The annual Ice Mass in the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows is a Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in a chapel hand-built from ice and snow by Michigan Technological University students and area residents.

The Mass, which coincides with Michigan Tech’s Winter Carnival, has gained international attention, according to parish officials.

The celebration represents a unique expression of Catholic faith in the deep snow country of the Keweenaw, according to a parish news release.

Three Masses will take place this weekend: at 5:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, plus 10 a.m. Saturday, all at St. Albert the Great University Parish, 411 Macinnes Drive in Houghton.

THE ICE MASS in 2022 drew a crowd at the Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows at St. Albert the Great University Parish in Houghton.

For those who cannot attend in person, the Mass will be live-streamed on the parish’s Facebook page.

Participants can register online for the livestream link at mtucatholic.org/icemass.

The chapel becomes more elaborate each year, according to the parish. When asked how much it costs to build an Ice Chapel, the Rev. Ben Hasse responded, “About a thousand dollars worth of pizza,” which helps fuel the volunteer labor.

Highlights of chapel are —

— An ice altar built of multiple slabs of ice, each weighing hundreds of pounds and pulled up by hand from Lake Superior;

— Stained ice windows created by dyed ice mosaics and hand-painted panels of ice, all done by MTU students;

— A functional confessional carved from snow;

— Hand-carved side aisles;

— An elevated pulpit tower;

— A Marian grotto, which is a small cave or cavern-like structure.

The Ice Mass has become a regular and well-attended part of MTU’s Winter Carnival, considered one of the largest annual winter festivals in the U.S.

For more information, call Allison Hadjis at 231-519-1176 or email to allison@mtucatholic.org.