Stan and Julie Steuter got married in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul nearly 50 years ago. When they entered that space Feb. 9 for a Mass celebrating World Marriage Day, it was the first time they had stepped foot inside in the chapel since their wedding day in 1975.
“I was very emotional,” Stan said of being there for the Feb. 9 Mass. “All the memories came back. It seems like it (1975 wedding) was just yesterday,”
Julie added, “I thought it was awesome. It brought back a lot of memories.”
Such nostalgia is exactly what Christina Crow, sacramental coordinator in Campus Ministry at UST, had in mind when she came up with the idea for such a Mass several years ago with Jesuit Father Christopher Collins, vice president for mission at UST. Crow herself was married at the chapel in 2002 and attended the Feb. 9 Mass with her husband, Patrick, and their four children. Their oldest, Brennan, is a student at UST and St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul and is considering a vocation to the priesthood.
“We have so many weddings that we’ve done at St. Thomas over the years,” Crow said. She noted that the Feb. 9 Mass, which Campus Ministry now offers every year, is a chance “to highlight the Church celebrating World Marriage Day, highlight the wonderful couples who have gotten married at St. Thomas and highlight this beautiful sacrament.”
The Steuters belong to St. Andrew in Elk River (Diocese of St. Cloud) and came at the invitation of their son Brian, who regularly comes to the campus because his daughter is a student there and plays sports. It was their first time attending the Mass and they said they hope to come in future years.
Carrie and Patrick O’Neill didn’t have to drive nearly as far. They are parishioners at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul who got married in the chapel in 2020. They came to the Mass with their two children and wore colors tied to Valentine’s Day.
“My parents (Karin and Randy Thysse) also got married here,” Carrie said. “It was fun to walk down the aisle (again).”
They had come on one previous occasion after having their first child, Anna, 3. They decided to make a return trip this year.
“It’s a good way to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” Patrick said.
“It’s special to be in the church you got married in,” Carrie added, “and good to bring the kids to see the church.”
Crow said the chapel hosts 30 to 40 weddings a year. She noted that the first record of a wedding taking place at UST was in 1886, which was before the current chapel was built (1919). The chapel underwent renovation in 2020 as part of a $12.7-million building project in which the Iversen Center for Faith was constructed adjacent to the chapel. The concrete steps leading into the chapel were replaced with a concrete plaza on which a statue of St. Thomas Aquinas was placed.
