In addition to using rollers and brushes to apply the paint, he also uses sponges and even a simple pencil eraser to create the textured marble look.

“I thought there were slabs of real stone lying off to the side, but they are the painted panels that will be inserted into the arches,” said Ariandne Cerritelli, one of the student-designers. “I had no idea it would look so real!”

The altar will be used at the Mass celebrated by the Pope on Sept. 23, 2015, on the steps of the Basilica overlooking CUA’s campus. After that Mass, it will be used in the Great Upper Church of the Shrine.

“I’m most excited to see it in its permanent location when it’s installed,” said Matthew Hoffman, student-designer.

The designers were able to talk to the craftsmen working on the altar and Basilica Rector Monsignor Walter Rossi about their intentions in design and some of the details that are still being worked out.

Donor has spent approximately 60 hours working on the altar so far, working 8- to 12-hour days.

The partially finished altar for the papal Mass sits in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where is will be placed after the Mass on Sept. 23.

In just over one month, media will arrive on campus eagerly awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis.

Today, TV crews in satellite trucks arrived at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to film the arrival of the altar at which the Pope will celebrate Mass.

Designed by Catholic University architecture students last spring; it was delivered by Deacon Dave Cahoon, a carpenter and deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington.

Deacon Dave and a crew moved the large piece of furniture up the east steps of the Basilica and inside the building. It is on these steps that the Pope will celebrate Mass on Sept. 23, overlooking the CUA Mall.

In the original design by the architecture students, the altar was to be made out of marble to match the interior of the Basilica. But because the altar will have to be used outdoors for the Pope’s Mass and then moved indoors, where it will remain in use in the Great Upper Church, it was decided that it should be built out of lighter materials and faux painted. Artists will apply the faux painting while the altar is inside the Basilica in order to ensure it matches the marble already in place there.

Carlos Hernandez works on the altar that will be used by Pope Francis as he celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in September.

More than two dozen reporters swarmed Carriage Hill Cabinets in Frederick, Md., Aug. 17 to get a glimpse of the altar furniture that will be used by Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., in September. The furniture was designed as part of a competition among CUA students in April. The winning designers — recent architecture graduates (pictured above, from left) Ariadne Cerritelli, Matthew Hoffman, and Joseph Taylor — patiently participated in four hours of interviews Monday afternoon while also trying to take quick breaks to talk to the builders and see their designs coming to life.

The furniture is being built by Deacon Dave Cahoon, a carpenter and ordained deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington, with assistance from Doug Fauth at Carriage Hill Cabinets. Assisting Deacon Dave — both in building the furniture and in the media event Monday — were other local craftsmen including Lawrence Wroten, who carved the papal seal onto what will become the back of the Pope’s chair, and Karen Kouneski, who is working on the mosaic that will be installed in the center arch of the altar. Deacon Dave’s employee Carlos Hernandez continued working on the altar through much of the media event.

Cerritelli and Hoffman are continuing with master’s degree studies at CUA this fall. Taylor is working for an architecture firm in Annapolis, Md.

To view stories resulting from this media event, visit In the Media.

Winners Ariadne Cerritelli and Matthew Hoffman (center) with President John Garvey, Monsignor Walter Rossi, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl. Winner Joseph Taylor is not pictured.

Students in CUA’s School of Architecture and Planning Competed to Design Furnishings

This afternoon Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, and other dignitaries were on hand to publicly unveil the design for the altar Pope Francis will use at his outdoor Mass on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C.

A jury selected designs for the altar furnishings to be used at the Mass the Pope will celebrate on the east steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, overlooking the Catholic University Mall. The altar, ambo, and chair were designed as part of a competition at Catholic University’s School of Architecture and Planning sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington and the Basilica.

A six-member jury composed of representatives from the archdiocese, Basilica, and Catholic University selected the first-, second-, and third-place winners as well as four honorable mentions.

In addition to Cardinal Wuerl, today’s public announcement of the winning design at CUA’s School of Architecture and Planning featured University President John Garvey; Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica; Bishop Barry Knestout, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chair of the jury; and Randall Ott, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning.

The first-place design features arches that mimic the architecture of the Romanesque-Byzantine style Basilica. The chair designed for the Pope features a simple high arch “designed to bring focus not on itself, but on the Vicar of Christ himself who will preach from it,” the team stated in their concept. Members of the winning design team include architecture students Ariadne Cerritelli (Bethesda, Md.), Matthew Hoffman (Pittsburgh), and Joseph Taylor (Eldersburg, Md.).

Fellow students who participated in the design competition, faculty, and guests congratulate the winning team.

