A Place of Peace is Restored: Student Shares Her Unique Connection with DelVal's Chapel

For transfer student at DelVal, Dominique Malgeri ’23, faith plays a very important role in her life. When Dominique learned that the University had a chapel on campus, she knew it would not only strengthen her connection to her faith, but would provide a safe space that made her feel at home.

“When I first visited DelVal I fell in love with the campus, and while I knew I would end up there eventually, I also knew I wasn’t quite ready to leave home,” Dominique explains. Dominique and her family are from New Jersey, about an hour and a half from DelVal’s campus. “I decided to complete my freshman and sophomore years at a local community college, and I transferred to DelVal for my junior year,” she adds.

The close-knit community at DelVal made Dominique’s transition to living on campus easy. “It was my first year away from home and it was such an easy adjustment. I made friends so easily and the Chapel especially was one of the things that helped me feel comfortable on campus,” she reflects.

Dominique grew up Catholic and would attend church with her family every Sunday. “My faith is a very big part of my life. Once I went away to school, I stopped going to church simply because I didn’t know of anything in the area. When I found out about DelVal’s Chapel on campus, I was really happy,” Dominique describes.

“I decided to go there with one of my suitemates and it’s like a little getaway. Sometimes I would play the piano in there and learn new songs. Other times I would do my homework. And if I ever needed time alone, I would go to the Chapel and reflect on my thoughts. It made me feel closer to my faith, which is so important to me,” she describes.

DelVal’s Chapel serves as a safe place of peace and relaxation, where people of all faiths, views and beliefs can come together and demonstrate the importance of acceptance and diversity. When Dominique learned about plans for the Chapel’s restoration, she was extremely excited.

“It makes me so happy that the Chapel is being restored. It’s such a huge part of why I love DelVal,” she says. When the University began fundraising for this special restoration, Dominique was eager to help. “I shared the fundraising efforts on Facebook and my mom gave to the cause along with other members of my family and friends. It was nice to have people’s support even if they’ve never been to the Chapel. Knowing that I can spread awareness for this restoration project makes me so happy and the Chapel will get the attention and help that it deserves.”

Thanks to generous donations, DelVal has made great progress in restoring the Chapel, but there is still more work that needs to be done. DelVal hopes the restored Chapel will demonstrate the importance of acceptance and diversity, and give students like Dominique the opportunity to find peace and restoration.

Click here to learn more about how you can help restore the Chapel.