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Why are we taking on this construction program? Don’t
we already have all the facilities we need?
- St. Joseph Parish serves a population of more than 10,000 parishioners — in about 3,200 registered households. Even so, our current facilities – church, school, gym/multi-purpose room — aren’t significantly larger than parishes that are half our size. The truth is, ministry needs a place to happen — whether that’s a welcoming and inviting worship space; or community space that can accommodate the many, many groups that need a place to meet. To cite just one important example: The space currently used by our Youth Group has a capacity of only 50 people. Imagine the impact we could be having on the thousands of teenagers who live within our parish boundaries…if we offered programs in a space that made them feel truly welcome!
- This campaign is designed to address both the immediate and long-term needs of our parish, to better serve all the parishioners who call St. Joe’s “home.” We are certainly not the first local parish to recognize the opportunity for facility improvements. Other neighboring church communities—Sacred Heart in Valley Park, Holy Infant, St. Gerard Majella and Manchester Methodist—have also recognized the need to expand their facilities. The Foundation for Our Future campaign provides a way to improve the experiences we currently offer for worship, education and fellowship—and to address entirely new opportunities that we simply haven’t had room for before.
How is this capital campaign connected to
the parish’s Master Plan?
- The Foundation for Our Future capital campaign grew out of the earlier work done to develop a Master Plan for the parish. In 2005-06, hundreds of parishioners took part in a series of discussions and listening sessions, designed to identify the parish’s current and future facilities needs.
- Three improvement priorities emerged out of those discussions: 1) enhancements to the church (e.g., an enclosed gathering space, a daily Mass chapel/Adoration chapel); 2) the addition of a versatile Parish Center; and 3) improvements to the existing school and cafeteria. Next, a feasibility study was undertaken – and it recommended that the Master Plan projects be developed in three phases. This is to allow sufficient time to acquire funding for construction – but more importantly, to permit the construction to proceed with the least amount of impact on the parish’s day-to-day functions. In other words, while we are building for our future, we want St. Joe’s to continue to provide all the services that parishioners expect: Worship and sacraments; education; adult faith formation; social activities and fellowship; sports and recreation; and more. The three phases of the Master Plan are expected to take 15 years or more to complete, driven by the capital campaigns required to fund construction.
- The three phases are: (
See Parish Master Plan)
- Phase I – Parish
Center.
- Phase II – Enhancements
to the Church.
- Phase III – Improvements
to the original school building (constructed in 1959).
This phase would provide new cafeteria facilities, improve
classrooms and relocate parish offices to the lower
level of the school building.
How was the order determined for implementing
the three phases of the Master Plan?
- Enhancements to the church emerged as the top priority among the parishioners who participated in Master Plan discussions. The key improvements they envisioned include the construction of an enclosed “gathering area” in the place currently occupied by the courtyard; a new chapel for adoration and other smaller religious services (e.g., daily Mass); new and expanded restroom facilities, with handicap accessibility: expansion of meeting room space under the church; and an elevator, to make the lower level accessible to all.
- The feasibility study revealed that the church would need to be closed during construction – due to safety regulations requiring adequate fire exits.
- As a result, St. Joe’s chose to proceed with the construction of a new Parish Center in Phase I, to create a suitable “alternate” space for worship, once construction begins on the church enhancements.
Why can’t we use the existing gym for
Mass and other worship services during church construction?
- This option was reviewed thoroughly – and turned out not to be viable. As you may know, Mass is offered twice daily during the week – along with a full schedule of Masses on Saturday and Sunday. Funerals and other worship services (e.g., Benediction) also must be accommodated on a regular basis. These demands would require set-up and tear-down of an altar and seating daily—or even multiple times per day, so that the gym could continue to be used for physical education, school assemblies, indoor recess during inclement weather, and games and practices. It’s simply impossible to use the current gym for both worship and school-related activities on a regular basis.
Do we really need a parish Center?
- Yes! Quite apart from its role as an “alternate” worship space during Church construction (and “overflow” worship space on holidays), a new Parish Center will greatly enhance St. Joe’s ability to serve the needs of the 10,000 people who are registered members of our parish.
- The Parish Center will improve the education and faith formation opportunities we are equipped to offer…
- Assembly space for full-time school
- Classroom and assembly space for PSR
- Youth Group meeting space — for 100 or more
- RCIA, Adult Continuing Education
- Lecture hall
- The Parish Center will enhance our ability to accommodate a wide range of fellowship and social activities…
- Auditorium…for concerts, recitals, plays
- Reception and/or dining space for Fish Fry, Sausage Supper
- Funerals – hospitality for family and friends
- Trivia Nights, Advent Teas, holiday parties
- Youth sports
- Adult fitness programs
- In an average week, dozens of parish organizations use existing parish facilities for their meetings and gatherings. Very often, other groups are turned away for lack of space. Imagine how much more welcoming and inviting our parish could be…if we only had the room for everyone to gather!
