Description:
The Parish Center Committee
was formed to specify the nature of a parish center that will
serve the needs of the people of St. Charles into the future, and
to oversee its construction.
Background:
Over the summer of 1999, we worked on what is called the “pre-design” phase of planning for the proposed parish community center. The name “parish community center” is intended to connote the broader community of St. Charles -- ministries, outreach, staff, parishioners, parishioners-to-be, schoolchildren, parents. It is hoped that the center, rather than being simply a building, will be a living structure, a heart, where we will continue to grow together spiritually, as individuals and as an active, vital community.
We are fortunate to have had the help this summer, free of charge, of two practicing architects who are professors in The School of Architecture and Planning at The Catholic University of America, Lamar Henderson, AIA, and John Yanik, AIA. [These two architects are interested in understanding more about the process of diocesan building projects. Their interest happily coincides with our need for guidance!] John and Lamar are helping us tackle what is probably the most difficult part of the design process, that is, the analysis of existing conditions and “programming” (determining our needs for space in a realistic way that can be conveyed to others). We also are delighted to have a civil engineer, Sean Caldwell, who is with the engineering firm of VIKA, Inc., who has offered his time and expertise to the committee.
With the help of these professionals, we proceeded on several tracks at once: site analysis [(zoning requirements, parking site survey)]; existing building analysis [(condition of existing buildings, layout, drawings)]; program analysis [(space needs assessment, analysis of possible reuse of existing space, study of other parish facilities)]. These tracks produced conceptual plans and some sketch drawings that we presented to the Diocese. [As one might guess, St. Charles is a challenging design project: we have a very tight urban site; we need additional public as well as private space; we have many and varied ministries and users that need to be accommodated; we have the potential for enhancing the image of the church on the street and in the community; and we wish to address these needs while retaining the sense of mission and “grounded” spirituality that has always characterized St. Charles.]
We are using the bulletin and this site for updates of our efforts. Simultaneous with all of the above tasks and tracks, we are and have been relying on prayer. Please take a moment to include this parish effort in your prayers.
