❄️ A Cathedral Made of Clouds and Cold
Check out how Michigan Tech students are glorifying God in sub-zero temps! 🧊⛪️
For 11 years, the students of St. Albert the Great have built an Ice Chapel that stops the world in its tracks. This year’s "Our Lady of the Snows" featured:
✨ Stained-ice windows & snow mosaics
🌊 An altar carved from Lake Superior-fed ice
🙏 3 Masses attended by over 900 people
"Not a lot of places embrace the cold like we do," says Grand Knight Dominic Buzzelli. From the ice confessional to the star-lit ceiling, it’s a stunning reminder of what happens when creativity meets devotion.
Faith on Ice: The Michigan Tech Chapel That Draws Hundreds
In the frozen heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, "God’s Country" is being built by hand—one bucket of snow at a time. For over a decade, students at Michigan Technological University’s St. Albert the Great University Parish have transformed the brutal winter of the Keweenaw Peninsula into a sanctuary: the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows.
This year’s structure, completed for the university’s Winter Carnival on Feb. 6-7, 2026, was the most ambitious yet. Featuring arched side aisles, an ice confessional, and a slab of ice pulled directly from the Keweenaw Waterway to serve as the altar, the chapel drew more than 900 worshippers across three Masses.
Why it matters:
Community Effort: Knights of Columbus Council 17237 led the month-long "labor of love," stomping, carving, and hauling ice.
Architectural Growth: The 2026 design added a side chapel for Our Lady of Lourdes and intricate stained-ice windows.
Full Circle: The principal celebrant, Fr. Daniel LaCroix, is an MTU alumnus who grew up in the parish before his 2025 ordination.
"It’s amazing to see something as simple as snow become a place of encounter with the Lord," says Adriane Limmex, the parish's director of communications. For Grand Knight Dominic Buzzelli, the magic is in the view: looking through the open roof at the stars during the Eucharist, a moment he describes as being "connected to God’s country."
Michigan Tech Students Celebrate 11th Annual "Ice Mass"
More than 900 people gathered on Feb. 6 and 7 for the annual Ice Mass at Michigan Technological University. The Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, a tradition started in 2016 by St. Albert the Great University Parish, reached new heights this year with expanded transepts and a dedicated Our Lady of Lourdes side chapel.
Members of the Knights of Columbus Council 17237 spent over a month constructing the frozen edifice. The altar was crafted from a massive slab of ice harvested from the local waterway. Fr. Ben Hasse, parish pastor, noted that the 2026 build was their "biggest and best" yet, credited to ideal weather conditions and evolving construction techniques. The event highlights the unique intersection of the Upper Peninsula's rugged climate and the vibrant faith of the campus community.
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