St. Joseph of the Lakes

The plans for the new rectory were approved by the facilities committee and the bids for contractors have been gathered. With the thawing of the ground the road restrictions will soon be lifted and the work of building the rectory can begin. We asked the Archdiocese for permission to build and it was granted.

In this next week I am hoping to make the plans public, so that you can see what we are building. Since we are building for the future the new Rectory will have two independent suites: one for a pastor and one for an associate. It also has a shared living room, dining room and kitchen. There will be two garages: a double garage for the pastor and a single for the associate. The proposed cost for the structure is $380,000. This is assuming that contractors will be doing everything. What we are hoping is that there will be substantial savings based on the “sweat equity” of parishioners who are willing to do much of the work of building.   

As things become more clear in the building process we will be letting you know how and when you can help. I know that the reconstruction of the historic church was a great opportunity for building up community for the parish and I am hoping that the rectory will provide a similar experience. This is important enough for me that I will not be pushing hard to get the rectory done. I will be glad to finally move back home, but if it takes a little more time it will be worth the wait.