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| OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS PARISH |
| OUR BUILDING PROGRAM NEEDS |
Principles of good stewardship call for a Catholic parish to look to the future,
work on strategic planning, and take into consideration the area’s growth trends,
the ministry needs of the members, and the demographics of the population
being served. Leaders of the parish have studied these issues for some time and
determined that the current facilities are inadequate to serve our current needs
and are detrimental to renewing our parish life and developing the strong and
active ministries we desire.
The most pressing needs of our faith community include consolidating our
churches into one, warm and welcoming church in a more central location,
building a separate residence for our pastor with offices, increasing parking, and
creating meeting room space.
Need for Consolidated Facilities to Reduce Costs
Chief among our needs is the necessity to consolidate our parish facilities. The
physical separation of our two worship spaces prevents us from being truly
unified as a parish, and maintaining two distinct and aging churches is not
practical or financially prudent for a parish of our size. In addition, because all of
our parish facilities contain outdated and inefficient windows, lighting, heating,
plumbing and electrical systems, something always needs repair. Much money
is wasted on these various inefficiencies and repairs, and this is not good
stewardship of the physical and financial resources that God and our members
have entrusted to us. We have put off updating building systems to the point
that now things like our heating systems are on their last legs and threaten to go
out at any time. In fact, the heating system in the church is limping along at only
60 percent capacity.
Need for an Appropriately Sized, Welcoming and Warm Church
Additionally, neither of our churches is filled to capacity during many weeks of
the year. Yet statistically, based on the fact that about 20 percent of the diocese’
s population is Catholic, we are not reaching a large segment of our Catholic
family. The Westwood church, which was built in 1922 and seats 168 people, is
only one-fifth full, on average, for both of its weekend liturgies. Likewise, the
church in Chester, which was built in 1955 and seats 144 people, is only one-half
full on average most of the year. But during the summer, when our parish
population swells, we often see overflow crowds and standing room only in the
Chester building.
We need to be a welcoming faith community and ensure that our facilities are
accessible to everyone, especially those with limited physical abilities, so that
they can fully participate and feel welcome on our property. Although we have
provided ramps into our facilities, some of our restrooms are cramped and do
not allow sufficient room for a handicapped or physically challenged individual to
maneuver. This is a social justice issue that we must correct.
Finally, neither of our churches has any connected gathering or social spaces.
Fifty years have gone by and still we have no place to meet for coffee and
donuts, or rooms for religious instruction. In Westwood, we have an aging and
deteriorating parish hall, but even that is a full two blocks away from the
church. Needless to say, this does not encourage people to get to know one
another better after Masses, funerals, or other special and sacred celebrations
held in our churches. As a result, the facilities run counterproductive to creating
the more closely connected and committed parish community that all churches –
and surely ours – need and seek.
Need for Adequate, Appropriate Office Space and a Rectory
Currently, our parish offices are located in the rectory which is problematic in
several ways. First, the building combines residential and office uses, and thus
provides poor working conditions. Our priest has no privacy downstairs, and in
fact, the only restroom for office workers is located through the priest’s living
room, kitchen, and den. An employee or volunteer inadvertently compromises
confidentiality when Father is meeting with someone in the living room, which is
on the way to the restroom. And a priest deserves a place where he can have
some moments away from his daily duties, a place where he can simply and
exclusively call home.
We also lack meeting space, work and storage space as well as a secure area to
store parish records. Not only are rooms not the ideal size or configuration for
the professional environment we need and seek, but also, the lighting and
electrical systems, needed for today’s technological demands, are not of
commercial grade or quality.
The rectory also lacks proper insulation and the result is an exorbitant propane
expense. A wood burning stove is used to supplement the furnace so that it
doesn't need to run continuously. In recent winters, pipes cracked or burst in
the tattered rectory, where Father sometimes can’t get any water—much less
hot water—out of his faucets in the winter. The parish also simply is not keeping
up with the costly repairs needed to make the offices and the priest’s living
quarters the comfortable spaces that common decency requires.
Some people consider a cooling system for hot summer days to be a luxury and
our rectory has no cooling system. It is one thing to ask a priest to live in
overheated conditions in the summer; but it is irresponsible to ask a priest to do
without adequate heat in the freezing dead of winter. A rectory should be free of
pests and rodents, too. This is difficult to maintain when all around the rectory
are vacant and crumbling homes.
Need for More Adequate, Off-Street Parking
Adequate off-street, parking is lacking at both of our churches as well. In
Westwood, only on-street parking is available. This can be especially
challenging for those with physical limitations and the elderly. In Chester, the
only off-street parking available is on the church lawn, which is of little use
during winter or other times of inclement weather.
Need for Meeting Space
Finally, we have no meeting or classroom space, and so ministries have either
not grown or have died away. Trying to lead several different groups of children
in religious formation in the single sanctuary of a church causes many problems.
Asking people to meet in homes discourages newcomers from seeking out
membership and further fragments our community away from the core—our
church. In some cases, we have resorted to renting space for parish needs, and
this is costly in itself. The aging and deteriorating parish hall in Westwood is in
need of major repairs and is unusable during many of the winter months. We
need to breathe new life into the youth program, the faith formation activities
for all ages, and the various outreach and service ministries that a Catholic
community needs to offer to be a viable sign of Christ in our world and we need
room to do it. We need to make spaces available where various programs and
ministries that we would like to start in our parish can regularly meet.
work on strategic planning, and take into consideration the area’s growth trends,
the ministry needs of the members, and the demographics of the population
being served. Leaders of the parish have studied these issues for some time and
determined that the current facilities are inadequate to serve our current needs
and are detrimental to renewing our parish life and developing the strong and
active ministries we desire.
