Inside the Breathtaking Ice and Snow Chapel Built by College Students for the Annual 'Ice Mass'

Each year, students at Michigan Technological University team up with parishioners of Saint Albert the Great University Parish in Houghton, Mich., to build a chapel of snow and ice. This chapel is used for a few candlelit Masses each year and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows. History of the Ice Mass at Saint Albert the Great University Parish It all started in 2016 during Saint Albert’s yearly winter carnival. The students typically participate in various winter activities, including competitions building snow statues. The inspiration for this idea was originally drawn from an article written on the making of ice chapels in Europe. The decision was made to construct the chapel as a beautiful way to bring the local community together and inspire individuals about Christ during the winter season. It was also a way for the parish to make use of the almost 20 inches of snow Saint Albert’s receives every year, as well as allow students of MTU to hone their engineering skills creatively. After receiving permission from the local bishop, parish priest Father Ben Hasse led the community in constructing this alluring domain. With that approval, the students and parishioners began building the chapel, which has since become an annual tradition known as "The Ice Mass at the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows." Thousands of hours of labor are required each year to shovel, mold, and pack the mountain of snow and ice to create walls, windows, pews, and a pulpit. The altar is crafted from a slab of ice extracted and hand-cut from Lake Superior. Even “stained glass” windows are cut and meticulously pieced together by the students and embedded into the chapel's walls. When asked how much it costs to build this icy sanctuary, Father Ben Hasse said in St. Albert the Great’s 2023 Ice Mass News Release, “about a thousand dollars' worth of pizza,” referring to the large community of people responsible for the construction of the chapel. This tradition has allowed the local community and visitors to contribute to the design of this snowy chapel creating a deeper sense of friendships and fellowship. More importantly, this construction allows those who participate the opportunity to create something beautiful in a way that gives glory to God