Click here to view the Parish Center/Gym Floor Plan. Bishop Da Cunha blessing the site of the Parish Center/Gym. . Rev. Vinh Quang Nguyen, Rev. Thomas P. Ivory, Bishop Da Cunha, Rev. Richard G. Franceso CASE STATEMENT FOR A PARISH CENTER/GYM We've heard many times that the church is its people, not a building. Saint Joseph's is a beautiful church. Its beauty is the beauty of faith in the lives of dedicated parishioners gathering in a warm and inviting place. It is a great blessing that we worship in one of the most distinctively charming churches in the Archdiocese of Newark. Worship, however, is only one of the reasons for which we gather as a parish. We also gather to learn, to build community, and to serve. For these purposes we also need a place to gather. In previous years we used the parish hall as a gathering place. Even then it was too small, and now that it is dedicated to the use of our successful and expanded co-sponsored school, it is no longer available. We've wanted our parish to grow and it has. Presently the largest open space we have for gathering is the school cafeteria, which is smaller than the parish hall and poorly accessible because of stairs. Our parish life is expanding; the physical plant needs to expand along with it so that we can gather as we ought: to learn, to build community and to serve. WE GATHER TO LEARN In recent years we have seen the expansion and advancement in Religious Education programming for parishioners of all ages. Our parish sacramental programs now include retreat days: one for our First Holy Communion students, and one for our Confirmation candidates. We've had to hold retreat days elsewhere when our facility was inadequate. There are also parent meetings and gatherings with their children that we need to accommodate. Bible Study has been successfully established, and it is growing. There are two groups, but one has to meet in the rectory basement for lack of proper space. Lenten Programs, e.g., prayer workshops and a scripture series the next year were all accomplished in cramped and inadequate space. WE GATHER TO BUILD COMMUNITY When we had a Parish Ministry Appreciation Dinner gathering all involved in parish ministries, we were jam packed in the parish hall. We had to use seating outside on Saint Cloud Place as well. Presently, we do not have a facility to accommodate this or any large parish event. Our Saint Joseph's Day celebrations, for example, have been uncomfortably crowded, and our Women's Half-Day Retreats are also in need of increased gathering space. A few years ago nine men from our parished experienced a Cornerstone Retreat at two area parishes. The idea was to have the experience and advise the pastor about whether Saint Joseph's could support such a retreat. Lack of space was one of their key reasons for advising against Cornerstone. As things stand, we don't even have a place to gather in welcome of a new priest and offer him a cup of coffee. WE GATHER TO SERVE A vital part of our parish mission is our commitment to serve the faith formation needs of young people. Our youth group serves the parish by assisting in the Confirmation preparation program for younger students. Youth Ministry at Saint Joseph's is cramped in the basement of Glover Hall. The location of a youth group room in a new facility adjacent to the gym will provide open-ended opportunities for growth of this important ministry. **************** Saint Joseph's is rightly proud of its commitment to Catholic school education. Parish families as well as others beyond our parish were well-served by our parish school for fifty years; Catholic school education continues here today. These days, our co-sponsorhip of Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy is part of a pro-active effort with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. It is a blessing to have the school here. Besides being a space with multi-functional uses for parish gatherings, the new facility is an important and needed element for the school, providing a space for physical education and sports. Even without an on-site gym, the school has an active sports program. How much better will it be with a gym? Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy is part of who we are, and its buildings are our parish property. Construction of the parish center/gym will help to keep our school viable into the future. Until the completion of the parish center/gym, we are most grateful to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish for the use of their gym provided at no cost, as we know that we have embarked on co-sponsorship together. The parish center/gym helps our parish work and it helps our co-sponsored school work. It's something we can't afford not to do. A lot has happened in recent years. We've seen the elimination of an enormous debt and the stabilization of parish finances, growth of new ministries, and stabilization of Catholic school education in West Orange with the co-sponsorship of Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy. For all that has been and for all that we will be, our whole parish needs the advantage of a parish center/gym to grow into the future.