June 25, 2010
Membership expansion leads to building changes at St. John Church in Daylight
Father John Silva stands in an area that formerly served as his office. The wall at the left of the picture will be removed to expand the worship space. The area behind Father Silva will be the location for the parish choir. (Message photo by Paul R. Leingang) Click for a larger version.
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
The walls have been bulging at St. John the Evangelist Church in Daylight, as membership in the parish has nearly doubled from 300 to about 600 families in the past two years.
The solution? Tear out the walls and expand the worship space.
Father John Silva, pastor, said the new arrangement will add space for about 150 more people for Mass in the church, which was built in the mid-1980s and dedicated in 1987.
The church building was designed for just such expansion, if and when it would be needed. That time has arrived, according to Father Silva.
Sixty three- and four-year-olds are registered for pre-school for the fall term, an increase of 20 children over the completed year. Students from the parish go to Holy Redeemer and Good Shepherd for Catholic elementary school, and to Mater Dei and Memorial high schools, all in Evansville.
The St. John pre-school has a director and an assistant; with the increase in enrolment, another teacher and an assistant are being added to parish staff.
The parish is also looking into hiring a full time youth minister for middle- and high school-age youth in the parish.
Recent improvements in the parish include a rectory, built in April 2009, and a mobile classroom, added recently to provide extra space during the construction process.
The new configuration of the building will provide eight offices for parish staff, and two classrooms for the pre-school. The gymnasium space will re-main as it has been; the common area has been reduced by about one-sixth, to add a new cry-room location at the rear of the worship space.
Using the cry room, class rooms and other spaces, seven rooms will be available for religious education.
Father Silva will have a new office; what had been his space is now part of the worship space. The confessional has also been moved.
One of the most noticeable changes for the building — and for the parishioners — will be the new perpetual adoration chapel, named in honor of St. Clare of Assisi.
The total cost of all the improvements is about $325,000. The new and improved church will also include new carpeting in the worship area, and pews matching the original pews (purchased from the same company).
Steve Williamson is the general contractor; he is a parishioner who previously guided construction of the rectory.
Church expansion and improvement work is expected to be completed in mid-August. In the meantime, daily Mass is celebrated in a cordoned-off area of the gym.
Every Friday, a crew of cleaners arrives to dust and clean the current worship space, so that Mass on the weekend can be celebrated there.