By Fr. Shields

The pictures shown above were taken on October 23, and illustrate the beginning of the foundation
work for the new church. The roof of our church will be 53’ high, and at a sharp angle, leaving no room
for attic space. As a result, our air conditioning and heating ducts will actually be underground! The
excavation work being done now is to create a space large enough to receive the Blueduct pipes which
will eventually carry heated and cooled air to the church from vents in the floor. This phase of
construction should take two to three months to complete.

How much will the new church cost?

Plans for the new church have been developed over the last two years, with the guidance of our
architects, Quina and Grundhoefer, and the input of the construction committee. The Archbishop, with
the consent of the Archdiocesan finance council, approved the final plans and contracts. The design of
the church was largely determined by the unique opportunity we have to incorporate the beautiful
stained glass windows and other sacred items from St. Joseph Church. The height of the walls and
ceiling, for example, are designed to showcase the windows and reflect the traditional Gothic style we
are incorporating. At the same time, the new church will have features unique to St. Ignatius, such as
the façade, the reredos over the altar, and the bell tower, which will be on the eastern side of the
church at a height of 83’. New windows (in the Munich style of the St. Joseph windows) will be
fabricated for the apse (the area above and behind the rear of the altar), the transepts, and façade over
the front door. Every detail of the new church has been carefully reviewed, with the guiding principle
of using materials and workmanship worthy of a sacred building to be used for the worship of God for
generations to come.

The total amount of the contract for the church building itself is $10.50 million. In addition to the
construction of the church building, to be carried out by Ben Radcliff Contractor, there will be costs of
$4.3 million for the refurbishment and restoration of windows; fabrication and installation of new
windows; new storm windows; a new bell; millwork for the windows and throughout the church; a
sound system, and other items.

Our capital campaign was very successful, with a little over $17.3 million in pledges and other assets. We
currently have cash on hand of just over $6 million, with an additional $10 million in pledges receivable
over the next several years. After taking account of interest charges, and other soft costs, we estimate
having an excess of approximately $1.4 million in pledges after the church is finished —assuming that
pledges are paid as expected and nothing unforeseen arises. This money will form the core of funds
needed to proceed with our other parish projects, the first of which will be a new Early Learning Center.
Of course, we are all eager to complete our entire Master Plan, and in the near future, a Strategic
Planning committee, with representative members from every segment of the parish, will begin
considering how best to address our future needs.

I am deeply grateful to each person and family who have sacrificed, prayed, and worked to ‘Build
Something Beautiful for God.