Archbishop Robert Carlson Dedicates Parish Center at St. Joseph Parish in Manchester

St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson will dedicate the new Parish Center at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Manchester on Sunday, August 26.  The building, which is Phase I of the parish’s three part Master Plan will serve the needs of the many ministries and fellowship activities for the 3,500 households and nearly 11,000 members of the parish’s faith community.

“Building this Center was truly a total parish effort,” said Father Thomas Santen, pastor of St. Joseph’s.    “Especially, when you consider the hard financial times we have experienced in this country the past four years, our parishioners really opened their hearts to make this building happen,”  Funding for seventy-five percent of the building’s $4.2 million cost was pledged in advance of the construction.

The glass and brick structure can accommodate 1,100 people in its 16,143 square foot expanse.  State of the art soundproof dividers can partition the space into 4 rooms. A warming kitchen is also included for hosting events where food and beverages can be served.  In addition, there is a conference room and a platform area that allows for stage productions.  “We are really excited about using the stage
area for plays and performances with our school children,” said Jeannie Dandino, St. Joseph’s school principal. “It will allow our children to practice skills in speech, drama and singing.”

“One of the challenges with a parish our size is finding space for all of the groups and ministries in our community,” said Jim Sigillito, director of Administration for St. Joe’s.  “We have over 100 groups, such as St. Vincent DePaul, Knights of Columbus and our vibrant youth ministry, so we are tremendously excited about the new center and the potential uses it will bring to our parish.”

St. Joseph’s has been serving the Manchester-Ballwin community since 1865. In 2015, the parish will be celebrating its 150^th  anniversary.

Interesting facts about the
Parish Center:

28,000 contractor man hours were spent
building the Parish Center

623 tons of rock – or 342 cubic yards –
were unearthed and removed in the building process

53,238 bricks were used in the exterior

91-1/2 foot length trusses are used to
span the roof

16,143 is the resulting total square
footage

1,100 people can be accommodated in the building

Photo courtesy:Tom Paule Photography

[For additional information, contact Jim Sigillito
636-227-5247.]