Florida Catholic | Jane Dwyer

Diocesan growth brings about parish construction, renovations

Across the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, construction crews are drilling pilings, laying shingles and raising walls to construct new diocesan buildings or to renovate existing ones. With the recent kickoff of the capital campaign, Sharing the Vision — Growing in Faith, “To Build Up the Body of Christ,” many of these parishes are taking advantage of campaign resources to help supply the funds necessary for construction. “The campaign provides an additional vehicle to supplement resources directed at paying existing construction costs or eliminating or reducing subsequent debt,” explained John Kennedy, director of stewardship and development. There are currently 11 parishes within the diocese that have either recently completed construction projects or are still working toward a completion date. Below are updates on the progress of each of these projects.

Christ Our Redeemer Parish, Niceville

The parish is mixing traditional with modern to build a new state-of-the-art church building.

“We’re getting there,” said Barbara Vanderbeek, co-building chair of the project. “The subroof is on now.”

The parish has been working on the project for the past year and expects to hold a dedication service near the end of April 2008.

“I thank God we didn’t have any storms,” said Vanderbeek. “We had a few delays, but that’s normal.”

According to Vanderbeek, the 500 registered parish families have outgrown the old church. Typically, at the 10:30 Sunday Mass, Father Roy Marien, pastor, asks the children to sit around the altar to make more space for adults.

When it is finished, the new 18,000-square-foot church will have stained–cement floors, a state-of-the-art music room, a cry room and even a room for brides. Behind the altar will be the Blessed Sacrament chapel, which has windows that look onto the altar.

The best part about the new church building, according to Vanderbeek? Room.

Holy Cross Parish, Chattahoochee

The small parish added a kitchen and two restrooms to the parish hall. Father Kurian Manikuttiyil, pastor, said that the 30 families who attend Holy Cross often gather to enjoy company and food.

“Every Friday evening we have Mass, and after Mass we have the parish get-together,” he said. Because the parishioners bring food, Father Manikuttiyil said the kitchen was a necessary addition. “Every first Sunday after Mass, we also have a brunch,” he continued.

The project began in August of this year and its expected date of completion is around the first of the new year.

Little Flower Parish, Pensacola

In August of this year, construction crews broke ground for the new parish center. When it is finished, the building will include parish offices, a reception hall and a meeting room that will seat 60 people. According to Eddie Gorecki, building chairman, it will be used five days a week for the parish staff and various activities. For a parish of 825 families, said Gorecki, this addition to the Little Flower community has created a positive response.

Our Lady of Victory Parish, Crestview

Father John Cayer became pastor at least six months after the project began under the leadership of Father Steve O’Connor, who died in February, but Father Cayer still has witnessed the consistent growth of the parish.

“With the growth of Crestview,” he said, “it is necessary to expand.”

Before the expansion of the building began, the church seated 250 people for a parish of 850 registered families. The original building included 3,700 square feet. The church addition is 4,600 square feet, bringing the total to 8,300 square feet. This addition will increase seating capacity to 600 people.

“We will virtually have a new church when all is done,” said Father Cayer.

Since the project began, parishioners have celebrated Mass in Crestview High School’s auditorium.

“It’s the only place that allows us to be there every Sunday without interruption,” Father Cayer said. Even so, he and his parishioners are eager to celebrate Mass in their expanded church, which is projected to be finished at the end of January or the beginning of February 2008.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Crawfordville

For nearly a year, the parish has occupied its new classroom building. This addition includes four new rooms, which will be used as classrooms and meeting rooms for organizations such as the youth group and ladies’ group.

This building will serve the 150 registered families in the parish.

Throughout the two years that it took to build the new facility, Father James MacGee, pastor, said, “We built an awful lot of character.”

Although there were some typical construction challenges, he said the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was especially cooperative throughout the building process.

St. Louis Parish, Tallahassee

By the end of June, the parish will have a new hall where its RCIA programs, Scout troop and other ministries can meet.

“We are bursting at the seams,” said building chairman Joe Jacobs. “We have such an active parish.”

Presently, there are 436 registered parishioners and only one church building in which to host Mass and other parish activities.

