For all of its 60-year history Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois, has been inspired by the heroic witness of St. Titus Brandsma. The Carmelite monastery, which was home to members of the Carmelite Order who taught at the high school and is now converted into classroom space for the students, was dedicated to Titus Brandsma during the early days of his canonization process. The school chapel at the main entrance to the school also carries his name.

To celebrate the canonization of St. Titus on May 15, the school held events on May 19, including a special all-school Mass of Thanksgiving. There was also an evening reception at the school with a viewing of the canonization Mass. During the nine days prior to the Mass, the school focused on a different aspect of St. Titus’ life. These reflections, as well as the school Mass celebrating the canonization, can be found on the school’s Facebook page.

On Saturday, September 10, members of the school community and guests joined together in the school chapel to “rededicate” the chapel to St. Titus Brandsma. Previously commonly referred to as “the Brandsma Chapel,” its name reflected that the Church had not officially recognized the martyrdom of Brandsma in any capacity when it was built.

Among the guests at the renaming of the chapel were members of the Brandsma family. Some of them had attended the canonization events in Rome. They also spent an evening with retreatants at the Carmelite Spiritual Center in July to speak about how their family has continued to live out their cousin Titus’ Catholic faith in the Chicago area. It was at this gathering that they met Michael Poulos from Carmel Catholic who invited them to the chapel rededication.

Two relics from St. Titus were also displayed at the Darien gathering: a large piece of his Carmelite habit and an entire sleeve of his shirt. These were retrieved from the Dachau Concentration camp, along with other items belonging to St. Titus, following his martyrdom in July 1942.