For the last half-century, the priests at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Pittsburg have had probably the shortest commute to work of anybody in the area.
Their route to the office: Walking down a flight of stairs.
“For the past 50 years, the priests at Our Lady of Lourdes have lived in the same building in which they work,” Fr. Tom Stroot said. “Their bedrooms were upstairs in the building while offices where the parish staff work, and the priests’ offices, were downstairs.”
By the end of 2010, the priests’ commute will be a tad longer — a walk across the street.
With the completion of new parish offices on the northwest corner of 9th and Locust, work has begun to build a new rectory on the east side of Locust, a building that will completely replace the former facility.
Stroot said the new living quarters will boast approximately 3,300 square-feet, four bedrooms, living area, kitchen, formal dining room and a small reception area. Also included is storage area, as the church itself no longer has room for storage.
The project, the latest in a string of projects dating back to the 1990s, if funded through private donations.
“No funds from parishioners’ weekly contributions are being used, nor are funds from the parish Memorial Fund being used,” Stroot said.
Stroot said the decision to build a new rectory, rather than remodel the previous one, was made for three reasons: Cost of renovation, layout options available and anticipated future needs.
“Though this has been needed for many years,” he said, “the other projects have taken priority.”
Those “other projects” have included the construction of a new elementary school, the St. Mary’s Colgan Fieldhouse, the commons area at St. Mary’s Colgan High School and the installation of a statue in front of the church.
Already in 2010, the roof and its steeple have received a new roof and the new parish offices were created through a renovation of an existing building.
While, following the rectory project, no further significant facility changes are planned, a statue honoring the 100 years of service given to the school by the Sisters of St. Joseph will be installed next fall.
“Facility changes (and) expansion in the future will be discussed as part of the parish’s next strategic plan in 2014,” Stroot said.
Stroot said providing the priests with new living quarters is the church’s way of showing support for their services to the parish and the community.
“Pope Benedict XVI declared this past year the ‘Year for Priests,’” Stroot said, “a time and opportunity for parish members to recognize in concrete ways the gift of the priesthood and what priests provide for us as we seek our own salvation. This rectory project is one way the people are showing their support for our priests and their needs, both for our current priests and those who will serve the parish in the future.”
