Help St. Help St. Bede Take Flight Bede Take Flight Ren Renovation - PDF document

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Our Mission The founders of our parish looked to St. Bede the Venerable as a powerful intercessor for the work they felt Christ was calling them to; a mission of education and a call to holiness for all peoples. Today that mission is as alive as ever and we, the parishioners of St. Bede the Venerable Church, choose to continue this good work and meet the challenge of bringing the knowledge and love of God to all in our time. A History of our Parish St. Bede was founded on the southwest corner of Chicago by Samuel Cardinal Stritch in June 1953. He appointed Fr. John P. Griffin to organize the parish that would be bounded 77 th St. to the north, 87 th St. to the south Pulaski Rd. to the east and Cicero Ave to the west. St. Bede was canonically recognized as a parish on July 12, 1953. The first Mass was celebrated in what was formally the hangar of the Ashburn Airport-presently the site of ALDI food store on 83 rd and Cicero Ave. The site served as a temporary Parish Church on Sundays for the first three months of our parish’s founding. In October 1953 ground was broken for a Church and Hall at 83d and Scottsdale Ave. which is where the Scottsdale Park District now resides (although the former building was torn down to make a new clubhouse for the park district). On October 31 st 1954 the cornerstone was laid for a new St. Bede Church, School and Convent on the property St. Bede now resides. The mass was first celebrated on the new site on June 22, 1955 (This was prior to the building of a new Parish Church). In 1956 new ground was broken to accommodate an expansion to our school since there were now over 1500 families living within the boundaries of the parish. Finally in 1961 ground was broken for the New Church that stands at the corner of 83 rd and Kostner Ave. The first Mass was celebrated there by Fr. Griffin on Christmas Midnight Mass in 1962. St. Bede, as it currently stands gives testimony to the great wonder and faith of the generations that have preceded us. In a time when St. Bede parishioners were coming back from a brutal World War, they saw the horror and destruction of evil and responded to the evil of the time with hope and vision for the future. St. Bede is a testament to their solid faith.

“ Help St. Bede Take Flight” Renovation Project With Such a wonderful history in our background and since then numerous ministries and parish organizations have blessed and benefited thousands of faithful Catholics, it is time for us to renovate and renew St. Bede Church. It is amazing to think that St. Bede has not built any new structures since ____ when the second floor edition was made to the school. We cannot just look at what a previous generation has done and think of ourselves as unworthy or incapable of making a difference as they did. St. Bede has always been a diverse community and that diversity has been our strength. Today, as then, our community faces new challenges and our mission is not yet over. Therefore, as St. Bede Parishioners of the new millennium we chose to renew our parish and the mission of Jesus in our community. It is our dream not to have St. Bede fade away because the original founders have gone off to the Lord, but to take the torch handed on to us and make St. Bede very brighter and more significant in the years to come. “Help St. Bede Take Flight” Since the first Mass that was officially celebrated by Fr. Griffin as Pastor of St. Bede took place in an airport hangar, we decided to go back to our roots and begin a campaign that really speaks to our history. It is this history that has also been the guiding principles of our renovation project. At the heart of our efforts are plans to reinvigorate our Catholic Faith and renew our parish in order that St. Bede may be a true beacon of hope. It is our intention to: 1) renovate our worship space, 2) build a new connecting atrium and 3) repurpose our convent to a new and beautiful Parish Center. .

Phase One: The Renovation of St. Bede Church The estimated cost for the entire renovation will be at about $4,000,000. This may sound like and monumental amount of money, and it is, but no greater than the one our founding parishioners faced back in the 1950’s and 60’s. St. Bede did not go up overnight, but with patient endurance, faith and love for our parish from everyone; St. Bede became the great parish it is today. The first step in our project is to begin with God’s house of worship. The first sage of our renovation will consist of: 1. Removing the current pews and renovating them, 2. Removing all of the carpets’ and installing a new and more durable floor including the sanctuary, 3. Remove the current ceiling and installing a new ceiling membrane that will enhance the acoustic and aesthetic value of our church, 4. Remove current lighting structure and installing a new softer lighting system that will enhance our worship experience and highlight the majesty of the celebration of the Mass. 5. Remodel and current Men’s and Women’s rest rooms. The estimated total cost for remodeling St. Bede Church is $845,000.

Phase Two: Building the Atrium View from Parking From the parking lot entrance, there will be able access all of our sacred spaces as well as access to support from our office staff. This new atrium is designed to unite functionality and sacred space. It is the bridge between the services and support offered by our business office to the unforgettable sacred moments of our lives experienced in our church. At the center of our atrium is a large support column that will be lit up for all to see. Like an air traffic control tower or a light house that guides ships to shore, ours will be a tower that guides souls to Christ. View from Circle Dr.

Phase Three: The Renovation and Repurposing of the Parish Center The Parish Center, (former convent) serves as meeting rooms for various organizations. It also houses the Our Lady of the Angels Adoration Chapel. Over the years the building has gone through some disrepair. We needed to figure out what to do with and old underutilized building. The current parish offices are located in the Rectory behind the Church building. For many new parishioners, it is difficult to find the offices and parking at the same time. Since the parish parking lot is located in the front of the Church and Parish Center, it would serve St. Bede much better if the parish offices and meeting spaces be relocated and renovated into the Parish Center. In this manner, services can be better rendered and security of the facilities and campus better assured. The redesigned floor plan includes more public bathrooms, meeting spaces, office space and an elevator that will allow handicap access to the entire building. The estimated cost for Phase Two and Three is $2.7M.

Conclusion While our need and dreams are significant, we are confident that our parish family is prepared to lend generous support. To Help St. Bede Take Flight will enable our parish to complete the visions set forth by past generations and ensure th e Church’s presence in the lives of our children and grandchildren. As we have been blessed, let us act as stewards by supporting this important campaign. Your prayers, generosity, and sacrifice will ensure our success and offer real redemption for the Glory of God and the honor of our Church. Help St. Help St. Bede Take Flight Bede Take Flight