academic life and reconnect with Christ.

Designed by Duncan Stroik, an architect from the University of Notre Dame, the chapel’s dome is a nod to Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica, and its standout bell tower to the mission history of California. According to Thomas Aquinas’ website, “The name Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel pays homage to the Triune God we worship and to the Blessed Mother whom we strive to emulate.”

Pope Benedict XVI blessed the chapel’s cornerstone in Rome on Sept. 3, 2008.