OUR JOURNEY OUR FUTURE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN FAQ

FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Where are the Stations of the Cross, Statues, and stained glass windows? We thought they were going to be included.

Remember that the drawings on display are only schematic drawings. They are not construction drawings. They are meant to show the design and layout of the facility in a general way. The Worship Design Team continues to meet and discuss. The final look and layout has not been reached. Once we reach that point, the construction drawings will show all the details. The current Stations of the Cross and our statues of Mary, Joseph, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Ignatius as well as our Crucifix and Tabernacle will all be included in the new church. The stained glass windows will be included too, though there is some uncertainty about the rose window in the west side. All the small round windows are held in place by cement and how many can be removed without damaging them is uncertain. How and where the windows will be included in the new building has not yet been determined either.

Where are the fans?

The fans do not appear in the schematic drawings, nor will they appear in the construction drawings. The plan is for our entire facility to be air-conditioned.

Can the bell tower be saved and will it be saved?

The bell tower appears in the schematic drawings, most clearly in the drawing in the lower right corner. The plan is to save the bell tower as a part of our historical heritage. Also, we are fortunate enough to have a church bell (her name is Helena). So if we could not save the tower it would be necessary to construct a new one for it would be important to keep our bell which rings the Angelus for us and calls us to Sunday worship.
Our architect has had an engineer examine our bell tower and they are nearly certain that it can be saved. It was constructed sort of as a “free-standing tube”. They indicate that it may not even be necessary to shore it up when the rest of the building is removed. Filling in the bottom of the tower ( there will be no basement in the new building) will give it even more strength. Only cosmetic repairs will be needed in the interior and exterior of the tower.

The pews as they appear in the drawings do not look comfortable.

Once again, remember that these are schematic drawings and only present a representation of the seating in the new church. Some of the seating will be traditional pews and some will be movable chairs. The Worship Design Team has discussed the desirability of the seats of both the chairs and the pews to be padded for better comfort.

Is this planning process being conducted, and are decisions being made, by only a few parishioners?

While the Steering Committee, Worship Design Team, and Communications Committee involves about 20 people, this planning process has involved literally hundreds of parishioners. In the initial phases of our planning process 60 parish leaders (leaders of organizations and ministries) gathered to surface parish concerns. Then, in the fall of 08, members of all parish ministries and organizations were asked to meet to discuss their ministry and what could be done either with parish support or facilities to make their ministry more effective.
In the spring of 2009 a series of 18 Focus Group Meetings were held here in the Life Center and in parishioners homes. All parishioners were invited to attend one of these meetings and nearly 200 did attend. Again, this past June 13 a parish meeting was held in the Life Center, which all parishioners were invited to attend. We had about 150 present for this meeting. The plan as it stands at this point is the fruit of feedback and suggestions received from these many parishioners who attended these many meetings.

Where Is The Sacristy?

Actually, there are two sacristies. One, called a work sacristy, is located in the west end of the church behind the altar area. This would be used for storage of candles, candelabra and other furnishings and decorations. The other, called a vesting sacristy, is located off the narthex or gathering space at the East end. This is where priest vestments and vesting takes place. Servers vest here as well and cups, bowls and rituals are kept here too.

Where is the cry room?

There is no designated space called the cry room. We want our families with children to know that they are welcome in our assembly. When a young child gets upset and becomes disruptive, the parent may step out into the narthex to calm the child and then re-enter the assembly. The narthex will be wired for sound so that the parent and child will be able to hear and see all that is going on during Mass. This will also allow us to use the narthex for overflow seating for Christmas and Easter.

How can we afford it?

This is perhaps the question that is most often raised. In fact virtually 95% of the feedback that has come in has recognized the proposed plan as a good plan and much needed by our community. The question is always how we can afford this in these difficult economic times. It is good that folks are asking this question because we all should recognize that this is a challenge for our parish. But it is also a challenge that we need to meet. While economic times are difficult, it is also a good time to build because construction costs and interest rates will never be lower, not to mention local workers who will find work here.

Regarding the funds, $4,000,000.00, needed for our project, there is a comical quip that says: “The good news is we have all the money we need to go forward. The bad news is it is all in your pockets.” On a more serious note, this fund-raising goal will be a challenge for our parish, no doubt about it. However, we are blessed in so far as we have one fourth of the funds already in the bank due to the generous bequest from one of our families. If one family can donate $1,000,000.00, could our other 999 families donate the other $3,000,000.00?

If we all work together and prepare ourselves to make sacrificial gifts, I know we can reach our goal. Just how much can we raise? We are in the middle of a fund-raising feasibility study to try and determine the answer to that question. Also, our Steering Committee, our Worship Design Team, and our Construction Committee which is soon to be formed, are working with the architect to reduce costs and make the project more affordable. We all recognize the importance of being good and prudent stewards with our facilities and our money. Let's not forget the importance of this project, that we are not just trying to address our present needs, but the future needs of our growing faith community.

Where is the restroom for the choir?

The facility restroom needs will be serviced by two sets of restrooms, the existing ones in the Parish Life Center, and new restrooms more proximate to the church on the Southwest side of the narthex or gathering space. Individual restrooms for various meeting rooms or groups will not be included since they are not necessary and would also serve to drive up construction costs.

