CINCINNATI -- In 1925, when the Chapel of the Holy Child was designed and built at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, it reflected the Episcopal origins of the institution. So, too, will the new Chapel of the Holy Child, located in the Location A patient-care building, reflect what Cincinnati Children's has come to be – a place of help and healing for patients and their families from around the world.
When planning began four years ago, the hope was that the new chapel would be the spiritual home for the medical center for the next 100 years. As such, it should offer a universal sense of welcome to all persons, regardless of creed, while at the same time providing a sense of connection between the old and the new.
"We wanted it to be a space that bridges history," says Bill Scrivener, chaplain and director of Pastoral Care, "to keep the best of the old, yet offer a vision of the future."
Other important considerations were that the space needed to be flexible in its use, without a lot of setup and tear-down involved, and be usable by large and small groups while giving them a sense of intimacy and expansiveness. Aside from practical concerns, it needed to be beautiful and promote a sense of unity, peace and harmony.
Matthew Schottelkotte, an architect with GBBN, designed the chapel. Schickel Design Company created the new stained glass, interior furnishings and works of art. "The vision for the chapel came from the pastoral staff and the board," explains artist/architect Martha Schickel-Dorff. "It was our role to help them distill that vision and find a material way to express it."
One form of expression is a series of contemporary stained-glass windows, designed by William Schickel, the design company's founder. These serve as a counterpoint to the original stained glass windows, which have been removed from the old chapel, framed with hand-rubbed red oak and reinstalled in the new one. The theme is the expression of God's love for all people, relating particularly to life as experienced by a child. This is apparent in the circle of dancing children featured in the largest of the windows. Four smaller ones depict the elements of creation: air, fire, water and earth. As an example, air is illustrated with blue curved lines that suggest wind. A red kite floats playfully on the current.
Two sets of paintings – one in the chapel space and one in the multifaith sanctuary area – represent the human experience of suffering, death and resurrection, which is especially appropriate to a hospital setting, according to Schickel-Dorff. The paintings, by Schickel-Dorff, can be changed to reflect the celebration or the season.
The chapel space is separated from the multifaith sanctuary with a folding wall that can be removed on special days when larger crowds are expected. In addition to the framed panels of stained glass from the original chapel, it contains a beautifully crafted altar made of solid red oak and a baptismal font, also made of red oak with a large copper bowl.
Above the font hangs a copper and brass sculpture of the Holy Spirit. A mural behind the font echoes the theme of water as a source of new life.
The multifaith sanctuary is furnished simply. A low, round offering table made of laminated maple with a dark ebony finish acts as a focal point for the room. A copper bowl rests on the table. Several chairs are positioned in a circle around it.
"We strove to find universal symbols for expressing the underlying relationship with God, instead of creating a cafeteria of multifaith symbols, which is one approach to such spaces," says Schickel-Dorff. "This is a more powerful and unifying way to express a multifaith situation."
Off to the side of the main chapel is a private meditation area, which features more original stained glass panels and the main altar from the old chapel.
Building the new Chapel of the Holy Child would not have been possible without support from the community. Some naming opportunities are still available. For more information on how you can support the new chapel, please contact Mary Louise Gist in the department of Development at 513-636-4561.
