Frequently Asked Questions

The plans changed in response to the information we received from the Planning Study completed in July. Those surveys showed our parishioner's top priorities are 1) Renovating existing spaces and 2) Creating designed educational spaces for school and CCD students. The renovated spaces will provide more convenience and access to the parish offices by moving them to the front of the building. It will also remodel existing classrooms to provide more comfortable meeting rooms and family areas. To make those renovations possible, and to create a more defined and secure education area, new classrooms need to be built onto the north end of our building. The position of the new classrooms changed because the estimated funds to be raised from this campaign weren't enough to cover the projected cost of building a multi-use gym/performing arts center, at this time.

EVERYONE!! Expanding and renovating our current site will create:

• An inviting and accessible Church with designated entrances.
• A secure educational area to serve School and CCD students.
• A welcoming place for office personnel to greet visitors and parishioners.
• A spacious gathering place for fellowship after Mass.
• A better learning environment for students and teachers.
• Increased meeting space to accommodate the many overlapping needs of the various ministries and activities.
• A Family Room for funerals, a Bride's Room, new bathrooms that are convenient to the Church.
• Addition of a Commons area that will be used for social gatherings, impromptu meetings, and provide an available lunchroom for the students so they are not displaced during funeral luncheons and other events.
• A developed space to provide a solemn entrance to the sanctuary of the Church.

Many of our parish ministries currently do not have the space needed to do their work and evangelize others. In addition, Seward is a growing community. We know faithful families who are considering a move want a parish that provides a welcoming feel and access to a Catholic school. These renovations and improvements will create more accessible offices so current and new parishioners can feel more welcome. We will create more meeting rooms so our ministry groups can easily meet and grow. And the renovations and improvements will create more comfortable areas for families preparing for a wedding, as well as those grieving the loss of a loved one before the funeral. Also, by expanding our education space through the addition of a school office and classrooms, we will create an environment specifically designed to facilitate the education of our school students and teaching of our Catholic faith to CCD and school students. These renovations and improvements will provide more opportunities for all parishioners to feel at home at St. Vincent's.

Yes! Having separate access points for the school and the Church will allow the school to remain secure during the school day, while allowing the Church and meeting rooms to remain open and accessible.

No! Currently our facility is not meeting the needs of our parish in many ways.

• Ministry groups lack the space to meet during their preferred time of the day.
• Families experiencing a loss do not have a private space to gather prior to the funeral or an available area to hold their funeral luncheon.
• The current design of our Narthex makes it difficult to encourage fellowship with others after Mass.
• We don't have a place for bridal parties to prepare for their sacred and joyful day.
• The parish offices are difficult to locate for some visitors.
• The entrance to the Church and the school is the same, which creates two issues:
  • Classrooms cannot be secured and separated.
  • Visitors to the Church during school hours much be "buzzed in".
• The Parish Hall is the only space available for gym activities, which is not a long-term solution.
• Having classrooms adjoined to the Parish Hall/gym creates a distracted learning environment.
• Curriculum plans must be adjusted when the Parish Hall is hosting a funeral dinner.

Yes! The re-design and re-location of the educational areas creates more secure access points and provides office personnel with a clear view of visitors before entry.

Yes, it will. Recently, we surveyed potential parents of future students about their priorities when choosing a school for their children. Among their top factors were well-designed and dedicated classrooms, a student experience which includes a variety of extracurricular activities, and a multi-use gymnasium area. The School Advisory Board, Parish Council and parish leadership are committed to making these and other changes necessary to improve and grow Catholic education at St. Vincent de Paul.

The current plan is to focus first on the renovation of the Church and administrative areas in the south, and classrooms for the school and CCD students in the north. After that, depending upon the priority of needs and the amount of funds raised, the construction of a multi-use gym/performing arts center as well as other campus improvements are in our plans.

If we do not raise enough funds to complete all parts of Phase 1, we will begin making as many improvements as we have the funds to achieve...possibly dividing the plans into smaller phases. This would likely result in additional campaigns in order to complete the project.

St. Vincent de Paul will be more open and inviting, the most vibrant, engaged, welcoming, Christ Centered Parish in the Diocese.

Although many parishioners desire a gym for a variety of uses, overall Planning Study responses ranked the renovation of Church space and the addition of classrooms to be more important first steps.

Yes. And the good news is we've already accomplished a good deal of what's needed before we poceed.

A. Prayer stage - This will be a constant throughout the campaign.

B. Feasibility/Planning Study - Completed this summer.

C. Pledge stage - In progress (October - December)

D. Building stage - Awaiting the success of the Pledge stage.