You are invited to learn about an exciting project underway at Holy Spirit Church to Finish the Floor. After many years of focus to pay down the debt, Holy Spirit is finally in a position to move forward with the next phase to finish our church based on the design work completed in 2014. The parish has waited a long time to start the work that will greatly enhance the worship space and make it more inviting and reverent. Thank you to those who have and continue to contribute to the parish financial stability which enables this project to move forward.

The scope of the project is to cover the concrete floor of the current worship space with a flooring material. The tabernacle will also be moved into the worship space. All wiring will be embedded below the floor.

The plans will create a more sacred area for the sanctuary distinct from the assembly through material usage and maintain a flat floor accessible to all. These plans also include adjusting the seating around the centralized sanctuary to an east-west orientation following the original architectural plans and church doctrine which will bring the congregation physically closer to the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments.

The drawing below is just an example. Materials and colors have not yet been chosen.
 

 

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Floor Update July 25, 2022

A new floor layout will soon be introduced that incorporates the unique architectural features of Holy Spirit Church and key elements of how we celebrate the Eucharist together. The design is a collaboration of the feedback shared by you, the parishioners, along with the input of Fr. Tom, the Finish the Floor Committee and the architect.
The new layout moves the altar to the north, away from the entrance, and has seating in a semicircle shape around the sanctuary. The presider will have no one behind him. The congregation will surround the altar on three sides. The altar will be raised to allow for better sight lines. (There will be tape on the floor showing the proposed shape). Improvements have been made to the traffic flow during entry, exit and communion. Movement during weddings and funerals has also been considered. Baptisms celebrated during Mass will be in view of the assembly.
The plan is designed for the light filled space of Holy Spirit Church. The layout encourages participation of the parishioners during the celebration of the Mass and sacraments. Val Schute of River Architects is collaborating on the plans. He has great expertise in Catholic Church design and is familiar with Holy Spirit from past work.
Sketches will soon be posted in the narthex along with members of the committee to answer questions. The pilot of the layout is scheduled to start August 13-14. Formal feedback will be gathered after the parish has had a few weeks to experience the new layout. If you have input you would like to share at any time, please reach out to members of the Finish the Floor Committee: 

Steve Kunkel (skunkel3@charter.net)
Lynn Farrell (lynnfarrell3@gmail.com)
 

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Flooring Project: Still more to know
This week we'd like to address the wall behind the sanctuary.  At present we've got the folding, blue wall that was behind the choir in the first pilot covered with a white curtain (who wants to stare at a blue divider) and green banners.  But, the actual plan calls for a wall that will extend all the way up to the ceiling and will be flush with the dormer of the window.  There will be walls enclosing the ends with doors for access to the music storage.  The tabernacle will be by this wall where the cross currently stands.  In the future, a cross could be mounted on this wall or hung from the window dormer.

Flooring Project: More than just a floor
The art and architecture of a church has a great deal of meaning and symbolism. We want the floor to be beautiful and functional. But, there's much more to it (many books have been written about it).  The materials for the sanctuary space will be different from those in the assembly space to mark off the sanctuary as a distinct space.  We want the sanctuary to be a holy, sacred space, not a space that one casually walks across.  The sanctuary holds the tabernacle (the presence of God), the altar (where the consecration occurs), and the ambo from which we hear the word of God.
Flooring project: Baptistry

Flooring Project: Baptistry
From the feedback from the first pilot it became apparent that many of us very much enjoy being able to view baptisms performed during mass. In both of the pilots that we've run we loose this visibility as the baptistry should be located near the entrance so that we can dip our finger in the water and renew our baptismal promises.  To solve this problem, the architect suggested a baptistry in which all, or part of it, could be moved to the sanctuary area when baptisms are performed during mass.  Until this longer term vision is implemented, we have acquired a smaller, movable baptistry that will be appearing in the near future.

1. Where did the plans come from? The original architects in the early 1990’s drew the church with an east-west orientation around a central sanctuary. The design reflects the spirit of the theological and liturgical principles of the Second Vatican Council to maximize the active participation of all. It expresses the unity of the people, The Body of Christ. These plans were updated by a second firm in 2007/2008 and again in 2012 and 2014 with consultation of architects and liturgical artists. Over the years these plans were approved by the Diocese and the College of Consultors. The previous work and investment in professionals is being leveraged. Current parish size, project budget, and anticipated growth have been taken into account.

