1715 N. Zarmzamora * San Antonio, Texas * 78201
St. Elias Chapel
One of the most significant events that took place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower during 2007 was the opening of the St. Elias Adoration Chapel. A bequest of $900,000 from the Abdo Family Trust made construction of the Chapel a possibility. Once the funding was in place, years of planning were undertaken by the Carmelite Fathers assisted by a Shrine Building Committee and by officers of the Abdo Family Trust. Groundbreaking for the remodeling of the Undercroft or basement of the Basilica took place on July 19, 2005. Substantial completion of construction was reached by September of 2006 but the Chapel still lacked some of the furnishings it needed. Finally, on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2007, that is June the 10th, the chapel was open for prayer and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
Everyone at the Little Flower has greeted the opening of the Adoration chapel with great excitement and thankful praise to God. Many hundreds of people have already spent time in prayer in the chapel and have found it to be a place were they could find a sense of communion with God and rest from their daily labors.
What is an Adoration Chapel?
An adoration chapel is a special chapel that is set aside for silent prayer. Catholics believe in the “real presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist. From time to time, a special chapel is set up where the Eucharist can be reserved within what is called a “monstrance” for people to come and spend time in silent adoration of the Lord. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict has spoken about the importance of adoration in his recent document on the Eucharist. He has said, “During this year Eucharistic adoration outside Mass should become a particular commitment for individual parish and religious communities. Let us take the time to kneel before Jesus present in the Eucharist… Let us deepen through adoration our personal and communal contemplation, drawing upon aids to prayer inspired by the word of God and the experience of so many mystics, old and new.”
What’s in a name?
The chapel at Little Flower was named “St. Elias” for two reasons. First of all, the Old Testament Prophet Elias (or Elijah) was an important model of faith for the early Carmelites who settled on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land. The Carmelites modeled their lives on the life of Elijah who was a hermit (a man of prayer) and a prophet (who spread God’s Word.)
A second reason for calling the chapel at Little Flower “St. Elias’ is because the patriarch of the Abdo family, in whose memory the Abdo Family Trust bequeathed money to the Basilica, was also named Elias. The family’s intention was to give money to the Little Flower for the precise purpose of constructing a chapel in the basement that would be built to honor Elias Abdo and his family.
Special Elements of the St. Elias Chapel
There are some very special artistic elements that have found their way into the Chapel area. In the Chapel foyer, there is a stunning statue of the Prophet Elijah sculpted by Eric Christianson. This representation of Elijah shows the Prophet standing at the mouth of the cave at Mt. Sinai where Elijah sensed the loving presence of God in a silent breeze. As represented by the statue, Elijah stands in a stance of respectful listening and discerns the presence of the Living God in silence and faith.
In the same foyer, off to the other side, there is a sculpture piece called “Suspended Cross” which was sculpted from granite by Jesus Moroles.This beautiful granite monument depicts the three crosses of Calvary with the middle cross, the Cross of Jesus, suspended, as it were, over the earth below.
The St. Elias chapel itself is semi-circular and middle-eastern in design. It has a beautiful altar and tabernacle crafted by Michael Villarreal of Alamo Custom Furniture. As a frontispiece for this altar a marble carving has been used which was crafted by Louis Rodriguez, the same man who did the marble carving in the upper church back in the years 1929-30. The lighting in the chapel is of unique styling, coming as it does from Syria. The pews, made by New Holland, are semicircular as well. In the rear of the chapel there is another sculpture by Eric Christianson. This sculpture is a fountain made in the shape of a mountain for a base, representing Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land. Water gently tickles from the base of a cross at the top of the mountain to fill the bowl.
Other very significant artistic elements include, marble work on the altar table and around the arched niches in the rear wall. Within the niches on either side of the rear of the chapel, on icon stands, rest two icons of Elijah. The first icon is contemporary and was written by Bro. Claude Lane, OSB of Mt. Angel Abbey. The second icon is Russian and dates from the 19th century.
Perhaps the highlight of the whole chapel is the set of stained glass windows that are high up in the semicircular front wall behind the altar. (To be installed by January of 2008) These five windows are depictions of important events in the career of the Prophet Elijah.