Where will the pastor live?

This question always comes up when people realize that the drawings show an expanded parking lot where the current rectory sits. The current rectory houses some of our parish offices along with the pastor's living space. This current arrangement is not ideal. First, parish offices are split between the rectory and the Life Center. This makes communication and consultation a challenge. The unified office area in the new plan will provide more adequate space, better communication, stronger staff working relationships and greater efficiency. Living where one works is difficult as one feels that they cannot get away from their work load. It also infringes on one's privacy. A pastor's living space away from the offices provides the privacy needed as well as the respite needed away from one's desk.
Expanded parking is needed on the south side of the facility. Anyone who has been “blocked in” to one of those double parking spaces on the south side knows that more and proper parking is needed. Removing the current rectory will provide this needed parking space. The pastor's housing could then be addressed in one of two ways. A house nearby, such as on Enos, could be purchased and remodeled to meet our needs, or a three bedroom single floor dwelling could be built on parish property further south on Stadium Rd., on the ground that is currently farmed. Either way the hope would be that we have parishioners with building knowledge and experience that would allow us address this housing need in an economical way.

Could the cost of this project be reduced by building the church from some material other than brick, such as sheet metal?

The short answer to this question is yes. Whether or not the savings would be large is another question but construction costs would be lower. However, the durability of metal is lower and maintenance is higher. Metal panels have a life span of roughly 25 years, while brick is expected to last over 100 years. So while initial construction costs would be lower, long range maintenance would be higher. Also, acoustically, masonry construction is preferred since it will allow less unwanted sound from outside to get in to the building. It will improve interior acoustics as well.
Finally, there are questions of image to be considered. Masonry is more effective in conveying the image of permanence and strength, respecting the heritage of our parish which is approaching 130 years old. The use of masonry construction rather than some other material will help us to maintain a look that links us to our heritage, just as inside our new space we want to carry on that connection by using the Stations of the Cross, Crucifix, Tabernacle, and Stained Glass Windows which also reminds us of our roots and tradition.

Is the parish hall big enough?

This is a good question. The hall in the schematic drawings is projected to hold 300 people, which is about 100 more than our current parish hall holds. It is possible that as our parish continues to grow a larger hall may be desirable. Also, the new hall, with air-conditioning and no steps, may attract more people to parish dinners and events, making a larger hall desirable. However, we also must face two issues. First we are limited somewhat by the existing Life Center space. The sense among parishioners is that this a good building and we want to preserve it and work with it. Second, the issue of affordability must come into play. While it may be desirable to go bigger, what we are able to afford must also be considered.

Does the floor in the church need to be sloped?

Some churches that built with a “fan-shaped” or a 180 degree seating arrangement do have a slightly sloped floor. All Saints, Rossford St. Joan of Arc, Toledo come to mind. The idea is that the gentle slope of the floor provides better vision especially for those sitting in the back. There are objections to this too, especially from elderly people who find the slope difficult to navigate.
At our focus group meetings last spring this issue came up and reactions were mixed with some saying it would be desirable while others objected. The thinking of the architect is that we would not need a sloped floor since the furthest seat from the altar is only twelve rows back The west side of our current church has seventeen rows of pews. Also, with only twelve rows, the architect projects that that altar platform will only need to be elevated two steps instead of the current three steps.

Does the new church allow for the possibility of expansion?

The seating in the new church is targeted to be 600. This nearly doubles our current seating capacity. Even so, the issue of expandability has come up though it has not been discussed at any length. The architect indicates however, that the north and south wings of the church could be constructed in such a way to allow for some limited expansion, perhaps the addition of another 100 to200 seats. We can only hope and pray that our parish continues to grow and more and more Catholics renew their practice of their faith. Right now though the space for 600 seems to be more than adequate.

Where will we have Mass during construction?

The good news is that we will be able to celebrate Mass right here in our Parish Life Center. The bad news is that it's going to require a lot of setting up and taking down of tables and chairs. It seems that some of the changes in the Life Center would come first, such as the new kitchen. This would allow us to continue to have parish dinners and socials during construction. Once the Life Center is ready, then we would shift our Masses and celebrations to the Life Center while the current church is removed and the new space constructed in its place.
The greatest challenge will be rearranging the furniture for our various activities and events. But if we all work together I am sure we can overcome this challenge. Whenever there is construction, whether in our homes or here at the parish, there is always some inconvenience. We need to keep our minds and eyes focused on the wonderful parish space that awaits us at the conclusion of the work.

Will families be assessed a set amount?

No, this is neither practical nor desirable. All families have different abilities, circumstances and means. Some have the ability to give more and some less. A target gift or range of giving may be suggested, but this has not been determined. The implementation of this master plan for our facilities is necessary if we expect to be able to meet the pastoral needs and concerns of parishioners and all Catholics in our community.
If we want and expect to have a strong and vital parish now and into the future we need to act together to make this plan become a reality. We will all need to give prayerful support to this project and be prepared to make sacrificial gifts of financial support to make it happen. The facilities that we have now, which have served us so well for so many years, are a tribute to the strength and vitality of our community. We need to carry on that wonderful tradition.