Aquinas College Chapel

32°01′30″S 115°51′49″E / 32.0250°S 115.8637°E / -32.0250; 115.8637 (Aquinas College Chapel)AddressAquinas College, Perth, Western AustraliaCountryAustraliaDenominationCatholic ChurchHistoryStatusChapelFounder(s)Christian BrothersDedicationSaint Thomas AquinasArchitectureFunctional statusActiveArchitect(s)Henderson and ThompsonArchitectural typeLate 20th-century OrganicCompleted1966Construction costA£83,370SpecificationsMaterialsMount Barker stoneOfficial nameAdministration Building and Chapel, Aquinas CollegeDesignated17 December 2010Reference no.2396

The Aquinas College Chapel, formally known as the Chapel of St Thomas Aquinas, is a heritage-listed building located on the Aquinas College property in Salter Point, in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The building is owned by the Christian Brothers as part of the Aquinas College property.

History

The chapel was officially opened on 12 August 1966, which was described in the college annual as "the greatest day in the long history of the college".

In 1961 an appeal had been launched to raise funds for extensions to the college. Br. Hall's request to the Christian Brothers for support of the project included costings for a chapel at A£25,000. When Br. Woodruff totalled up the payments to take the chapel to furnished completion, figures came out at A£83,370.

The single-storey stone and concrete chapel was listed of the permanent register of heritage places by the Heritage Council of Western Australia on 17 December 2010.^[1][2]

The Chapel was one of the first Catholic buildings constructed in Western Australia in response to the impact of liturgical changes arising from the Second Vatican Council, with the Chapel's form and plan implementing the Council’s theological emphases on inclusiveness in worship.^[2] Completed in the Late Twentieth Century Organic architectural style, the Chapel features innovative use of traditional materials and a curved form and design to complement its natural setting. Materials included the rare use of red Mount Barker stone, which had a limited distribution and is no longer quarried.^[2]

Services

Regular chapel services are held on Thursday mornings for all students, and special services for boarders are held on Sunday evenings. The chapel also plays host to baptisms, holy communions, confirmation, weddings and funerals.^[3]

See also

• Albert Edwin Lynch – served as priest from 1938 to 1942^{[clarification needed]}

References