Holy Family Catholic Parish Pastor Gerald Blessing said a new church to replace the damaged Immaculate Conception Church could be completed by the end of 2027.
Blessing announced the church-building goal before the April 27 Masses, which have been held in the Parish Center since April 6 due to damage Immaculate Conception Church sustained during the March 14 storm.
“I spoke to a reputable architect (Rich Kwiatkowski) this week, who has built many churches for the Archdiocese, and he believes we can construct a church that seats 400 people,” Blessing said. “I am confident that we have the financial ability in this community to make this happen. The architect also stated that he believes that if we start a campaign by this fall, and everything moves along as planned, it is possible for us to be in a new facility by the end of 2027. I don’t want you to hold us to that date, but that is what we would be shooting for.”
Blessing said it will cost approximately $5 million to build a new church. That is about the same amount it would cost to renovate the Immaculate Conception Church in order to use that building long term.
He said the church’s bell tower was damaged by the strong wind on March 14, and while insurance would cover the approximately $100,000 cost to reinforce the tower with steel, the parish would still need to spend more than $30,000 for other repairs, including tuckpointing and plaster work.
Blessing also said the Immaculate Conception Church’s floor, walls and ceiling need to be repaired, and that estimated $5 million cost to renovate the building did not include adding bathrooms or a gathering space.
“The rationale for not pouring more money into the (old) church was based upon the fact that the work covered by insurance and the use of our funds would only be a temporary solution,” he said. “It is not a financially responsible use of funds. The insurance and parish funds could be put to better use in assisting us in our next steps.”
Blessing said he would like a new church to be built on the same site where the Immaculate Conception Church now stands on the Church Road campus.
“I believe that on the footprint of (the Immaculate Conception) church is the place for the (new) church,” he said. “From the people I have talked to, I feel like that would be the place.”
Holy Family celebrated Immaculate Conception’s history during the 9 a.m. Mass, holding a remembrance walk, prayer service and brunch after the Mass.
Members of the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Arnold gathered for a brunch after a remembrance walk and prayer service were held April 27 outside of the Immaculate Conception Church, 2300 Church Road, in Arnold.
The Immaculate Conception Church was built in 1895, and the parish was established in 1840.
In November 2023, Kwiatkowski, a structural engineer with SSC Engineering of Chesterfield, told parishioners during a meeting that he has been inspecting Immaculate Conception church since 2015, when the parish first started to raise money to build a new church.
At that time, he said the church is generally in good condition, but it would not make economic sense to attempt to restore the building.
Barb O’Neill, who has been a member of the parish since 1997, said it is difficult to lose the old church.
“It’s sad, but it is just a building,” she said. “We will move forward. We have to build a new church because this one is 130 years old. It was always kind of home to me. It’s a beautiful building, but it’s time for it to rest.”
Mary Ann Harper, who was baptized in the Immaculate Conception Church in 1942, said losing the church is like losing a family member.
“It’s hard to move forward,” she said. “Father Blessing did a good homily with encouragement in telling us that we have all been through terrible losses here, but we have to think to the future.”
Holy Family was created when Immaculate Conception and St. David Catholic parishes merged in August 2023 as part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ “All Things New” initiative.
The Immaculate Conception Church is at the parish’s Church Road campus, 2300 Church Road, in Arnold, which also is home to the Holy Family Catholic School, Parish Center and Immaculate Conception Cemetery. The St. David Catholic Church is at the parish’s Tenbrook Road campus, 2334 Tenbrook Road, in Arnold, and the parish stopped holding Mass in that church last year.
Blessing said the parish cannot financially support two campuses, and the maintenance staff is unable to maintain the two campuses and churches. However, he said he could not speculate on what the parish might do with the Tenbrook Road campus and St. David Church.
“We’re working, reflecting and processing what to do with that campus,” he said.
Blessing said the parish needs a new church because of the age and condition of both the Immaculate Conception Church and the St. David Church. He said it is not economically feasible to renovate either one.
Blessing said the decision to build the parish’s new church on the Immaculate Conception grounds is based on its location in central Arnold and because that campus has room for expansion and plenty of parking and because it is home to the parish’s school and cemetery.
Holy Family holds Mass at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Mondays through Fridays; at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays; and at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The parish also celebrates a Spanish-language Mass at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The weekday Masses are held in a chapel that has been set up on the lower floor of the Parish Center, and the weekend Masses are held on the main floor in the gym.
“We have had lots of challenges since I’ve been here, and I know that some of those challenges have existed before,” Blessing said. “But within three weeks, look at where we are at. We have a nice, temporary facility for us to hold Mass.
“The maintenance team and so many volunteers here in this parish have put together a very nice prayer chapel downstairs for daily Mass. That’s what gives me hope, your energy, your support and your enthusiasm for this community. This community is worth investing in.”