Florida Catholic | Diocesan Building Projects Meet Increased Demand

Diocesan building projects meet increased demand

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 07.14.08

ORLANDO | While rising prices and building industry layoffs are prevalent issues in the news, for the many construction projects around the diocese “this is a good time to build,” said William Kramer, who administers construction for the diocese.

“Construction costs have stabilized,” Kramer explained. “Material costs always go up, but we’re coming off a period of all-time highs and at a rapidly increasing rate. Materials continue to increase, but labor costs have come down enough to offset the increase and stabilize.”

In addition, Kramer voiced the experience of many of the projects – they are coming in on time or even ahead of schedule because overall industry activity is down, decreasing competition for materials or labor.

All this is occurring simultaneously with a record influx of retirees and the rapid growth of service industries. Younger people help staff these service industries, such as medical and recreational, and bring families with them.

“For example, (in) The Villages area,” Kramer said, “they want large churches. There isn’t a need for other facilities – their communities have provided for that. Because they’re retirement communities, 55 and older, they’re also creating service areas – the young families moving in to accommodate the needs are going to the surrounding churches creating major growth and expansion needs there.”

Father Robert Fucheck is the pastor of St. Timothy Parish in Lady Lake in the midst of The Villages retirement community. “Fifteen years ago when I came there were 20,000 people; today there are 70,000 and they’re looking at a max of 110,000,” Father Fucheck explained. “With that growth comes the need for ancillary enterprises – restaurants, hospital staff. There are a large number of doctors’ offices and stores – seven pharmacies.”

St. Timothy church seats 1,200 people and the weekend Masses are packed. Daily Mass attracts 300 to 400 people in the summer and 500 to 600 people when the winter residents arrive. But, the parish sits on an 11-acre site and there is no room left for expansion, so Father Fucheck enthusiastically cheers for and supports the growth of the neighboring parishes – St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Summerfield and St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Wildwood. “We need the other churches,” he said.

Both neighboring parishes are in the process of building churches that will seat about 1,800 and 1,700 people, respectively, for Mass with projected costs ranging from more than $7 million to nearly $10 million. In addition, St. Theresa Parish in Belleview and St. Paul Parish in Leesburg are growing as a result of their proximity to The Villages and are in the midst of major construction projects. St. Theresa Parish is also building a new church that will more than double the number of people that can be seated, and St. Paul Parish is completing a second-story addition to its school and a major expansion to its church which will increase capacity from the current 945 to 1,500 people.

Growth at County Line

Another corridor of rapid growth is along the border between Osceola and Orange counties. St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Kissimmee is in the process of adding room for an additional 200 seats in its 600-seat worship space in the multipurpose building (multipurpose or multiuse facilities accommodate worship space, meeting rooms and offices among others) to suffice until construction of the 1,700-seat church is completed.

St. Rose of Lima Parish in Poinciana has just completed purchase of its new 22-acre site and anticipates breaking ground for the new multipurpose building by the end of the year.

Father Gregory Parkes, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Celebration and chancellor for canonical affairs for the diocese, indicated that growth has stabilized at the moment at 700 families, but anticipates another period of significant growth once the Corpus Christi structure is built. County approvals are going well and the parish is looking forward to an October groundbreaking, with construction of the 800-seat church, estimated at between $7 million and $8 million, to be completed within 13 months.

“We’re currently celebrating Mass at three different locations every week, so for us it’s very important; it’s critical to have a sense of stability and permanence that the church will provide. We’re so very dependent on other people for space for everything. We’re committed to making this dream a reality,” Father Parkes said.

Holy Family Parish in Orlando, just over the county line in southernmost Orange County, plans to open its new life center in mid-July and the expanded church with seating capacity for 1,400 people in early September with dedication slated for Oct. 11.

Dedications Abound

Celebrations of dedications and groundbreakings have been happening throughout the diocese.

• St. Phillip Phan Van Minh Parish in Orlando once celebrated Masses for the Vietnamese community at St. Charles Borromeo Parish, but dedicated its newly purchased and renovated church Nov. 3, 2007.

• St. Andrew Parish in Orlando dedicated its newly expanded church facilities Jan. 26 of this year.

• Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Indialantic dedicated its new life center and gymnasium June 8, in conjunction with celebrating pastor Father David Page’s 50th anniversary of ordination and elevation to monsignor.

In West Orange County, Resurrection Parish in Winter Garden just completed an expansion.

“We have provided the building aspects of the parish which will take care of its spiritual and social needs for many years down the line,” explained Missionary of St. Charles Father Alex Dalpiaz, pastor. On Feb. 24, the parish dedicated the 16,000-square-foot and $2.3 million expansion of their parish center renamed Gleason Hall after Dr. Albert Gleason, a family practice physician and one of the original parishioners. The waiting room of his office was used for the first Masses of the parish in 1959.

The “Growing in Faith Through Unity” campaign of the 3,000-family, tri-lingual (English, Spanish and Portuguese) community was completed in just one year. Father Dalpiaz credits the diocesan building and construction office with making it possible. “Bill Kramer was very good in his counseling, advice and follow through.”

The dedication of the new Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach will be Aug. 6, in time for the 2008-2009 school year. And All Souls Parish in Sanford will officially dedicate its new church with a seating capacity of 975 Aug. 15 at the 6 p.m. Mass.

In the anticipatory stage is Most Precious Blood Parish in Oviedo, with more than 1,400 registered families. Parishioners currently meet for Mass in the cafeteria of Lawton Chiles Middle School. The parish is in the permitting process for its multiuse building – having met and surpassed its first financial goal of $3 million.

Teresa Peterson, diocesan communications manager, contributed to this report.

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Diocesan building projects meet increased demand

Growth at County Line

Dedications Abound

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