Fordham University Church: A Legacy of Faith, Art, and History
The Fordham University Church stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of faith, art, and history on Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx, New York City. This Catholic-Jesuit church, with its rich architectural details and historical significance, has served as a central place of worship and a visual masterpiece for generations.
Origins and Early History
The Fordham University Church was originally constructed in 1845 as a seminary chapel and parish church. It was intended for the surrounding community of what was then Old Fordham Village in the Bronx. Founded in 1839 by Bishop John Hughes, the chapel was designed by William Rodrigue in 1838 as part of St. John’s College seminary. In 1859, when the Jesuits purchased the university (then St. John’s College), the church was absorbed into the university.
The church's location in the middle of The Bronx offered a place of worship for surrounding farms. Its architecture was reminiscent of many great European cathedrals. The bells and the presence of Edgar Allen added to the church's early character.
Architectural Marvel
Designed in cruciform, the church's outer structure is built of local fieldstone and Yonkers granite, in blends of amber and grey. The church's materials come from near and far, as do its influences. Rising ninety-five feet, the octagonal lantern, with pointed roof, spires, buttresses, and gargoyles, resembles Britain’s Gothic Cathedral at Ely. Its companion piece, a square bell tower of seventy-five feet with its own spires and pointed arches, bears the stamp of English Gothic. Together, their upward thrust of artistic grace unites heaven and earth.
The church’s materials come from near and far, as do its influences. At the main entrance, the plain wooden doors contrast with the imposing stone structure. The tympanum focuses on the figure of the Mother of God. Its Latin inscription, illi autem sunt in pace (“but they are in peace”), recalls those Fordham students who gave their lives in World War II. Carved into the oaken walls of the narthex are the two figures of Saint Ignatius, the soldier-saint and founder of the Society of Jesus, and Saint Michael, defender of those in battle. The walls of the narthex list the names of Fordham’s war heroes, commemorating the 230 Fordham men that lost their lives in World War II. Robert J. Robert J. designed the memorial plaques to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Old St. Patrick's.
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Stained-Glass Windows: A Royal Gift
One of the church’s most distinctive features is its set of six 19th-century stained-glass windows lining the nave. These windows were originally a gift from King Louis Philippe I of France to Archbishop John Hughes for Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street in Manhattan. However, the windows turned out to be the wrong size for the cathedral. Rather than return them, Archbishop Hughes decided to install them in the new chapel at St. John’s College in Fordham in 1846.
Created in Sevres, France, the stained-glass windows depict the Four Evangelists and Saints Peter and Paul. The windows are particularly notable for their connection to a workshop in Sevres, France, where the earliest stages of the Gothic Revival took place. The stained glass windows lining the walls of the nave are styled in French Gothic revival. The Four Evangelists and Saints Peter and Paul, all with their traditional symbols, are depicted in these beautiful windows.
These windows, styled in French Gothic revival, showcase the Four Evangelists and Saints Peter and Paul, each depicted with their traditional symbols. The symbolism conveyed by these stained-glass windows is profound, with God’s light revealed in red, blue, green, gold, and royal purple. Their rays bounce off one another in a play of luminosity, a metaphor for faith-in-action, the Christian’s response to God’s light. The spectacular traceries and borders of abstract design further enhance the windows' beauty.
Interior Splendor
If the church’s exterior reflects strength and repose, its interior opens up a vista, “charged with the grandeur of God.” The eye, indeed all the senses, are caught up in soaring pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and stained glass windows, all characteristic of Gothic architecture. Suspended from the church’s ceiling hang brass lanterns glazed with mica and stained glass of ivory and amber. Here the play of light is created by the placement and intensity of the bulbs inside the fixtures. Again we have a suggestion of living faith. As if to put the finishing touches on these exquisite lanterns, small crosses of red and blue with gold leaf encircle their base. The Church’s ceiling is paneled in beams of polychrome wood, another feature that recalls Ely Cathedral. Here and throughout the church, we are enveloped by the warmth of wood and the mystery of light.
The interior of the building will also be restored. Once the roof is no longer leaking, the plaster of the interior apse can be repaired. The Fordham University Church is the central place of worship for Fordham's campus ministry; however, there are numerous chapels associated with the church on the Rose Hill campus, including the Blue Chapel in Keating Hall, the Sacred Heart Chapel in Dealy Hall, and the St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel in Spellman Hall.
