St. Patrick's readies for creation of Parish Center
Published on June 30th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - Saint Patrick's Parish Pastor, Rev. William Schmidt knew that something felt right about the bid from TLT Company for the creation of a Parish Center and renovation work planned for their 115-year-old church at the corner of Central Street and Pomeworth Street.
"I think once I looked down at the company's address and saw that their home offices were at 1 Pope Street in Wakefield...I felt a whole lot better," said Schmidt with a deadpan delivery.
The facelift and addition of a Parish Center to St. Pat's -- a more than century old institution and gathering center for the community -- has been in the planning for the past five years and includes additional seating for 500 seats for masses, events and gatherings inside the church, allowing the church to seat 1000 people during particularly large events.
"We had originally planned to provide for seating for 1500, but we eventually scaled back," stated Schmidt.
The approximately $6 million improvement project, initially projected to begin in 2002, had to take an 18-month hiatus during the troubling crescendo of sexual abuse allegations throughout churches across the state. While the situation set the work back, the need for a larger space to accommodate bigger crowds and larger weddings with the church confines didn't subside.
"We like to think that we're a church that's always growing, and this work reflects that," said Schmidt.
In addition to the larger seating arrangements, the lower level of the worship center will house office space for the St. Pat's school staff as well as extra space for the groups like the CYO (Christian Youth Organization).
"We put our heads together as a Parish and really came up with a wish list of everything we've always needed over the years," said Schmidt. "We felt like we really succeeded with getting something for everyone, while remaining with a budget."
According to Schmidt, the church has received monetary pledges from 1,700 of the 4,800 families that belong to St. Patrick's Parish, and hopes to reach out to those who haven't yet made a donation.
"We were told by our fundraising consultants that a project of this scope needed several large individual donations, but we haven't received a $500,000 or $1 million pledge," said Schmidt. "It just goes to show how much the working class families of the Parish have reached down and given back to their community."
"We're entering Phase II of the capital campaign, and that includes contacting the parishioners who we haven't heard from yet." added Schmidt.
The exciting part for Schmidt is watching as something that he's only seen as schematics on a design plan become part of the church.
"I heard from a lot of Parish members when the glulams went up, and the structure really began to take shape," said Schmidt of the 50-foot oaken beams that will hold up the worship center's roof. "They went up in one day and then all of a sudden people started taking notice at the work going on. It almost looks like the Pantheon."
The glulams, for the uninitiated, are series of columns used for construction that are made of wood and laminated for extra strength.
In addition, St. Pat's has also secured the stained glass windows at St. Aidan's Church in Brookline, a church that has been closed for the last five years and will soon be razed for a condominium development.
The 100-year-old windows were originally constructed in Germany and -- like much of the church's new design -- blends right in with the original church in every way possible.
"Father Jack Ahern graciously offered us the opportunity to utilize a number of their windows in our new church, including a magnificent 'Christ the King' window that will soar high above the reserved Blessed Sacrament on the back wall of our new sanctuary," said Schmidt.
Schmidt hopes to have work completed on the Parish Center in the next month, and that the entire scope of work on St. Patrick's Church would be complete in time for Christmas Mass this winter.
"We think that would be a great occasion to celebrate the completion of the church," said Schmidt.
Schmidt is expecting that some of the parish members from the recently closed churches in the area -- St. Joseph's in Woburn and St. Florence in Wakefield -- may begin to visit St. Pat's, but he believes the work being done at St. Pat's would be of the greatest benefit to the parishioners that walk up the steps and through the doors of the church every Sunday.
"It's troubling to see local churches closing all around the state, including the church I first received First Communion and was baptized," said Schmidt. "But all I can do is have faith that St. Patrick's Parish is going to continue to grow and serve the community as it has for the last 115 years."
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