Confirmation Sponsors' Gathering

After the Rite of Acceptance at Mass officially enrolled our 6th and 7th graders as Candidates for Confirmation, they are seen here gathering with their sponsors to discuss the sponsors' critical role and to break open God's Word. Each Of the Confirmandi were given a new youth study edition of the Bible. 

Working the Budget

Just a status report, really. Design Development has progressed to the point that we can start getting more solid numbers regarding budgeting. Early on, design aimed at our target budget but necessarily vaguely. As design becomes more detailed, so can cost estimates.

As announced before, Poettker Construction of Breese, Illinois is helping us assess cost and constructability. As experienced contractors familiar with our area, they can not only provide good estimates but also recommend cost-reduction options where appropriate.

This Thursday a meeting was held with Msgr. Lawler and Fr. Beatty, Keith Poettker and Tom Arentsen of Poettker Construction, and Ethan Anthony and Kevin Hogan of Cram & Ferguson. We were joined at times by engineers and subcontractors. We put in a long, productive day and are a big step closer to finalizing design.

As this process unfolded, Cram and Ferguson presented a modification to design that will save a huge amount of money without unduly harming the beauty and integrity of our design. The building committee found this modification desirable and elegant. Before, the walls were very high, reaching as high as the vaulted ceiling. A peaked roof rose up from that level. The result was a magnificent upward extension to the building's exterior, but also a great deal of unused space in the attic. This was necessary to achieve the vaulted ceiling.

By moving to a peaked wood ceiling, we are able to eliminate that unused attic space. That means that without much change to the interior dimensions, we are lowering the exterior significantly. It also means a single row of windows rather than a large and small row. The eaves will still be about 24' high with the roof rising from there; I don't think anyone will call this a short building.

I think a finished wood ceiling with attractive beam work will be very beautiful. I look forward to sharing updated drawings with you as they become available.

We still have work to do and calculations are ongoing. Admittedly, this stage of our project has its frustrations, but overall I'm pleased with how it's going. Before we were looking at a stunning design and vaguely hoping we could achieve something like it on budget. Now, we've had to take some cost-reduction measures, but we're still looking at an amazing design. And now, we're much more certain that we're on track to achieve it.

Here's a very quickly produced sketch of the modification we've adopted. The walls are lower; the interior now extends up to the peak instead of being entirely within the height of the eaves. In this design the peak of the interior is actually several feet higher than with the vaults, but the outside height is reduced. This one change introduced a cascade of savings that were really needed to hit our budget.

Note: This sketch also reflects a look at a different transept window configuration. We've elected to stay with the rose window design there.

Contract awarded for pre-construction services

Poettker Construction of Breese, IL has been hired for pre-construction services. This will involve cost and constructability consultation, and two rounds of estimates to help us stay on budget. While we retain the option to put the project out to bid, it is presumed that Poettker Construction will continue in a Construction Management capacity throughout the project. 

I'm very pleased to announce this partnership and look forward to working with Poettker Construction!

Final Schematic Floorplan: Bishop-approved!

Here's what we're building.

Compared to previous versions, you will note some significant changes. For one, seating capacity has been increased. By code, at 18" per seat, there are 445 seats in the church. Figuring for very generous and comfortable spacing, at 24" per seat, the figure is 345. We are very confident about this capacity being ample for our congregation.

You'll notice the confessional and the vesting sacristy have switched places. This was a request from Bishop Braxton, and I think it's clearly an improvement. Since our current liturgical practice is for the procession to begin from the rear of the nave, this is the logical place for the vesting sacristy. I also favor having the confessional up front where it is more visible and prominent as congregants prepare for Holy Mass. Perhaps the little green light showing the availability of a confessor will move some to a more frequent practice of this indispensable Sacrament.

A slight slope is currently shown in the nave, of about one foot over the whole length of the seating from the rear to the point where the transepts begin. This will not be uncomfortable for standing or even for processing with a casket on a rolling platform, but it will enhance visibility of the sanctuary from rearward seats. We would like to include this feature, but are awaiting information about the cost.

You will note a choir location on the north side of the rear of the nave. This was found by wide consensus to be the most desirable location once a choir loft was removed from consideration. This area will have chairs (with kneelers) instead of pews, allowing for greater flexibility in arrangement for the choir. Some sort of non-permanent riser installation is not out of the question.

The Baptistery is in the transitional space between the narthex and nave. This transition has been widened significantly. The location of the Baptismal font here strongly expresses the nature of Baptism as our "point of entry" into the Church!

Soil borings completed - with good news.

Holcomb Foundation Engineering Co., Inc. of Carbondale has completed soil borings to test the ground under our building. The results were awaited with some suspense, as it is known that some sketchy stuff can be encountered in this area. We are building a large, heavy masonry structure and settlement is something that simply can not be risked. If the borings showed a high settlement potential, we would see a great deal of money go into foundation enhancements to compensate.

The news was good! Some excavation is indicated, but it doesn't seem to involve anything deep. This translates to a relatively standard foundation, probably slab-on-grade, with potentially some piers or similar elements as determined by our structural engineer. The very curious might do a quick search on "Vibro Stone Columns" for one possibility.

