“I can’t think of anything more important in these times than restoring the Presidio Chapel as a beacon of interfaith peace, to honor those who have served and those who have died in service to our democracy, and to build a gallery to share the stunning McDonald Peace Windows with the world."
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~Rita Semel 

The historic Presidio Chapel will be restored and expanded in a $11 million campaign to

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Build a gallery to house the McDonald Peace Windows, honoring the military faith tradition.
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Build a gallery for the McDonald Peace Windows honoring veterans and military chaplaincy.
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Expand space for interfaith gatherings and for those who do not worship in pews.
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Upgrade the Chapel for full accessibility.
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Honor and minister to veterans and their families.
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Preserve the existing architecture, stained glass windows, and ...
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... WPA era mural.

I give for preservation -
​Camilla M. Smith 

I am so excited to preserve this historic building. The Presidio Chapel played a major role in serving the spiritual needs of soldiers and their families from 1931 until the post closed in1994. Soldiers in World War II in the Pacific, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War were some of the many thousands who worshiped here before leaving for the battlefronts.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PRESERVATION

I give for interfaith tradition
​ – Rita Semel

The United States Army was the first organization to provide a place where people of all faiths could gather and feel welcome. The Interfaith Center at the Presidio came into being - to be the place for that continuity in the 21st century at the Presidio, once a military base, now a national park. But the mission remains the same - to provide a welcoming space open to all without regard to race, religion or national origin.
LEARN MORE ABOUT INTERFAITH

I give to honor my military
​family - Deon Neilsen Price

This restoration project is about the lives of so many like my family, who served in the military and shared base chapels for worship.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MILITARY 
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​The Interfaith Center at the Presidio is a safe, sacred space at the Presidio Chapel for dialogue, prayer, and friendship among people of all faith traditions and those without. The Chapel has been a beacon of peace during war and turbulent times and continues as a place where people pray, sing, marry, minister, mourn and strive for peace and understanding

​The ICP has been the steward of the Main Post Chapel since 1996 when the Army turned it over to the United States Park Service as a national urban park. For 85 years, the chapel served the military and their families during war and turbulent times when hundreds of thousands of men and women shipped out from the Presidio to the World War II Pacific war theater, to Korea, to Vietnam. The Chapel now serves as a safe, sacred space for dialogue, prayer, ministry, and the building of friendship among people of all faiths and those who do not practice a faith.

Through the ICP, the Presidio Chapel has become a beacon for interfaith dialogue. Our desire to build the future of our interfaith work combined with the practical need to upgrade the building, resulted in the campaign to restore the Chapel’s religious, military, art and historical traditions as well as to expand its capacity to include more faith traditions and practices.