|
On Tuesday, October 21, Divine Mercy Parish held our first parish forum to address our upcoming building project at Marquette Avenue. The purpose of this forum was to “lay the foundation” – to meet our building committee, meet our architectural / liturgical consultant team, discuss why we are undertaking this project, and talk about the process we will use as we embark on this very exciting phase in the life of our parish. If you missed the forum, this letter explains what was accomplished and answers some questions.
Q. What are we going to build? We are going to remove the rectory at the corner of 8th and Marquette and replace it with a main-level gathering space. This space would have a handicapped accessible entrance, provide room for hospitality before and after mass, host funeral visitations, and events such as pancake breakfasts. The lower level would become the Christian Formation space, with about eight classrooms and a large multi-use meeting area. We would also renovate the current nave and sanctuary of the church.
Q. Why are we going to build? Don’t we have four good sites? The building committee has two goals, which come from the parish council: 1. To move our parish along the goal of moving from four sites to two sites, 2. To renew and intensify our identity as the parish of Divine Mercy. Yes, we have four nice sites, but the reality is we cannot afford to keep all four sites indefinitely. Snowplowing, roof repairs, utilities, and general maintenance are all getting more expensive. In 2005, our parish decided that we need to move from four sites to two sites. In addition, our vibrant Family Christian Formation program (what used to be called CCD) has classes and mass on Sunday mornings at the 16th Avenue site. Previous studies and discussions have determined that the best option is to build an addition onto the Marquette Avenue site with a church hall-type space on the main level and move the Christian Formation program to the Marquette site on the lower level. This building will replace the existing Marquette Avenue rectory at the corner of 8th and Marquette. This move will free up some space so that we can eventually decide which sites to keep and which sites to sell or repurpose.
Q. Why do we have to tear down the old rectory at Marquette? Can’t we remodel it? It is more cost-effective (cheaper) to remove the rectory and start from scratch. The current rectory does not provide enough space, it does not meet current building codes, and we will need to install an elevator. There is enough room on the lot where the rectory currently exists to fit the multi-level building we are hoping to build. Q. Why don’t we just build a new church at College Avenue? Everyone agrees that having one site would be the ideal option. The problem is that it would cost too much money. The next best option is two sites – a school site and a worship site.
Q. Why not sell one of our properties first and use that money to build the church? There are several reasons why this option does not work well at this time: 1. We currently use and need all four sites. Selling one site right now would seriously disrupt our current ministries – where would they go? 2. The real estate market indicates there is not a big demand for churches. A good example is St. Stephen’s at the airport. Even though it is in a high traffic, commercially zoned area, it took them many years to sell their property. Over time, maintenance on our four sites would continue to escalate along with construction costs of the building project.
Q. Can’t the Christian Formation program use the school site classrooms? This is not a good option for our students in either program. Both programs deserve their own space with their own materials.
Q. If we have all of these programs going on at Marquette, won’t that make parking and the time between masses crazy? We know that there could be weekends where Christian Formation is in session on the lower level, a pancake breakfast could be in the main level gathering space, and masses may be changing. That is a lot of people in one area, but it is also a wonderful problem to have. This will be evaluated in the concept design phase of the project. In the end, mass times will probably be adjusted slightly.
Q. What will change in the sanctuary and nave of the church? Why? The preliminary plan is to bring the altar closer to the people and create an accessible sanctuary platform area for the altar and ambo. This can be done with ramps. The music area would be redone, along with the seating at the front of the nave. We are also investigating the possibility of an area for daily mass. The modifications will connect the flow from the new addition to the current church and make the sanctuary accessible to those with temporary or permanent disabilities.
Q. So would the tabernacle move? Do we need to tear out the new organ? The preliminary discussions have not suggested moving the tabernacle to any less respectful place than it currently is. One concept being considered is making the Blessed Sacrament more accessible for private devotion and more visible to the assembly. The organ would remain as is. We also want to incorporate our treasures from other sites into our renovated church.
