St. Bartholomew Parish:

“To develop our faith community and help each other live Christ” (From our Mission Statement)

Addressing our

Building & Renovation Needs

• Last Fall, the situation with St. Sebastian’s having been resolved amicably, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) began to develop a Pastoral Plan

• Both the Archdiocese & St. Sebastian’s are in support of our continued operation in this location

• The Pastoral Plan is an ongoing plan that addresses how we can best serve our pastoral needs now and in the future

Parish Pastoral Plan

Parish Pastoral Plan findings

• Over the last several years our parish has grown and flourished, putting strains on our space

• You have been patient and innovative in “making do” with the space we have

• A first step in the pastoral planning process has been a review of the condition and use of our buildings

Lack of adequate space holds back our ability to live our parish mission

• Currently, in an average month, more than 25 groups meet, involving about 300 parishioners, for prayer, ministries, social functions, faith-sharing and more

• Despite the growth in parish activities, there have been no improvements to the facilities we use other than the renovation of Ward Hall in 1997 by St. Sebastian’s

Issues with Current Buildings• We cannot adequately include parishioners with

mobility limitations in our many activities because none of our spaces is fully handicapped accessible

• We have only limited access to St. Sebastian’s

facilities

• Current gathering spaces outside the school (to which our use is limited) are too small and not conducive to our activities and meetings

O’Brien Room

Meeting in the O’Brien room

Kitchen

Stove area

Broken cabinets

Lack of storage for groups like Circle of Comfort

Circle of Comfort at work

Rectory 3rd floor

Rectory 3rd floor

Water damage 3rd floor

Asbestos in the boiler room

Issues with Current Buildings (cont.)

• We cannot hold concurrent meetings

• Technology upgrade is essential not only for efficient business but also to enrich catechetical, social, and prayer experiences

• We have virtually no storage capacity

• Living conditions in the rectory are unsatisfactory

New Factors Affecting Current Space Use

• Commingling our parish activities/offices with the priests’ residence is not appropriate

• All meetings or gatherings in the Rectory must be attended by a staff member other than the priest

• The convent is structurally unsound and no longer suitable for residential or other parish purposes

What Are the Options?• Renovation of the Rectory for meeting and

office use would not be cost effective

• Any basic renovation would trigger full American Disability Act and code compliance, with estimated cost exceeding $5 million.

• The convent is structurally unsound and the floor plans do not meet our needs

Three Phase Renovation Concept• Phase 1-

– Tear down convent.– Construct a Parish Center that meets our current and

future pastoral needs for meetings and activities, as well as parish business

• Phase 2- – Improve residential quarters for our priests

• Phase 3- – Renovate the church to be more liturgically

appropriate, spiritually inspirational, fully handicapped accessible, and welcoming

One proposed footprint for parish center

Where do we stand?• With parish support, we have approval of the

Archdiocese to explore a building and renovation program

• We will not know the cost of any project that might be agreed upon until plans are developed

• The capital funds that have been reserved over the past few years, plus the payment that we will receive from St. Sebastian’s, give us a head start on funding

Next Steps:• With your support to explore costs, land

surveillance, physical feasibility, and our ability to raise funds, letters of approval will be acquired from the Bishop allowing us to start getting bids for our project

• In order to study these possibilities, a special project committee of parishioners with relevant experience will coordinate & oversee the feasibility studies for the three phases.

• As progress is made, results will be presented to the full parish for consideration and input

Why Should You Support this Plan?

• Growth in our parish is a sign of hope!

• Improvement of our facilities is essential if we are to support the various activities that are critical to our parish mission

• Good stewardship requires investment in our physical plant

• This effort is exploratory at this time. We have not created any kind of binding commitment for the parish

Questions

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