That sounds exciting! Can you show me some
of the ways in which the new Parish Center might be used?
Will this new Parish Center just be another
gym?
- No. The new building is being designed from the ground up to offer versatile space configurations – to accommodate a variety of large gatherings, such as “overflow” holiday Masses; seating for traditional parish events like Sausage Supper, Fish Frys, Advent Teas; auditorium space for plays, concerts, lectures and recitals; and so on. It will also offer breakout meeting areas for smaller groups (e.g., Youth Ministry, RCIA, PSR). While the building will be equipped for athletic events as well, its primary purpose is to serve the wide-and-varied education, formation, fellowship and social needs of the parish.
How much money is needed for Phase I?
- Based on the initial design of the new Parish Center, the capital campaign goal has been set at $3.7 million.
How much has been pledged to the campaign?
- So far, $2.3 million has been pledged – with most pledges to be paid over three years. The average gift per household is $2,500, paid over three years.
- To date, we have surpassed the $1.7 million (as of 5/1/10) mark in total payments received. This is a great start, but we still have a way to go before we can break ground.
Where are those collected funds now? Are they
safe in this economic downturn?
- All of the contributions from parishioners are safely deposited in certificates of deposit (CDs). The money has not been affected by the volatility of the stock market. The funds will remain in safe, interest-bearing investments until it is time to begin construction.
When will construction begin?
- According to the Archdiocese’s guidelines, construction cannot begin until the parish has half of the needed funds in hand. With Year 3 of the capital campaign now under way, we hope to reach that target soon, and then break ground on this much-needed project.
- If you’re in a position to make a major gift—$10,000…$50,000…$100,000…or more—your generosity would help the parish take a giant step toward the construction of this beautiful new building.
If I’m interested in making a challenge grant (e.g., to spur matching contributions from parishioners) or a major memorial gift (e.g. to commemorate a loved one), how would I go about doing that?
- The Parish would welcome your support of the campaign in either of these ways. Please contact Fr. Santen or Jim Sigillito (Parish Administrator) to discuss the details for making such a contribution.
Once Phase I is completed, will there be additional
capital campaigns for Phases II and III?
- More than likely, the answer is “yes.” That’s why the Master Plan calls for three distinct phases of development – to allow the parish to raise additional funds when it is determined parishioners are ready to move on to the next phase. In an ideal situation, of course, it would be best to complete all phases of the construction as soon as possible, to avoid inflationary cost increases and to reduce the inconvenience due to drawn out construction conditions.
Once construction is completed, can our weekly
offerings absorb the anticipated additional operating costs
of a new Parish Center?
- Yes. Our parish’s Finance Committee has carefully taken this matter into consideration and we will be able to maintain the new facilities with our current operating budget.
How do our regular weekly offerings compare to those of other parishes in the Archdiocese?
- While the people of St. Joseph’s are generous, the fact is that in FY2009 the average annual giving among our parishioners ($552) trailed that of the average household in the Archdiocese by 17%; and of the 28 neighboring parishes in the Southwest Deanery by 49%. As a parish, we currently rank 25th of the 28 parishes in the deanery in our average annual giving to support ongoing operations.
Will all the buildings in the current parish
footprint be retained after the construction of the new facilities?
- No. The Parish Center will be built just to the east of the current Multi-purpose Room/Gym – requiring that Emmaus House (the old rectory) be taken down. The five homes purchased along St. Joseph’s Lane will continue to serve as a rectory (2 homes) and as meeting facilities during construction. In Phase II, the courtyard in front of church will be razed to accommodate a new enclosed gathering area, chapel, restrooms and other improvements. In Phase III, plans call for the Parish Office to be razed, with new administrative office space for the parish staff to be constructed on the lower level of the school building.
What will happen to the houses the parish has
purchased on St. Joseph’s Lane once all the new facilities
have been completed?
- This is yet to be decided, but the homes have retained their residential format – so they would be marketable, should the parish decide to sell them at a later date.
How will these new facilities affect the parish
school?
- The new Parish Center will certainly enhance our school – and demonstrate the parish’s ongoing commitment to Catholic education. It will also create opportunities to expand outreach efforts — so that St. Joe’s can host events or sponsor programs that attract young people who might not otherwise have a reason to visit our campus. In short, the Parish Center represents a key building block in our continuing effort to renew the parish by educating and evangelizing the young people of our community.
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St.
Joseph Master Plan
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