The most pressing needs of our faith community include consolidating our
churches into one, warm and welcoming church in a more central location,
building a separate residence for our pastor with offices, increasing parking, and
creating meeting room space.
Need for Consolidated Facilities to Reduce Costs
Chief among our needs is the necessity to consolidate our parish facilities. The
physical separation of our two worship spaces prevents us from being truly
unified as a parish, and maintaining two distinct and aging churches is not
practical or financially prudent for a parish of our size. In addition, because all of
our parish facilities contain outdated and inefficient windows, lighting, heating,
plumbing and electrical systems, something always needs repair. Much money
is wasted on these various inefficiencies and repairs, and this is not good
stewardship of the physical and financial resources that God and our members
have entrusted to us. We have put off updating building systems to the point
that now things like our heating systems are on their last legs and threaten to go
out at any time. In fact, the heating system in the church is limping along at only
60 percent capacity.
Need for an Appropriately Sized, Welcoming and Warm Church
Additionally, neither of our churches is filled to capacity during many weeks of
the year. Yet statistically, based on the fact that about 20 percent of the diocese’
s population is Catholic, we are not reaching a large segment of our Catholic
family. The Westwood church, which was built in 1922 and seats 168 people, is
only one-fifth full, on average, for both of its weekend liturgies. Likewise, the
church in Chester, which was built in 1955 and seats 144 people, is only one-half
full on average most of the year. But during the summer, when our parish
population swells, we often see overflow crowds and standing room only in the
Chester building.
We need to be a welcoming faith community and ensure that our facilities are
accessible to everyone, especially those with limited physical abilities, so that
they can fully participate and feel welcome on our property. Although we have
provided ramps into our facilities, some of our restrooms are cramped and do
not allow sufficient room for a handicapped or physically challenged individual to
maneuver. This is a social justice issue that we must correct.
Finally, neither of our churches has any connected gathering or social spaces.
Fifty years have gone by and still we have no place to meet for coffee and
donuts, or rooms for religious instruction. In Westwood, we have an aging and
deteriorating parish hall, but even that is a full two blocks away from the
church. Needless to say, this does not encourage people to get to know one
another better after Masses, funerals, or other special and sacred celebrations
held in our churches. As a result, the facilities run counterproductive to creating
the more closely connected and committed parish community that all churches –
and surely ours – need and seek.
Need for Adequate, Appropriate Office Space and a Rectory
Currently, our parish offices are located in the rectory which is problematic in
several ways. First, the building combines residential and office uses, and thus
provides poor working conditions. Our priest has no privacy downstairs, and in
fact, the only restroom for office workers is located through the priest’s living
room, kitchen, and den. An employee or volunteer inadvertently compromises
confidentiality when Father is meeting with someone in the living room, which is
on the way to the restroom. And a priest deserves a place where he can have
some moments away from his daily duties, a place where he can simply and
exclusively call home.
We also lack meeting space, work and storage space as well as a secure area to
store parish records. Not only are rooms not the ideal size or configuration for
the professional environment we need and seek, but also, the lighting and
electrical systems, needed for today’s technological demands, are not of
commercial grade or quality.
The rectory also lacks proper insulation and the result is an exorbitant propane
expense. A wood burning stove is used to supplement the furnace so that it
doesn't need to run continuously. In recent winters, pipes cracked or burst in
the tattered rectory, where Father sometimes can’t get any water—much less
hot water—out of his faucets in the winter. The parish also simply is not keeping
up with the costly repairs needed to make the offices and the priest’s living
quarters the comfortable spaces that common decency requires.
Some people consider a cooling system for hot summer days to be a luxury and
our rectory has no cooling system. It is one thing to ask a priest to live in
overheated conditions in the summer; but it is irresponsible to ask a priest to do
without adequate heat in the freezing dead of winter. A rectory should be free of
pests and rodents, too. This is difficult to maintain when all around the rectory
are vacant and crumbling homes.
Need for More Adequate, Off-Street Parking
Adequate off-street, parking is lacking at both of our churches as well. In
Westwood, only on-street parking is available. This can be especially
challenging for those with physical limitations and the elderly. In Chester, the
only off-street parking available is on the church lawn, which is of little use
during winter or other times of inclement weather.
Need for Meeting Space
Finally, we have no meeting or classroom space, and so ministries have either
not grown or have died away. Trying to lead several different groups of children
in religious formation in the single sanctuary of a church causes many problems.
Asking people to meet in homes discourages newcomers from seeking out
membership and further fragments our community away from the core—our
church. In some cases, we have resorted to renting space for parish needs, and
this is costly in itself. The aging and deteriorating parish hall in Westwood is in
need of major repairs and is unusable during many of the winter months. We
need to breathe new life into the youth program, the faith formation activities
for all ages, and the various outreach and service ministries that a Catholic
community needs to offer to be a viable sign of Christ in our world and we need
room to do it. We need to make spaces available where various programs and
ministries that we would like to start in our parish can regularly meet.
| God calls us to care for and cultivate all that He has given us…not to be complacent, but rather to constantly strive to be better, to build on and improve what we have…always trying to realize our God-given potential. |