The Catholic Chaplaincy at the university has been at its current site on Elmwood Avenue for over fifty years but temporarily closed its doors in 2023.
Earlier this month, it welcomed students, staff and visitors back inside the reimagined space, which now also includes accommodation spaces for 47 students.
Speaking to The Irish News, Fr Dominic McGrattan said that the building’s reopening earlier this month marked the end of a “long journey”.
“We’re very fortunate to have a building at the very heart of the historic campus,” he said.
“When it was built, it was a really bold statement; modernist architecture that really made an impact.
“But over the years, it became a bit tired and needed renewal if it was to serve well the mission of the place, which is to provide faith and pastoral support to students and staff.”
Fr McGrattan added that with the addition of student accommodation, it opened an “exciting new chapter” for the chaplaincy, which previously had been “something of a day and evening service”.
“It is wonderful to be back in this space and to see how transformed it is,” he said.
“I think for generations it has always been something of an oasis, a place for quiet time, a place to be restored and renewed and energised amidst the busyness and sometimes the challenge of university living.
“I think the building, as it has been renewed, really does support that mission and it’s lovely to have that oasis back at the heart.”
Fr McGrattan added that the “most special part of the special building” was the Chapel of Corpus Christi, which now includes an altar crafted in Bethlehem and the reredos, depicting St Thomas meeting the Risen Lord, which was sculpted in the Dolomites and embellished in Florence.
“It is here that we have that privileged encounter with God and the Mass is celebrated every day during term and it is a place where students and staff come to be spiritually nourished during their university journey,” he said.
“It was important that we engage the best for this space; we engaged a liturgical art studio in Florence to provide the artistry and the craftsmanship, and they engaged artisans from across Europe and the Middle East.
“The altar itself, it was important for us to have that connection with the birthplace of Christ, and so we engaged stonemasons in Bethlehem and they used Jerusalem stone, the very stone that the temple itself was built with, and that was embellished by the Florentines.”
The chaplain added that they followed in the “age-old tradition” of the church being “patron of the arts”, they also engaged local artists, including Co Antrim sculpter Eamonn Higgins, Hillsborough silversmith Cara Murphy and north coast glassmaker Scott Benson.
“I do think our physical spaces ought to be formative, they ought to lift the heart and mind to higher things and art certainly plays a huge role in that.”
Fr McGrattan said that the space was “open to students, staff visitors of all faiths and none”, with their new café at the front of the building service the best teas, coffees, traybakes and hot lunches in south Belfast.
“I’m competing with the Presbyterians next door on the traybake front,” he joked.