 

2. Why now? The building is almost thirty years old and the original loans are nearly paid off putting the parish in a financially stable position.  Thanks to all who have been contributing to the building fund, whether a long time contributor or recently started.  It is your sacrificial giving that has put us in a financial position to move forward with another building phase.

 

3. What stopped this project in the past? The amount of debt Holy Spirit Parish carried on the original church, school buildings and office expansion (over $3M at one point) with a much smaller congregation. In addition, diocesan focus on other fundraising projects and the lawsuit also played a part.

 

4. Why move the orientation? The east-west orientation was the intent from the start and follows traditional church doctrine. During the celebration of the morning liturgy the priest and congregation face towards the rising sun, a symbol of Christ and the Second Coming. It puts every seat within eight rows of the altar and improves site lines. The congregation becomes one unified body in celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments.

 

5. Why do we have a north-south orientation now? Originally we didn’t have the office space or the school gym. So walls were placed between the pillars to create an office space on the west side and storage/chapel on the east side of the church. The center was used as a gym during the week. After the office space was built, the walls were removed to make space for a growing congregation.  But there wasn’t a need to change the orientation until now. 

 

6. What is the final layout? As part of this project, all of the wiring will be below the floor which requires final placement of key items. May 15 will kick off the work of determining the placement of ambo, choir and video streaming station. Feedback will be invited during this process.

 

7. How will this be paid for? Through the generosity of parishioners. The entire parish will be invited to participate with a kickoff at a later date.

 

8. What about the Building Fund? Thanks to the generosity of the parishioners who have been faithfully contributing to the Building Fund, the $3 million debt the parish has carried for the past 30 years is nearly paid off. In addition, the Building Fund has covered the recent upgrade in the lights, and replacement of aging parts of the heating/cooling system. The hope is that the contributions to the Building Fund remain stable or grow and will cover other large projects coming up such as parking lot repairs, siding and the flat part of the roof. In order to move forward with the floor at this time, this project must be separate from the Building Fund.

 

9. What will be the materials and colors? Two or three different materials/colors will be used to distinguish the sanctuary from the assembly to make the sanctuary a more reverent space. Sound quality is also being considered.

 

10. What is the overall cost? Based on preliminary bids, the total project is estimated to be $160,000. The final budget will depend on details of the project that are still being worked out such as any necessary work on the current floor, work to bury electrical/audio cables and the exact materials chosen.

 

11. What is the timeline? The goal is to install a new floor in the first half of 2023.

 

12. What about finishing the rest of the interior space of the church? This project is limited to finishing the floor and moving the tabernacle. 

 

13. Who is on the committee for the floor? The Floor Committee is composed of volunteers from the parish and staff. The Floor Committee launched in October 2021 to study the possibility and feasibility of this project. There are four subcommittees: Communications, Physical Lay Out/Pilot, Design/Materials, and Budget/Fundraising. Members of the Floor Committee are Chris Adamson, Cheri Block, Brad Brech, Joyce Campion, Joe DiCecco, Kristen Donovan, Lynn Farrell, Julie Hansen, Greg Kapraun, Steve Kunkel, Fr. Tom Loomis, Gary Moore, and Cheri Rowekamp. Please feel free to reach out to anyone on the floor committee with questions at any time. Lynn Farrell, Chair, can be reached by email at  (lynnfarrell3@gmail.com) or at 507-398-7437 (cell) and can help direct your questions to the proper sub-committee chair.

 

14. How can I help? You can help in many ways! Ephphatha, the word said over a child at Baptism, means be open. You are invited to be open to the spirit of change as this project moves forward to create the liturgical space that was envisioned from the beginning of the parish. Pray for our parish and Diocese as we move through the many steps of this process. Most of all, pray for the future of Holy Spirit Parish as we move forward in the mission of the Catholic Church, “to go out and make disciples of all nations.” As the project moves forward, you will hear more about the Finish the Floor Fund.