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The Apse
The apse holds two altars, both made of inlay marble originally taken from the altars at the Old Saint Patrick’s. The elaborate pre-Vatican II altar stands against the east wall while the freestanding altar is used for the Eucharistic celebration. In its center, the image of a lamb rests on a scroll with seven seals holding a victorious banner. A delicate motif of florets in rose and deep blue surrounds this symbol of Jesus Christ. Around the sanctuary, symbols of wheat and grapes are carved three-dimensionally into its marble. This familiar motif is also carved into the oaken walls in the apse. High above the altar of the Eucharist, on the inside of the octagonal lantern, cut glass of yellow, gold, and blue, so typical of British churches, shines down to focus on the altar. The Eucharist is reserved in an unadorned tabernacle at the south side, where the oils of anointing are also kept.
The Jesuit Presence
There are five locations in the church where the Jesuit spirit is prominently featured. Directly above the high altar, a Gothic figure of Christ the King robed in glory is carved in wood, as are the figures of the Four Evangelists. In the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola, meditation on the Kingdom of Christ introduces what is the central question of Ignatian spirituality: “How much more will I do for Christ?”
A huge three-paneled mural is positioned below this figure of Christ. It was painted in the 1920s by Hildreth Meiere, one of the most famous American artist of murals and mosaics. In addition to the Mother of God, Saints Joseph, John the Baptist, Basil, and John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas More, and others, luminaries of the Society of Jesus are presented as inspirations to Fordham’s students: Ignatius Loyola, Isaac Jogues (saint and martyr of New York State), Robert Bellarmine (Doctor of the Church), Peter Canisius (apostle of German universities), and Edmund Campion (scholar-saint-martyr and the Light of Oxford). The mural reminds students, first, that the Universal Church boasts saints from every walk of life; second, that wisdom and learning (sapientia et doctrina), Fordham’s motto, have characterized the Church in every age, and finally, that the Christian East is revered as a vital part of the Universal Church. The center panel has the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyala, St. John the Baptist, St. St. Isaac Jogues and St. Patrick. The left panel has St. S.J., St. Basil the Great, St. Thomas More, St. Peter Canisius, S.J., and St. Augustine of Hippo. Bede the Venerable, St. Edmund Campion, S.J., St. Gregory the Great, O.S.B., St. Columbia of Iona, and St. OP .
A triptych of oaken wood depicting three Jesuit saints who died in their youth hangs on the north transept wall. Saints Aloysius Gonzaga, John Berchmans, and Stanislaus Kostka are pictured in their garb as college students. Three “Jesuit” windows, made in Munich, are located on the wall of the south transept. In the first window, Saint Ignatius responds to a vision of the Holy Trinity at La Storta, Italy; in the second, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga receives the Eucharist from Saint Charles Borromeo; and finally, in the third, the great missionary Saint Francis Xavier preaches to his flock in the Indies. Here we see the Ignatian ideal of finding God in all things-in prayer, in the Eucharist, and in action.
Finally, at the side altar near these windows stands a reliquary containing first-class relics of Saints Charles Garnier, Gabriel Lalemant, and John de Brébeuf, three of the eight Jesuit North American martyrs who died between 1642 and 1649 at Auriesville, New York, while ministering to the Iroquois and Mohawk Indians. The reliquary of Russian malachite lapis lazuli features a statue of an Indian holding the relics in his hands. The remains of the other five Sts. René Goupil, Isaac Jogues, Jean de Lalande, Antoine Daniel and Noël Chabanel were unfortunately destroyed. The presence of these relics, encased so beautifully, expresses the dual pride that Fordham takes in its Jesuit and New York history.
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Other sacred art in the church includes two sets of stained glass windows in the sanctuary, Stations of the Cross carved in wood by Pietro Montana, and a triptych of the Holy Family.
Lighting Renovation
Studio T+L became a part of the story in 2009 when, after successfully renovating the dimming and rigging of the University’s Collins Auditorium, they were asked to specify a replacement for the failing 20-year-old dimming system in the Church. The existing lighting was bleak. Light levels in the pews were 5 fc or less, and 15 fc or less in the sanctuary. The carved panels, wainscot, and polychrome ceiling were lost in the dim light. The scope of that project quickly grew to include a new lighting design. While discussing the project we came to understand that the goals of the new lighting were:Increase illumination in the pews and sanctuaryRetain the “warm, intimate’ feel of the church Draw attention to the sanctuaryEnhance the overall aestheticsThere were limitations, too. First, there was no additional power available in the building, so any lighting we added would have to be balanced with reductions in wattage elsewhere. Second, this was to be a lighting only renovation. No changes would be made to any of the finishes in the church.
