We’re about to break ground on the new additional building for our Holy Family school. You may recall that the Diocese of Dallas pledged to assist with funds for our Academy. We’re happy to announce we have received $2 millions from the Diocese. We have an additional $276,000 in grant funding from three foundations and about $250,000 reserved from the school for this purpose. The total project cost is $3,394,239. The money we received from the Diocese and the grants are sufficient to build the “shell” for the facility.
Due to the unpredictable and rising costs of construction, it was decided to advance this project now by building the “shell.” The finish will be done afterwards as funds become available. We’ll continue to solicit contributions from individuals and foundations toward the completion of this project. You may see some construction work going on at the site of the basketball court located between the Family Life Center and Cabrini Hall. This building, when completed, will not only provide additional facilities for the Academy, but will also provide our Parish community with more space for meetings and activities.
Church Renovations
Many have asked about our church renovations. I want to assure you that it’s in progress, with a lot of the work occurring behind-the-scenes. It’s been quiet because when I arrived at Holy Family last year, there were no architects and no project manager for the church project. I had no professional guidance on the state of the project at that time. We had to hire new architects and a new project manager to begin our work. They had to understand the plan with what was available in order to develop an updated version of the project. These things take time. I’m delighted to say that a lot has been achieved. Our updated church renovation design plan will be presented to the community very soon; and we want to be realistic about the scope of the work due to budgetary concerns and the availability of funds. Therefore, it will be designed to happen in several phases.
The new architects and the project manager are presently working with the Building Committee to finish the updated design and cost estimates. We can’t begin the church project until we are ready, money-wise, to carry out at least “Phase One,” which is the main part—the interior of the church that includes the altar platform area, new pews, and a new church-front design. During this phase, we’ll have to worship in the Parish Hall or gym for several months while the construction is ongoing. Therefore, it’s a phase that must be done all at once so we can return to worship in the church without further interruptions.
To get to this point, we need parishioners who pledged to continue to make payments. We invite those who haven’t pledged or donated to please do so. We also request even those who pledged or have finished paying to make additional pledges or donations, if they are able. We’ll be extending our Capital Campaign for an additional two years to enable anyone who wishes to pledge more to do so. The Capital Campaign team will soon get to work on that.
Shortly, we’ll be presented with the updated design for our church renovation, following the recommendations of the Building Committee and the Diocesan Committee for Sacred Spaces. I’m so looking forward to it, and know that you are, too!