Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman Chapel of St. William

The Cowardin Chapel of St. William (St. William Chapel) was constructed as the Seniors Chapel on the first floor of Copley Hall in 1930.

Copley Hall being the dorm for upperclassmen, the chapel’s location sought to provide seniors in their final year at Georgetown the opportunity to connect their learning to their deepening life of faith. To that end, the historic stained glass windows of the chapel depict images of the parables of Jesus (the teachings of the faith) thereby wedding faith and study together in a sacred space.

In 1990, St. William Chapel was renovated and the three original clerestory windows in the chancel of the chapel were replaced with stained glass window depictions from the book of Daniel in honor of Rev. Daniel McFadden, SJ.

In 2022, the chapel was named the Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman Chapel of St. William. The term “Servant of God” refers to Sr. Thea’s official designation as a person in the first stage of canonization in the Roman Catholic Church. To read more about the naming of the chapel, read the University’s story.