This is the announcement I made to the parish this past weekend.
Dear Parishioners,
I am very pleased to share that we have reached an important and exciting milestone in our Welcome Home project. After receiving and carefully reviewing the construction bids and completing the appropriate approval process, we are moving forward with Lepori Construction as our contractor.
This is wonderful news for our parish and school community. It also gives us an opportunity to think beyond simply constructing a new building and to consider what we can accomplish for our entire campus for the generations that will follow us.
From the beginning, our capital campaign has been about more than bricks and mortar. Our goal of $23 million gives us the opportunity not only to complete the Welcome Home project, but to complete it well, address important needs elsewhere on our campus, and provide responsibly for the future.
As we finalize plans with our contractor, our vision includes:
- Enhancing the Welcome Home project with improved interior finishes, bathrooms, lighting, technology, sound and gathering spaces;
- Making important safety and security improvements across our campus to better protect our students, parishioners, staff and visitors;
- Providing the furnishings, fixtures and equipment necessary to fully complete and properly use the new facility;
- Addressing important improvements to our church, including our aging HVAC system and other needs;
- Renovating and improving our existing Parish Center so it can better serve our parish, ministries and school;
- Improving other areas of our campus as resources allow; and
- Establishing appropriate reserves for future maintenance and replacement needs so that we are good stewards of these facilities for decades to come.
Taken together, these investments represent approximately $23 million and provide a clear path toward accomplishing something much greater than a single construction project: the renewal and improvement of our entire parish and school campus.
We have an opportunity before us that may not come again for many years. Rather than completing only what is necessary today and returning to our parish community in another five or ten years to address needs we already know exist, I believe we should use this moment wisely and do as much as we responsibly can now.
That is why our campaign goal remains $23 million.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has already made a commitment to this campaign. Your generosity has brought us to this exciting point. If you have made a pledge, I ask you to please continue fulfilling that commitment. If you have not yet participated, I invite you to prayerfully consider joining us.
Over the coming weeks, as we work with Lepori Construction and further define the upgrades and improvements, we will continue to communicate with you about our plans and progress.
Together, as one Catholic community—our parish and our school—we have the opportunity to create something that will serve our families today and our children and grandchildren for generations to come.
Thank you for your faith, your generosity and your commitment to Our Lady of the Snows.
Fr. Robert W. Chorey
Pastor