A scale model of the railroad chapel cars that were used to bring the Catholic Church to the nation's remote outposts of faith in the early 20th century will be on display at DePaul University's Loop Campus throughout the month of May.

To commemorate 100 years of serving Catholic missions in America, the Catholic Church Extension Society invited Plano, Ill. model maker Robert Marson to build a scale model of the St. Paul, a Pullman-style railroad car that was converted into a chapel to serve the American South and West from 1915 to 1924. The "Church on rails" brought the ministry to thousands of people who would otherwise have not had the opportunity to share in the Catholic faith.

A special unveiling ceremony, featuring Bishop William Houck, president of the Catholic Church Extension Society, will take place at 9 a.m. May 2 in the north lobby of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd. The model will be on display there through the end of the month.

The scale model is approximately four feet in length, one foot in width and ten inches tall, A scale model twice the size of the one Marson created was commissioned in 1925 by the Pullman Co., and is now a part of the permanent Vatican collection.

Founded in Chicago in 1905 by Father Francis Clement Kelley as the Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States of America and elevated to a papal society by St. Pius X in 1910, Catholic Extension is the leading supporter of Catholic missions in America today. For more information about the Catholic Church Extension Society, visit: www.catholic-extension.org.