“As we make plans for Pope Francis’s visit here to Washington this September and the Mass he will be celebrating on the east portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, it is a joy to be here today as we announce the winning design for the furnishings that will be used at that Mass,” said Cardinal Wuerl. ”The creativity, beauty, and thought that went into each of the submitted designs is a visible sign of God’s grace at work among us in a unique way. We look forward to our Holy Father’s visit here as a time to be confirmed more fully as missionary disciples of our Lord,” he said.

“I am always impressed and amazed at the variety of designs that can be presented from a limited program of requirements,” added Bishop Knestout. “The liturgical furnishings are simple and small in number — an altar, ambo, and presidential chair — yet these simple elements find expression in a variety of forms, each unique in creativity and beauty, found in all the 18 designs submitted for the competition. The different styles ranged from classical to modern, each reflecting the unique gifts of the teams that had designed them.”

The Mass will be celebrated during the Pope’s visit to the United States this fall. At the Mass he will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra, the first such ecclesiastical event ever on U.S. soil. Sept. 23 will mark the third time a pope has visited the Basilica and CUA. It will also be the second time CUA students have designed furnishings for a papal visit to Washington, D.C., at the behest of the Archdiocese of Washington.

The design competition was announced on April 28. Students were informed that their designs needed to be based on the assumption that the papal Mass furnishings could find continued use after Sept. 23 as permanent fixtures inside the Great Upper Church of the Basilica. Thus, students had to consider the interior architecture of the Basilica in their designs.

“It’s clear to me that the contestants all did their homework. They put a lot of thought and creativity into their designs and rationales,” said Monsignor Rossi.

Eighteen teams of at least two students each competed. They each had to build a scale model of at least one of the furnishings and make presentations of their designs to the jury on May 15.

A team of architecture students, Christian Zeitler and John Homer, won second place. The third-place team was interdisciplinary, with architecture students Alyssa Lapan and Brendan Murphy and philosophy student Rev. John Mellein, O.P. Honorable mentions were awarded in the following categories:

• Meaningful Simplicity: architecture student William Sullivan and politics student Dennis Nilsen
• Noble Simplicity: architecture students Phooko Phooko and Margherita Pongiglione
• Most Innovative Design: architecture students John Abowd and Zach Caplette
• Best Presentation: architecture students Begona Blasco, Philipe Pessotti, and Alejandra Rossi

At today’s event the winning team received $6,000, the second-place team $3,000, and third place $2,000. Honorable mention teams each received $1,000.

In 2008, architecture students designed the furnishings used at the Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Nationals Park and the chair he used when he spoke to Catholic educators at CUA.

“History repeats itself!” remarked Dean Ott. “Never would I have thought that seven years later we would have the opportunity to do this again.”

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and University chancellor, center, talks with students from Catholic University’s School of Architecture and Planning about the competition to design the altar and other furnishings for the papal Mass. Also pictured are Auxiliary Bishop Barry Knestout of Washington, left; John Garvey, persident of Catholic University, second from right; and Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica, right.

The leaders of the Archdiocese of Washington, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and The Catholic University of America met today with students from CUA’s School of Architecture and Planning to announce a contest for the design of the altar, chair, and ambo to be used by Pope Francis during the canonization Mass of Blessed Junípero Serra on Sept. 23, 2015.

“How exciting it is to be here with you on the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception looking out over the campus of The Catholic University of America, where in five months, in this very place, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, will celebrate the canonization of Junípero Serra,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and chancellor of CUA. “What makes this even more exciting is that we have all you young people with us. I can’t think of a better way to engage the spirit of the young than through this design competition.”

The contest marks the second time that CUA students will design furnishings for a papal Mass. In 2008, students designed the altar, ambo, and chair used by Pope Benedict XVI when he celebrated Mass at Nationals Park, and the chair he used when he visited the University.

Commenting on how often the Basilica and CUA collaborate on events (including University Masses and Commencement), Monsignor Walter Rossi said that he is “delighted” that the architecture and planning school is involved in the preparation for the papal visit. After the visit, he said he hopes to be able to continue using the altar and the other furnishings in the Basilica.

Bishop Barry Knestout, auxiliary bishop of Washington, also talked briefly with the students about the contest. Bishop Knestout, who has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Maryland, oversaw the 2008 contest in which students designed the furniture used by Pope Benedict XVI.

Rev. Ugo Mmebue, a graduate student in architecture from Nigeria, commented that the students are “so privileged to be [at CUA] at this point in time. We’re planning to come up with something that will represent the good work of the School of Architecture and Planning. We will make the furniture something worth seeing. We thank you for giving us this opportunity.”

“We’re proud to note that when Pope Francis visits Washington we’ll welcome our third pope to campus,” said University President John Garvey. “Participating in the design contest is indeed a special opportunity for our students. I’m sure it will be an experience of a lifetime for them. I can imagine how exciting it might be to design something that will be here 200 years from now.”