Caldwell University’s New Chapel Bridges Past And Future

CALDWELL, NJ — The Caldwell University community recently welcomed a new landmark to the heart of its campus: the Sister Mary Dominic Tweedus Chapel.

A “sacred space” in the middle of one of the campus’ most heavily traveled areas, the chapel is named after Sister Mary Dominic Tweedus, the aunt of the new chapel’s primary benefactor.

The new chapel serves as a daily reminder of Caldwell’s Catholic and Dominican heritage, and overlooks the cemetery of the Sisters of Saint Dominic, the founders of Caldwell University and the burial place of Tweedus.

According to Caldwell University, the old chapel was decommissioned in 2018 and was not ADA-accessible. In addition, it had no air conditioning, little parking and was out of view.

In designing the new chapel, careful consideration was given to preserve many of the distinctive features of the old chapel “so that there remains “an unbroken bond” between Caldwell’s past and its present, between its founding and its future, administrators said.

The Sister Mary Dominic Tweedus Chapel was made possible by a gift from alumna Elaine Tweedus and her late husband, Ed Lonyai, in honor of their beloved “Aunt Mary,” who taught in Catholic grammar schools in New Jersey and cared for the elderly Sisters.

Elaine Tweedus, her brother Rob and his wife Linda attended a Mass to dedicate the new chapel last month.

Tweedus said she wants the chapel to be used “for meditation,” “for prayer,” and for people to “come and find peace.”

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