The Curious Church in Michigan Made Completely Of Snow

This time of year, there are a few things you can almost always count on: getting together for the holidays, remembering the "reason for the season", and getting dumped on by snow. Even before December arrived, we had a "White Thanksgiving," and the snow hasn't let up since.

So what happens when you take everything you can count on during a Michigan winter and combine it with a bunch of motivated engineering students in a place that averages over 200 inches of snow a year?

You get the annual "Ice Mass at the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows", where mass is held in a chapel entirely made from snow and ice. 

St. Albert The Great's Annual Tradition, 10 Years Running

What started as a fun idea in 2016 has become an annual tradition for the St. Albert the Great University Parish, located on Michigan Tech University's campus in Houghton. Creation of the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows has become part of Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival

READ MORE: Michigan's Mysterious Ice Sculpture: Accident or Tradition?

According to a press release from the parish, it has become a community event that requires "a mountain of snow, plywood, 2x4s, a workforce of students, shovels, buckets, and stomping snow." The chapel even features stained glass made from Jell-O, and the altar is made from blocks of ice straight from Lake Superior.

How much does a project like this cost? "Hours of labor and a thousand dollars worth of pizza," according to Father Tom Merkel. If you want to see this mass take place, the first service is livestreamed on their Facebook page. The winter carnival is scheduled for February 4-7, 2026, so the masses will be around that time. Stay tuned for their page for updates.