Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What new ministries could be added with a new building? 

Answer:  St. Catherine’s has an active group of Ministries, and Father Chester and Deacon Mike are always open to hearing new ideas and ways to support our Parish and Community, please share any thoughts you have in your survey response.  Two major elements of our Parish’s long-range planning have been to stabilize the location of our religious education program and to revitalize and expand our youth and young adult ministries.  The Parish Center is intended to immediately support both of those efforts.

Ideas proposed for new ministries that will include parishioners of all ages include:  Bible study, Children of Aging Parents Support (CAPS), Christians in Recovery, Mom’s Day Out, Coffee & Kids for young mothers,  Outreach for Shut-Ins, Adult Fellowship, and Scripture & Supper; are just some of the ideas being explored by your current Ministry leaders.  

Question: When would building commence?

Answer: We have begun the preliminary planning and discovery phase.  We have completed an initial needs analysis and shared our findings with the Diocese, who have given their permission for us to continue our discovery and planning.  The next step is to ask our parishioners if they support this project.  With the support of our parishioners, we will return to the Diocese and seek final permission to proceed.  

This would allow us to refine the design, update cost estimates, begin the building permit and pre-construction processes, and hire contractors prior to beginning excavations, construction and installations.  Due to the difficulty of holding face to face meetings, and possible supply chain issues we anticipate this phase to take 9 to 10 months.  

Question: Can the facility be used by outside groups or organizations?

Answer: Traditionally Catholic supported groups and organizations could be supported such as Boy Scouts or Interfaith groups; but this would be done with an eye towards our existing and planned ministries to ensure we are utilizing the facility as intended, and also within our insurance and liability guidelines.

Question: How long is the project estimated to take?  

Answer:  The actual time of construction is a bit more difficult to estimate due to the supply chain issues and availability of contractors to complete work due to the pandemic.  However, we believe the entire project should be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023.  

Question: Won’t our maintenance and run costs increase?  

Answer: Yes, but Father Chester with support of the Finance committee has determined our current income could support the ongoing maintenance as well as the mortgage debt service.  We are blessed that most of the project could be funded from our Reserve Savings, minimizing our actual debt.  

Question: Can’t we use our current undercroft for CCD classes?  

Answer: The use of the undercroft was part of our plan when expanding the church, However, the growth of our CCD program and the loss of leasable classroom space in surrounding schools does not allow us to support as many classes as we need.  Additionally, the flexible wall partitions, lack of actual desks or tables for school age children, makes the space less effective for a classroom environment.

Question: Why will it not have a full kitchen?

Answer: Current building codes require the installation of a commercial kitchen exhaust system and requisite fire suppression equipment.  Both of which are very costly and could not be justified for the actual amount of times cooking would be done.  The Kitchenette will allow reheating and serving of food brought in to support events and ministries when needed. But the few times a year when an event could support a fully cooked meal does not justify the additional costs.