Iversen Center for Faith
The Spiritual Heart of Campus
The Iversen Center for Faith is the home of Campus Ministry, the Hoedeman Gallery of Sacred Art, the Multifaith Meditation Room, Schoenecker Hall, and amphitheater. It provides members of the university community a place to gather where faith can be celebrated and explored.
As a Catholic institution, the St. Thomas community is an increasingly diverse community with members from many faiths. Campus Ministry includes Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant faith leaders. An Interfaith Council comprised of students, faculty and staff meets under the direction of the Office for Mission.
The Iversen Center for Faith is fully accessible and getting into the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas with a wheelchair or walker is much easier with the newly installed ramps and elevator.
Hours during School Year:
Open 6:45 am - 10:00 pm Mon - Fri
Open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Sat & Sun
How to Visit
With the start of the 2020-21 school year, the Iversen Center for Faith will be open to the campus community and broader public from 6:45 a.m. – 10 p.m., Monday – Friday and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Sacred Space for All Faiths
The Iversen Center for Faith brings all of Campus Ministry into one area. This dedicated space for religious diversity includes a multifaith meditation room, sacred arts gallery, and offices for our faith leaders. The Center's bathrooms include wudu/ablution stations for men and women.
Congregating Outdoors
An amphitheater outside the center’s west entrance offers space to gather and/or host a variety of events. In addition, the plaza at the northern entrance to the Chapel provides another location for community building.
Gathering Space for Chapel Events
Building this additional center surrounding the Chapel provided much-needed gathering spaces for Chapel and other community events; including The Schoenecker Hall, a 300-guest multipurpose gathering room (with an on-site catering kitchen) for receptions, suites for brides and grooms and spacious bathrooms. There is also a glass-lined lobby and large outdoor amphitheater and plaza in which to congregate.
We are called by the church to walk with everyone on their faith journey. We’re called to be inclusive, respect their faith and be there to support them deepening their faith.
About the Donors
Al and Brenda Iversen
Al and Brenda Iversen made the lead gift for the transformative Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas initiative, which included creating the Iversen Center for Faith. Their generosity provided inspiration to other benefactors who share their passion for St. Thomas.
The Iversens have supported other notable projects at the university, funding the festive Christmas decorations in ASC enjoyed during the Advent and Christmas seasons, and the beautiful House of Fontanini large Nativity figures on display in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas each holiday season, the Iversen Hearth Room in the Anderson Student Center and a scholarship program through our Veterans Resource Center. The central role that faith plays in the Iversens’ lives has been a key motivator for their generosity.
Hoedeman Gallery of Sacred Art
The Hoedeman Gallery of Sacred Art will showcase a rotating exhibition schedule of artwork from all religious and sacred contexts.
Saint Thomas Aquinas by Timothy Schmalz
Renowned Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz’s bronze sculpture of our patron Saint Thomas Aquinas on the northern plaza features unseen wind that animates the figure’s clothing and carries the pages of his Summa Theologica skyward as they transform into a dove. Aristotle’s bust and Greek Ionic capitals give visual recognition to the range of Aquinas’ theology. This work symbolizes the pursuit of faith and reason, guiding forces for our University today.
Mikros Kosmos and Embodied by Kelly Kruse
Missouri artist Kelly Kruse’s two triptychs, Mikros Kosmos: the celestial, immortal soul and Embodied: the earthly immortal soul and the battle of becoming, welcome visitors into the Iversen Center for Faith’s eastern lobby. Kruse’s non-representational paintings convey the idea of a holistic human design that speaks to all, regardless of race, gender, or religion, and reaffirms our commitment to educating the whole person as part of a liberal arts education.
Tell Me A Story by Mary Griep
Internationally known Minnesota artist Mary Griep’s multi-panel work, Tell Me A Story, is a series of prints based on Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, and Mayan sites dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. Located under the western transept of the chapel and visible upon entry from the upper quad, her work reveals the power of architectural traditions in dialogue with one another.