Update: 30th June 2013
Last October, 2012, Father Michael established a formal Church Expansion Committee (CEC) to consider how our parish might deal with the increased demands on our church building. As part of our mandate, the CEC would like to inform all parishioners what work has been done on the project thus far, and future plans in the short term, to keep the church community up to date of the progress.
The CEC has been meeting once a month to develop a strategy to approach an undertaking of this nature. We have met with Diocese officials responsible for building developments. A case has been made to expand our church to meet the imminent and long range needs of the parish. There are significant protocols to be followed so that the Diocesan Regulations for church expansion are properly fulfilled.
The CEC has studied various liturgical functions a Catholic church serves. We have interviewed parish Ministries to gather their input on what they think is needed in an expanded church. The CEC spent time visiting six churches in our area in some detail which have either been built new or ex-panded. On May 29, a successful Parishioner Workshop was held to collect input from St Mark’s parishioners about their likes and dislikes as well as ideas to be considered. In short, we have gathered a detailed list of key features that St. Mark’s expanded church should contain. An online survey has been posted on the parish website for parishioners to submit further input.
Going forward, the CEC intends to extend an invitation to qualified architects and designers to express their interest in our project. The CEC plans to select a qualified professional architect firm by fall to produce a design and establish a preliminary affordable budget. From this, design drawings will be prepared for viewing and further parish-ioner feedback. We hope to have an exciting story to show and tell before the end of the year.
Thank you to all parishioners for your continued support and input for thus far. The project we are undertaking at St. Mark’s is a confident expression of our hope for the future of the Catholic community in Stouffville. Our expanded facility will grow our parish and be a proud legacy for future generations of Catholics.
Please bookmark this page to stay current with the developments and offer input and ideas for our St. Mark’s Church Expansion Project.
—Report from the CEC (Church Expansion Committee)