The new parish hall, however, will add 8,000 square feet — and six meeting rooms — to the community.

Groundbreaking for the parish hall took place Oct. 28. According to Jacobs, there have already been a few challenges with the project, such as permitting within Leon County and finding a contractor to work within the church’s budget. But, he continued, “We have persevered and are off and running.”

St. Mary Parish, Fort Walton Beach

“We want it to be an outreach to the community,” said Msgr. Michael Cherup, pastor. For the past year, the parishioners have watched the building progress of their 34,000-square-foot family life center, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008.

“It’s in God’s hands,” said Msgr. Cherup, “and he hasn’t given me a date of completion.”

When it is finished, however, the building will house four meeting rooms, offices, a cafeteria, kitchen, exercise room and a gym that can seat 800 people.

In addition, there will be a café where parishioners, especially teenagers, can socialize in a casual atmosphere on parish grounds. St. Mary School, the 1,400 registered families and even the local Fort Walton Beach community will be able to enjoy this state-of-the-art facility.

“Now that they are seeing the magnitude of the building and realizing for over 50 years that we’ve never had an air-conditioned space for the entire parish to gather in, there is great excitement for what it can be used for,” said Msgr. Cherup of his parishioners.

St. Patrick Parish, Apalachicola

After three years of waiting, the parish has a new education building, which Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, blessed in October.

“It has given us 2,200 (feet of) additional space primarily for our religious education programs for adults and children,” said Bob Davis, building chairman.

This extra space includes classrooms, pastor Father Roger Latosynski’s office and a Dominican Sisters outreach office.

This building is particularly beneficial to the sisters, explained Davis, because now they can work in a space where they can hold regular hours. Previously, they worked out of their houses — all day, every day.

Because St. Patrick Parish is in the historic district, construction of the modular building was a challenge with the planning and zoning commission.

The solution? The parish redesigned the building to integrate it into the existing parish hall.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Panama City

The traditionally Vietnamese parish has just acquired the building permit for its 10,000-square-foot family life center.

“I have mixed feelings right now,” said Father Anthony Nguyen. “I am happy for (the parishioners) because they need this hall for school for the kids.” But he is worried about overseeing business matters, such as insurance.

Regardless, when it is completed, the building, which will cost an estimated $600,000, will provide room for religious education classes, recreational activities and fundraising events.

Father Nguyen expects the building process to begin in December and it should be finished by the summer of 2008.

St. Paul Parish, Pensacola

Parishioners want drivers who travel down Hyde Park Road to notice immediately that their new building is definitively a Catholic church.

“They wanted a traditional building,” said George Biggs, building chairman.

Construction on this new church is currently about 40 percent complete, according to Biggs. By late spring or early summer 2008, it will be open for services. The building, which will seat 1,200 people, is made of insulated concrete form. “It’s like a fortress,” he said.

Stained glass that was salvaged from demolished churches in the Northeast is being used in the new church. In fact, according to Biggs, the architects designed the church around the use of this glass.

As with many building projects, there have been some challenges, namely with the budget. St. Paul Parish’s original budget had been planned before Hurricane Ivan in 2004. After the storm, building costs went up and the parish had to reorganize its finances. The concrete building materials, however, allowed the parish to save more than $160,000, according to Biggs. With that money, a timber ceiling system that had been cut from the original plans was put back into the budget.

Since the beginning of 2007, St. Paul Parish has also enjoyed a school addition, which added five rooms, including classrooms for middle school students, computer and science labs, and a library.

St. Sylvester Parish, Navarre

Thirteen years ago the parish included 350 families. That number is now up to 1,000.

“We simply outgrew our facilities,” said Chick Alberghini, building chairman. “We needed space for the adult education programs.”

Presently, the new 14,000-square-foot multipurpose building that houses classrooms for these programs is completed and occupied, while the new 22,000-square-foot church has a projected completion date of April 2008. The old church will function as a parish center, the purpose for which it was originally built.

Throughout the building process, Alberghini said that there have not been any problems that weren’t “surmountable.”

“It’s been a labor of love,” he continued. “It’s been wonderful seeing it go from a conceptual idea to reality.”

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