16 Jun Southold Center Oratory Dedication
South Bend, Indiana
On May 1st JNKA Architects attended the dedication of a new private oratory at the Southold Women’s Center in South Bend, IN, near the University of Notre Dame. The dedication liturgy, conducted by Bishop Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, formally consecrated the oratory’s altar for celebration of the Mass.
The Southold Center is an existing two-story residence with a lower-level walkout in a recently developed residential community north of Notre Dame’s campus. Inspired by the charism of Opus Dei and administered by the Chicago-based Centers for Social and Educational Development (CSED), this facility was converted from a single-family residence into a center of Opus Dei to serve a variety of spiritual and educational functions for women throughout northern Indiana. To create an oratory for the center, JNKA reconfigured an existing lower-level living room, adding a new sacristy, confessional, storage space, and antechamber with integral bookshelves. Representatives from the lighting design firm, ALKD, and the general contractor, Raffin Construction, also attended the dedication.
Group photo, pictured, left to right: Thomas Dietz (JNKA); Mike Raffin (Raffin Construction Co.); Anne Kustner (AKLD); David Kuhlman (JNKA); and Kimberly Kuhlman (JNKA).