Facilities for our Future & Campaign

A NEW PROPOSAL FOR OUR CHURCHES AND PARISH CENTERS 2023

We have been sharing our plans for the Parish Center renovation project which consisted of an addition onto the former Rectory in Mt Washington to provide space for an expanded religious education program, Parish ministries, and a social hall for Parish gatherings, receptions, and other Parish activities.  To support the project, a fundraising campaign was planned for 2022. You may be wondering what happened to those campaign efforts and what’s planned for the property associated with our Parish.  

WE’RE A NEW PARISH NOW 
In the time that’s passed we’ve not only become a new parish that now includes two churches, but we experienced a two-year global pandemic which caused an increase in construction cost and allowed us to take a hard look at all of our current and future facility needs.  All of which made us pause, rethink our approach, and consider a wholistic way to address the needs for both the Mt. Washington and South Side churches.  

This change in focus positions Mary, Queen of Peace Parish to build and grow together in a way that allows us to sustain both locations.  We now plan to invest in the maintenance of both churches as well as design and develop gathering spaces in both communities. 

We are excited to move forward with this effort. The presence of our Parish in both communities can be an important component of community engagement and offer an alternate view of the Church working in the community.  We will need to work together, as one Parish, to make this happen and even though we’ve made changes, we’re still dependent on your support, your donations and your time; therefore, we’ll be reaching out to your during 2023 with additional and more specific information as we lead up to the kick-off of the 2023 fundraising campaign.

INCLUDED

• Renovations for dynamic gathering spaces in both communities.
• Much needed roof and gutter repairs and replacement for both churches.
• Repointing both St. Adalbert and St. Mary of the Mount churches.
• Monetizing real estate assets to reinvest in the parish to help reach our goals.
• Interior plaster and paint repair in both churches 

EXCLUDED

• A new religious-after school-program/facility.
• A brand new and larger reception building for wedding and social events.

And the Changes and development is beginning!  

St. Mary of the Mount

The 3-car garage at the former St. Mary’s Rectory has been renovated and converted into a beautiful space that’s been used for gatherings before and after mass and other social events sponsored by the parish. This new hall, that can comfortably hold 75 people, features garage doors that can be opened when weather permits and has a warming kitchen.  It was the perfect space to celebrate our parishioners who recently received the sacrament of First Holy Communion this Spring.    

St. Adalbert

You may have also noticed that in the winter, a few pews were removed from the back of St. Adalbert. As noted in the January update, we’re exploring ways to reconfigure the back of the church to provide those attending mass a place to congregate before and after services. The removal of these pews was our first step in this exploratory effort.  Since then:

• We’ve worked with an architect to help visualize how this new space can be used and how to repurpose some of pews that were removed.  
• The plan is to reconfigure the back of the church with new, moveable, furniture (table, chairs, servers) that preserve and match the aesthetics of St. Adalbert.  
• In addition, there are plans to remove the grab-wall and kneelers for the first pew allowing premium access for those who may have accessibility needs or currently use a wheelchair. This will require shortening some of the front pews on the main aisle. 

What to Expect for the Adalbert Gathering Space:

We will update you when the renovations at St. Adalbert are scheduled to begin, but rest assured that careful planning will take place to minimize the disruption to masses and special events. 

We continue to work with the Finance Council and the Pastoral Council to identify further areas of improvement and will update you as further details unfold. They include:

• Major repairs to roofs at both churches.
• Brick repointing, interior wall repairs, along with similar, significant structure repairs will take place at both locations.
• Continued consultation with the architect to finalize the additional renovations to the building at 403 Grandview Avenue.  

Fundraising – What to expect next

Before returning to active fundraising, we want to ensure:

• Donations made to date will be allocated based on the previous intent of the donors.
• Long-term plans are being finalized, providing a clear understanding of our fundraising needs and goals.
• A fundraising campaign will begin and will be allocated to our Parish’s most immediate needs.

We’re excited to see progress in these efforts and thank our parishioners who have donated to the parish, positioning us to begin this important work.  We will continue to update you on progress related to the renovations and will provide additional information related to the fundraising campaign.