As Winter Carnival approaches, the administration at Saint Albert the Great University Parish will be constructing an ice sculpture of a chapel. This has been a tradition for the church, as they have done this event for ten years. Services will be held here for students who are interested in this event. With 700 people attending last year, the chapel will be larger than ever this year. The “stained glass” for the chapel will be chunks of ice, stained with food dye. This event will be held on Friday, Feb. 7, at 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 8, at 10 p.m., which will be a candlelit mass. Those watching online need to sign up to watch and can do so on Saint Albert’s website.
Kam Wilcox, an active staff member at Saint Albert’s, said preparation for the event “takes about a month.” When asked about the community involvement in this process, Wilcox said, “Lots of community members participate! A lot of the St. Al’s staff help out, but there are also lots of families that come and put in a lot of work! And for the Ice Masses, we get people from all over the Midwest coming to Ice Mass during Winter Carnival weekend! A lot of alumni come back for this, too!” Kam mentioned that the altar is also a piece of ice from Lake Superior.
For students interested in this event, it will be a great way to show connection within the community. As we near this weekend, Saint Albert’s will be looking for volunteers to help with this project. Be sure to attend one of the three services available if interested.