The truly fascinating thing about these stained glass windows is their origin. A man by the name of Rodney Winfield of the Emil Frei Studio designed them. At the time that these windows were designed in 2007, Mr. Winfield was 86 years old. When he was 30 years of age he was working for the same studio, and, wonder of wonders, he designed the windows that were put into the upper church nave back in 1955. So, there is a beautiful continuity of styling and quality between the windows in the upper church and those of the Adoration Chapel.
It has been our experience that anyone who comes to the Adoration Chapel is taken by its beauty and drawn to its silence. It is our firm hope that the St. Elias Adoration Chapel will continue, for years to come, to provide a place of rest and contemplation for the faithful.
Named Gift Benefactors
Chapel Construction
The Abdo Family
St. Elijah Statue
Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Ayala
Chapel Lighting & Sanctuary Lamps
Ms. Irma Campesi
Marble Work
Mr. & Mrs. Antonio Rodriguez
St. Elias Windows
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Larned
Ms. Linda C. Luna
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mireles
Ms. Annabella Prince
Discalced Carmelite Nuns of St. Louis
St. Elias Pews
Ms. Patricia Atiee
Mr. & Mrs. Rene Farias
Ms. Margaret Atiee
Ms. Eloisa Garza
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Jockers
Mr. & Mrs. Eduardo Medina
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Morris
Ms. Catalina Murguia
Knights of Columbus Council #6833
Confraternity of the Brown Scapular Members
Plaza Doors
Mr. & Mrs. Rex Sullivan
Russian Icon of St. Elijah
Mr. & Mrs. Steve & Eusebia Borrego
Contemporary Icon of St. Elijah
Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Karam
Mt. Carmel Fountain
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Neal
Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Trevino
Monstrance for the Blessed Sacrament
Anonymous
Altar Cabinet Woodworking & Tabernacle
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Villarreal
Suspended Cross by Jesus Moroles
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Larned
Transom Window
Mr. & Mrs. Jorge Morales
Other Contributors
Mr. & Mrs. Jacques Abat
Ms. Elvira Garcia
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Garcia
Ms. Agnes D. Jenschke
Ms. Eloisa Moran
Ms. Belinda Murguia
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Neal
Mr. Victor Negron
Ms. Rebecca Peters
Ms. Danielle Shelb
Ms. Lupe Solano
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Stafford
Mr. & Mrs. Rafael Tovar
Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Vasquez
Mr. Curtis Wise
Little Flower Ladies Club
Little Flower School
Little Flower CYO
Little Flower RCIA
Chapel Construction
The Abdo Family
St. Elijah Statue
Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Ayala
Chapel Lighting & Sanctuary Lamps
Ms. Irma Campesi
Marble Work
Mr. & Mrs. Antonio Rodriguez
St. Elias Windows
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Larned
Ms. Linda C. Luna
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mireles
Ms. Annabella Prince
Discalced Carmelite Nuns of St. Louis
St. Elias Pews
Ms. Patricia Atiee
Mr. & Mrs. Rene Farias
Ms. Margaret Atiee
Ms. Eloisa Garza
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Jockers
Mr. & Mrs. Eduardo Medina
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Morris
Ms. Catalina Murguia
Knights of Columbus Council #6833
Confraternity of the Brown Scapular Members
Plaza Doors
Mr. & Mrs. Rex Sullivan
Russian Icon of St. Elijah
Mr. & Mrs. Steve & Eusebia Borrego
Contemporary Icon of St. Elijah
Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Karam
Mt. Carmel Fountain
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Neal
Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Trevino
Monstrance for the Blessed Sacrament
Anonymous
Altar Cabinet Woodworking & Tabernacle
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Villarreal
Suspended Cross by Jesus Moroles
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Larned
Transom Window
Mr. & Mrs. Jorge Morales
Other Contributors
Mr. & Mrs. Jacques Abat
Ms. Elvira Garcia
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Garcia
Ms. Agnes D. Jenschke
Ms. Eloisa Moran
Ms. Belinda Murguia
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Neal
Mr. Victor Negron
Ms. Rebecca Peters
Ms. Danielle Shelb
Ms. Lupe Solano
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Stafford
Mr. & Mrs. Rafael Tovar
Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Vasquez
Mr. Curtis Wise
Little Flower Ladies Club
Little Flower School
Little Flower CYO
Little Flower RCIA
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