St. Mary Magdalen Church Expansion

QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL FOR A NEW CHURCH

WHY ARE WE PLANNING A NEW CHURCH AND BUILD PARISH OFFICES?

1.      We need to replace heating, air conditioning, lighting, roof, carpets, and paint the church.  We estimate this to be almost one million dollars.

2.      We need more office space and a meeting area connected to the church.

3.      We need to separate the priest living quarters from the parish offices.

4.      We need to increase the seating capacity of our church to meet the growing Catholic population of our area.  We are 5009 members and 1524 families.

5.      The Clergy Office informed me that we are not entitled to as assistant priest after June 2004.  

6.      Reducing the Sunday Masses to 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM may soon be a reality all year round.  The local religious communities promise to help in an emergency situation, but cannot commit a regular Sunday celebrant.

7.      Our Building Committee consisting of competent parishioners unanimously recommended building a new facility costing $6.1 million dollars, rather than trying to add on an addition. This would cost $4.3 million dollars.  The addition would be very difficult to pass Archdiocesan and Township regulations.

8.      We believe that financially the parishioners have been most generous and with a little more sacrificial giving we can build the church and offices that will serve our faith community better now and for many years in the future.

9.      Please pray that those chosen for the feasibility study will help us achieve consensus and a plan that will increase our faith in God and one another.

10.  The rectory offices will continue to be used by the priests and deacon for personal meetings with parishioners to respect confidentiality.  The basement can still be utilized for conferences and group meetings.

What is the feasibility study?

A number of parishioners will be questioned in regards to the mission of the parish, the quality of service, the effectiveness of the pastor, staff, and leadership.  Whether the new church and parish offices are needed now or in the future and whether there is financial backing for the project will also be determined.  We hope have the results by October/November so that we can present them to the parishioners and Archdiocese for review.  Remember, you can write in your own evaluation  and mail them to us.

What are we doing with our stain glass windows?

They will be used in the new church and so will the altar, baptismal font, statues and other valuable items.

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