St. Joseph Catholic Church has nearly completed the final piece of its vision for the parish, which started in 1995 when it moved from Kimmswick to Imperial, the Rev. Dan Shaughnessy said.
The parish is almost finished building the Corpus Christi Center on the west side of the campus at 6020 Old Antonia Road.
The 16,000-square-foot center houses a hall, which can be divided into smaller rooms, offices, a commercial kitchen, two conference rooms and a gathering space.
The parish also renovated the rectory, upgraded the parking lot and built a playground that is surrounded by a quarter-mile track.
All those improvements cost $6.7 million and were partially funded with $5.1 million the parish’s 2,000 families raised, Shaughnessy said.
The parish will hold a dedication ceremony for the center at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23. A Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Robert Carlson, and then the center will be open for tours.
Those interested in attending are asked to register with St. Joseph at sjiparish. org/rsvp or by calling 636-464-1013, ext. 302. Food and drinks will be available, and the band Arvell and Company is scheduled to perform.
“There has been talk about doing the building for 25 years,” Shaughnessy said. “When I showed up in 2015, the archdiocese was in the middle of a capital campaign for Catholic Education. We had the opportunity to do a joint capital campaign with that Catholic Education campaign.
“There was a need because there was one conference room for the whole parish.”
The parish moved its offices into the center’s north wing on July 10, but final touches are still being completed at the new center.
“The construction is not 100 percent done. It is 99 percent done,” said Kathy Larson, director of parish advancement.
The Corpus Christi Center’s main purpose is to house various parish groups and functions, as well as programs for St. Joseph’s 350-student population.
However, the parish also will open the center’s doors to the public.
“The whole purpose of this is to bring people to encounter Christ,” Shaughnessy said. “We hope people can come together in this wonderful facility for fellowship, like coming to our fish fries or chicken dinners or having a wedding reception here celebrating a union.
“We want people to belong and feel welcome. We want them to know the priest, school and staff is accessible to everyone.”
The parish will start scheduling events in the center after Sept. 1.
In addition, the parish will soon begin renting out space in the center. People will be able to rent the entire hall, or a portion of the hall, which can be divided into three rooms on the north side and a large room on the south side.