3D model animation

Little girls will get tired of Disneyworld's "Small World" ride before I get tired of watching this. - Fr. B

Congratulation First Communion Class of 2013!

The Results of the Diocesan Plan for Renewal and Restructuring

 click here for the full report:   http://www.bellevillemessenger.org/PDF/Full%20Report.pdf

Studies and Sketches

These are developing ideas. We've already made some changes to what is sketched here, but you'll see a good idea of the design and appearance we are working on. I'm told I made some strange noises when I first saw some of these images. Perhaps in a moment you'll understand why!

Here is a proposed site plan. The left side of the image is North. On the south side (right) you can see the covered drop-off entrance. The Church's cruciform shape is obvious from above. A walkway to the gym and one near the school complete a cloister-courtyard. Minor changes already considered: handicapped parking will be on the drive-through at the south end rather than on the street, and the walkway at the main (west) entrance will be straight to the sidewalk rather than curved.

This floor plan gives an idea of how the seating will be arranged. The second floor is shown at bottom. The baptistery is one thing still under discussion. As shown, it is in the north transept and is very prominent in size. Sacristies flank the sanctuary. The rectangles in the sanctuary show locations for a main altar and the reredos. Dotted-line rectangles in the seating area depict open space for wheelchair/handicapped presence. The small solid squares beside the pews represent the columns of an arcade, which you will see in sketches below. At the west end is the narthex and intervening space for stairs, elevator, storage, a confessional, and a room that will serve as a cry room / bride's room.

View facing south. Note the apse at the east end and the smaller sacristy between the apse and transept. Protruding toward us from the transept is the baptistery. The door just to the left of the baptistery will be under one of the covered walkways defining the cloister. The other side of the cloister is seen coming out of the tower (more visible in the sketch below).

View from the west, facing east from the ballfield. The tower as shown tops off somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 feet, including the cross recovered from the site after the tornado. The upper spire is pre-fabricated and placed by crane. Below that is the masonry tower. Louvers at the bell deck are pictured up high. Under them is pictured a large window, which is still under consideration for various reasons including the nature of the space behind it. Behind the tower and narthex you can see the transepts coming out. I was happy to note that there will be a hatch accessing the top of the masonry part of the tower, up above the roofline. I think I have my new spot for watching baseball games. 

We are inside the church now, standing at the south transept and looking at a longitudinal cross-section.  Lots of glass, right? That's a good project for years to come; the really great churches are completed over time. Initially they will likely be clear or shaded glass. Under the rose window the baptistery is shown. The columns and arches at lower left form an arcade. There is about four feet behind those columns to the wall (see floor plan above.) On the right is the apse and sanctuary; you can see the front altar and reredos silhouetted.

A study of how the cloister might be formed. The goal is to design this feature in a way that is noble and harmonious with the church, but able to be crafted and assembled by us to a large degree. I look forward to working on that project!

OK. Whew. I can't express how happy these sketches make me. I'm trying to contain it because, while our architects are very serious about designing to our budget, the bids aren't in and neither are the pledges. If it is God's will and yours, it can happen.

Surveying the site

What's Happening: 2/21/13

Hello, friends. I haven't posted an update for awhile so here we go. No big smashing news, just a progress report.


- The Fundraising Committee is devoting most of its energy right now to preparations for our parish campaign. We've just mailed an introduction letter to all registered households (if you don't get a letter, please call the office at 269-3318!). The campaign, Raise the Bells, will be our principal source of funding for our new church.

- The Building Committee has begun an exciting new phase in cooperation with Cram & Ferguson Architects. Ethan Anthony, our principal architect, has visited once to begin program development and will return Monday evening (2-25-13) for another step in our design process.  Over the next few months there will be a lot of back-and-forth as we contemplate options and make decisions. Very little is set in stone at this point, but I can share some priorities that are under consideration:

• Use of the surviving St. Joseph's altar... possibly in modified form so that Mass can actually be said on the altar, with the reredos (= the ornamental piece rising up from the altar) behind it.
• A high steeple! Please note, these are expensive. Just something to keep in mind when you're holding that pledge card in a few weeks!
• A covered drop-off at one entrance to the church.
• A connection to the gymnasium.
• A choir loft with additional overflow seating.
• A gathering space (narthex) of substantial size at the main entrance.
• Your ideas are welcome and wanted! We can't do everything that everybody wants, but parishioner input is absolutely making a difference in our decisions. Why not add yours?

- The Diocesan Art and Architecture Committee will be joining us on 2/25 as well. They are delegated by our Bishop to advise and review projects like ours. We'll be working with them closely as the design process unfolds.

Cram and Ferguson selected as the architects of St. Kateri Church

The Building Committee and I are delighted to announce the selection of the firm of Cram & Ferguson, of Concord, Massachusetts, as the architects who will design and oversee construction of St. Kateri Church. Their previous work, and some of the firm's history, can be viewed here: www.cramandferguson.com

We are most grateful to the other firms who have invested time, money, and interest in our project. From here, we will be working closely with principal Ethan Anthony and his excellent staff as our project begins to take shape.

Homily before the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

click here for text of last Sunday's homily.