SEA ISLE CITY – Earlier this year, St. Joseph Church initiated a Capital Campaign, dubbed Connecting in Faith, to raise funds for the construction of a new worship space.
Among the various preliminary projects needing attention was the removal of the parish’s two story, three-bay garage on 44th Street, which was razed earlier this summer. That project was followed by the construction of a new parish center and rectory, now located adjacent to the parish’s school/auditorium complex at 44th and Central Avenue.
Later, the school itself was partially demolished, making way for an expanded parking lot, with an additional 40 parking spaces. The lot is also complemented with improved lighting and landscaping.
Next, the contents of the former rectory, located in the middle of the 4300 block of Landis Avenue were sold at an estate sale in mid-September. Demolition of the nine bedroom rectory is scheduled to take place in early December, 2009.
Parish leaders are now focusing mainly on fundraising efforts, all the while looking ahead to their next big event: a ground breaking ceremony on Sunday, April 18, 2010.
The ground breaking ceremony will follow a Mass in the auditorium and a procession to the future site of the parish’s 1300-person house of worship at 43rd and Landis Avenue.
“The Connecting in Faith Campaign Continuing Committee is still hard at work, and committee members and countless volunteers are joining together to make our campaign a success,” said Kathy Walters, campaign chairperson. “We recently had a successful fundraising phone-a-thon, and we will continue to speak with parishioners and local businesses, inviting them to participate in our fundraising efforts. To date, we have raised over $1.5 million and have less that $700,000 to go to reach our initial goal of $2.25 million. I’m happy to say that pledges and contributions have come from our entire community year-round, seasonal, and summer folks. And, we encourage everyone to mark their calendars for our ground-breaking on April 18.”
For additional information about the Connecting in Faith Capital Campaign or to view architectural plans for the new church, which is expected to be completed in May 2011, visit the St. Joseph Church website, http://www.stjosephsic.org
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