Business & Tech
St. Mary's Catholic Church Hires Architect, Begins Planning Parish Ministry Center Expansion
After 10 years in operation, the church looks to expand for large perish events, religious education classes.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church is ready to start the next phase of its ministry by hiring an architect to begin planning for its expansion, a church official said.
St. Mary’s, on Dundee Road, serves about 5,000 members of the community and has begun having growing pains as its parish continues to grow.
“We have got a beautiful church but we don’t have much space for anything else,” said the Rev. Steve Knox, who has been working at St. Mary’s for the past seven years.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
The addition potentially could be used for youth ministry events, different speakers, and even outside groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts if they were to need the space. It also would be a great place for parishioners to come together for various gatherings, he said.
The new Parish Ministry Center would operate as an alternative location for religious education classes. The church rents space from local middle schools for the approximate 1,300 children involved in this program.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
“This is just another phase in the parish’s life,” Knox said.
Progress thus far on the Parish Ministry Center includes hiring an architect who designed the general framework for the add-on. The plans were presented during all Masses this past week and were printed in the church’s newsletter on June 19.
Knox anticipates that the expansion will benefit everybody of the church and hopes that members give their feedback, especially during the onset of plans.
“It would be a real blessing for the larger community,” said Knox, who added that the church is in the process of hiring a contractor.
Knox predicts the addition would take about nine to 10 months to build, although official plans for a construction start date have not been made yet.
The Parish Ministry Center will require significant costs and as a result, the church probably will start campaigning after Labor Day to raise funds. Fortunately, the building’s debt has been paid off, which will help the parish move forward into its next stage.
“There is a need in the parish,” Knox said. “We don’t have the space to be doing what we could be doing. It could help us live out our mission.”
