Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Welcome to this part of our parish website where you can follow the construction progress of our new church and chapel through the photos posted below.  You can also observe the exceptional financial progress of our Capital Campaign as well as the budget for the project.  Please take a moment to review our financial project information and observe our project pictures.

As you surely have noticed, we are rapidly approaching completion of the project, which should be ready for our dedication Mass in the fall.  We are all excited about seeing more and more of the church and chapel completed.  Without a doubt, this is a great time in the life of our parish.

While our three-year Capital Campaign successfully continues through the generosity of many parishioners, it is only the first part or cornerstone of our project financial plan. During the many presentations made to parishioners about the church project at the start of this Capital Campaign in the fall of 2010, the Building Committee and I discussed not only the proposed architectural renderings, but also the project’s financial plan.  As many will remember, Diocesan permission to begin construction required the parish to have 50 percent of the project’s planned budget in cash. In order to begin construction as soon as possible, the parish was allowed to attribute money previously spent on the project, along with cash on-hand, to meet this “50-percent cash” budget requirement.  As a result of our budget plan, we received permission from the Diocese to begin construction on 1 December 2011.  The remainder of the project cost is covered by an approved construction loan that will transition to a permanent 15-year loan upon completion of the church and chapel. The permanent loan is expected to be between $8.5 and $9 million and, as was done with the loan many years ago for our multi-purpose building, we plan an early pay off.

This budget plan, presented on a page below, has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the parish Finance Council, the Diocese and our lending bank.  If you have not yet done so, please take a moment to look at our budget.  

Thanks to the generosity and sacrifice of many parishioners, our Capital Campaign has been very successful, and I anticipate our subsequent efforts to pay off the 15-year mortgage will be equally so.  However, not everyone has made a financial commitment to help to pay for our new church and chapel—we need everyone involved in this important event in the life of our parish. As such, I am asking that if you have not yet participated in the fund raising activities for our new church, please prayerfully consider making a pledge to the Building Fund.  Remember, we are not solely building this church for those of us today, but also for the generations to come.  Please contact Mark Smith or Nathan Byers in the Development Office (972-712-2645) to make a gift or pledge to the Building Fund.

In closing, please know that I am eternally grateful to our parish families who have made the sacrifice of a financial gift that has enabled the construction of our new church and chapel. Because of your commitment, we will be soon celebrating our dedication Mass in the new church.  I will continue to keep you all in my prayers.

In Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Larry Pichard

Pastor