IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MOSAIC

CHAPEL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
St. Francis University, Loretto  PA

St. Francis University was established in 1847 by six Franciscan teaching Brothers from Mountbellew, Ireland, who had been given land in Loretto by Michael O'Connor, the first Bishop of Pittsburgh, to establish a school. The university was one of the first Catholic universities in the United States and the first Franciscan college in the nation. It is still conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular.  The chapel was built in the 1950s.  The design included a large mosaic on the altar wall which however was never executed. A generous private endowment through Rome Records, a non-profit organization for the promotion of Catholic music and art, has made it possible to bring to fruition the original vision of the founders.  We created a new design for the altar wall which includes a large mosaic of the Immaculate Conception completed in August, 2021.    
The mosaic project has been realized with the collaboration of Motivo Mosaic, Bella Tile and Mosaic and Old Road Furniture. Our concept for the tabernacle housing was beautifully realized by Rugo Stone.