“Bybee Stone Company crated the cornerstone for international shipping, and it was sent to the Vatican to be blessed by Pope Benedict XVI. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, blessed the plans for the church before his death.”
—Jeff Leisz
Bybee Stone Mill Superintendent
Photo courtesy of Thomas Aquinas College.
Location: Santa Paula, CA
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel
Architect Duncan Stroik, of South Bend, Indiana, created a blend of all the great Western religious architectural styles in one building for his clients, melding it all with the Spanish Mission tradition of California, as was their wish. The project echos the theological education commitment of the Thomas Aquinas College, which offers a four-year, coeducational curriculum focused on great books.
Engaged fluted and spiral-fluted Ionic columns, twenty-two feet tall, were carved from Indiana limestone at Bybee Stone Company, as well as Corinthian pilasters eighteen feet tall, inscribed friezes, the college’s coat of arms, angels, and other ornamental details.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel received the Palladio Award, 2011, for excellence in traditional commercial, institutional, and public architecture, in New Design and Construction—less than 30,000 square feet.