After presenting an initial series of light sketches to the Fordham team (consisting of the lead priest at the church, the director of development, the choir master, the organ master, and two facilities representatives) we decided that future discussions about lighting treatments and techniques should be accompanied by on-site mockups. This decision slowed the process somewhat because we needed time to arrange for the delivery of sample fixtures, but it increased the group’s understanding because they could actually see each proposed element. Over the next several months we looked at grazing the stained-glass windows from inside (rejected), lighting the stained glass windows from outside (rejected), grazing the interior walls from the top of the wainscot (accepted), new lamp arrays in all of the pendant fixtures (accepted), grazing the carved panels (rejected), using LED stage fixtures to light the sanctuary (accepted) and statuary in the transepts (accepted).
The lighting was installed in several phases. In the first phase we installed the new dimming system, which included about a dozen lighting presets for daytime and nighttime activities and events. We changed the lamp arrays in all the pendants, which increased light on the polychrome ceiling, in the dome, and in the pews. We also added the uplight grazing the walls of the church. The new light on the walls and ceiling brought the architecture of the church to life and gave it a wonderful sense of place. In 2010, for the second phase, we installed new lighting in the sanctuary, including theatrical fixtures 40 feet above the floor. The sanctuary lighting had a huge impact on parishioners in the church, and on those viewing mass via webcast.
In 2012, for the third phase, the church’s organ and organ loft at the rear of the nave were replaced. The organ loft was expanded, and the pipes of the new organ were exposed. Knowing that this would happen, we left space in the dimming system to control the new lights focused on the organ, the organ pipes, and the choir. Those fixtures were then added into the presets in the control system. In 2018 we replaced the LED stage lights of the sanctuary and transepts with new, brighter, longer lasting fixtures. The next step will be to light the lantern at the top of the dome.
Restoration and Preservation Efforts
Over the years, the Fordham University Church has undergone several restoration projects to preserve its architectural and artistic integrity. The church has undergone large renovations such as this in the past, most recently in 2021, when the bell tower was restored. HLZAE was hired to conduct an extensive restoration campaign of the historic bell tower which involved the replacement of decorative architectural elements on the church including: original building field stone (Inwood marble/Fordham gneiss), and cast architectural elements such as pinnacles, finials, and true gargoyles.
One of the major challenges on the project was finding the best possible match for the rare stone and material that needed to be replaced on this historic building. Since the stone on the church was over 150 years old, it was crucial to source the closest match which required special ordering resulting in a long lead time; eventually, a granite stone replacement to best match the existing marble was sourced from Connecticut. During the course of the restoration project, Fordham University Church was invited to host a New Priest Ordination ceremony in Summer 2021, which resulted in an unexpected, expedited timeline adjusting the schedule from a 14-month to just a 9-month project.
Currently, the church requires careful renovation due to being nearly 200 years old. Last year, Fordham University received a grant to renovate the University Church. The church is almost 200 years old and requires more careful renovation than newer buildings. The church was declared a New York City landmark in 1970 and boasts the old St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The restoration will primarily surround the church’s roof and facade. The aging roof was allowing water in, which would then infiltrate the plaster, causing it to swell. The restoration should take around a year, with the scaffolding remaining up throughout. The church will likely remain under construction for the remainder of the academic year but the project should conclude at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year.
A Place of Celebration and Reflection
Fordham celebrated the dedication of the renovated University Church on Wednesday, Oct. “We do not gather this afternoon merely to celebrate the past or to rededicate a building,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. As the local leader of the Catholic Church, His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan, J.C.D., D.D., of the Archdiocese of New York, symbolically re-opened and blessed the University church, which was built in 1845 as a seminary chapel and parish church for surrounding farms and was closed in June 2003 for extensive renovations. After tapping his crosier upon the door of the church, Cardinal Egan was invited inside by Father McShane and Gerald R. Blaszczak, S.J., vice president for University mission and ministries. Cardinal Egan blessed a set of plaques in the church’s vestibule that commemorate the event and pay tribute to the benefactors of the renovation.
Cardinal Egan thanked Fordham for “being a beacon here on a hill.” He said the Catholic Church “couldn’t be here without you,” citing the hundreds of Fordham graduates who are leaders in education and in the church throughout the world. Cardinal Egan read a prayer of dedication and blessed the University Church with holy water. Fordham’s resident cardinal, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, served as a principal concelebrant during the liturgy, along with the Most Rev. Celestino Migliore, titular archbishop of Canosa and apostolic nuncio, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; the Most Rev. Jose Iriondo, D.D., auxiliary bishop of New York; and the Most Rev. William J. McCormack, D.D., retired auxiliary bishop of New York. Robert R.
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