Q. How will the parish get to participate in the design of the addition & renovation? The parish will have significant opportunities to review the design recommendations of the building committee. We have hired architects and liturgical design consultants to help us design a space that meets our needs. This collaboration is uniquely qualified to work with parishes like ours and bring us to a consensus decision that will serve the best interests of Divine Mercy and the Church now and in the future. The parish at large will have a chance to view the design proposals at two more forums in early 2009 and provide input. We are also forming an “advisory group” of about 40 people. This group is cross section of the parish community and people who will use the space frequently for activities and ministries. They will meet to provide rapid feedback to the building committee, architects, and liturgical design consultants about what will work and what will not work in the design. The building committee itself will oversee the entire planning process, ultimately making recommendations to the parish council, trustees, and our pastors.
Q. What is the timeline for this building project? The visioning and concept design phase will take until March 2009. From November through February, the building committee and advisory group will be working very hard to come up with a design concept that can come before the parish. In Lent, we want to be ready to resume the Faith in Our Future capital campaign and use the proceeds to build this addition and renovate the church. If all goes well, we would like to see some progress on a building within two years.
Q. How much will this cost? We are all worried about finances and the economy right now. The parish will not go into debt to accomplish this building project. We will not put any current ministries (especially the school that we value greatly) into jeopardy because of a new building. The new addition (gathering space and Christian Formation space) might cost the parish approximately $3,000,000. The renovations to the interior of the existing church might cost approximately another $1,000,000. These preliminary costs will be reviewed as a part of the planning process. We have investments that our finance committee is currently deciding how best to appropriate. We also have property that could be sold such as the former rectory at College Avenue. If the entire amount is not raised, we can do the project in phases, starting with the new addition of the gathering space and Christian Formation space.
Q. Who are our architects & liturgical design consultants? The firm we are working with is called Forms of Faith. It is a collaboration between the Horbinski Design Group, an architect and liturgical design consultant, and Zimmerman Architectural Studios, architect and engineers. As required by the archdiocese, our building committee interviewed three firms before hiring Forms of Faith. Mr. Horbinski’s experience and expertise in the Catholic church planning process makes him a wonderful match for our parish.
Q. Can you describe our Christian Formation program? Why does it need to be at the worship site? Divine Mercy has a very unique Christian Formation program. Sometimes called the “Family Model” of faith formation, the parents actually stay and have a parent session while the students are learning in their own classrooms. The children’s curriculum is called “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” and it is a Montessori-based program of Christian Formation. The classes meet about every other Sunday for 28 weeks of the year. 430 children, from 255 families are in our Christian Formation program! The most important component of the program is that the families attend mass together either before or after their sessions. But since these families are all at 16th Avenue currently, they are unable to worship with the larger faith family of Divine Mercy. On any given Sunday, there are approximately 350 people at the Christian Formation mass. Since the children and young families of both our day school and the Christian Formation program are the future of our parish, they need to be worshipping at one site together with the older generations.
Q. What is our plan for moving to two sites? After this building project is complete and the Christian Formation program moves to Marquette Avenue, then a future committee can pursue options to either divest ourselves of two of the sites or repurpose buildings for other uses that fit the mission of Divine Mercy Parish, if parishioners have a need for new ministries.
Q. What about the offices and the 13th Avenue site? In the future, as building space in our parish opens up, we may be able to move the TOTS program and our parish offices to other locations.
Q. How will the parish be updated on the progress of the building project? The building committee commits itself to open and frequent communication. We will utilize every means to communicate with the parish. That will include bulletin articles, bulletin inserts (like this one) when appropriate, the parish website (www.divinemercysm.org), announcements before mass, articles in the orders of worship at mass, priests speaking about the project during homilies, and large posters of architectural renderings for all to view. If you ever have questions, please contact the building committee members or the parish office. If you submit questions or comments in writing, please include your name so you can receive a response.
Q. Who is on the building committee? The members are: Fr. Bob, Fr. Steve, Rich Lussier (parish council liaison and finance committee member), Judi Backes (Christian Formation director), Chuck Kendall (Buildings and Grounds member), Cathy Wendt (Pastoral Administrator), Teresa Piraino (Home and School parent), Joe Dulka (trustee), and Chris Sepersky (Director of Liturgy and Music and chair of the building committee).
|