ST. JOHN’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL in Brunswick.
St. John’s Catholic School continues to raise funds for its capital campaign, “Founded on Faith, Building the Future.” The campaign received a shot in the arm with the introduction of a second initiative, “More Than a Building,” after last week’s anonymous $25,000 match.
With plans to break ground next spring, “More Than a Building” aims to highlight the ability of the new multi-purpose facility to address five primary areas of concern: parish unity, Catholic education, community outreach, accessibility and the future.
The campaign still hovers around $3.3 million of their $4.7 million goal to build an approximately 15,000-square-foot, single-floor facility that will serve as an auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, adoration chapel, kitchen, meeting room, restrooms and locker rooms.
Doris Oullette and James Baskerville, two of the four general chairs of the capital campaign, highlighted the necessity of building adequate educational facilities for St. John’s Catholic School students who currently do not have access to a gymnasium, playground or assembly center. There is also a need for accessible worship and gathering facilities, especially for the elderly parishioners of the St. John the Baptist Church. The parish has been hard-pressed to find comfortable programming venues for day-to-day gatherings and events in recent years.
New students
According to Baskerville, the renovation project is also geared toward attracting new students as Brunswick experiences a population increase.
“We certainly hope that this will attract new and more students because of the facility increase and because the community is growing,” he said.
Though Oullette said that the school enrollment has slightly decreased in recent years, it’s remained steady overall.
The capital campaign committee currently has two phases planned for the renovation process. The first is the construction of the multi-purpose facility, which they have been raising funds for since the summer of 2016 and plan to build in April of 2018. The second phase of the project, loosely scheduled for after 2020, includes plans to demolish the current parish center and build a new school facility.
In the meantime, however, the committee plans to move ahead with the “More Than a Building” campaign to raise funds this summer. According to Oullette, the summer months can be a ripe time for donations because of increased traffic from summer visitors who, though maybe not connected directly to All Saints Parish, are committed to preserving Catholic education.
St. John’s is the only Catholic school covering 21 communities in almost 800 square miles, Baskerville said.
The committee is also in the process of searching for private grants to increase funding, though it remains unclear if it will pursue that route further.
If you are interested in making a donation to the capital campaign or taking advantage of the matching gift offer, online donations can be made at www.allsaintsmaine.com by clicking the “Donate Here” link. To make a donation by phone or for more information, contact Charleen Foley at All Saints Parish at (207) 725- 2624 or charleen.foley@portlanddiocese.org.
• IF YOU ARE interested in making a donation or taking advantage of the matching gift offer, online donations can be made at www.allsaintsmaine.com by clicking the “Donate Here” link. To make a donation by phone or for more information, contact Charleen Foley at All Saints Parish at (207) 725-2624 or charleen.foley@portlanddiocese.org.
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