Catholic Extension grant aids mission parish renovation

Friday, May. 20, 2016

KANAB — It all started with the steps.

During Christmas Week in 2011, the priest celebrating Mass at Saint Christopher Church lost his footing going down the two high, narrow steps between the nave and the altar; he saved himself from a fall by catching the shoulder of the altar server.

Afterward, some of parish’s men decided “we’ve got to change that before we have a disaster,” said Noel Poe, the Knights of Columbus roundtable coordinator at the time.

When they approached the pastor, Fr. Mike Winterer (now retired) “was the one to tell us to go for broke” and request that the Diocese of Salt Lake City approve a remodel that would include the steps, updating the electrical wiring and bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Poe said.

Other issues in the church, which was built in 1957, needed to be addressed: The presider’s chair sat on a platform with an 8-inch step in front and a drop-off of 12 inches on one side and 20 inches on the other, and the lighting in the nave didn’t provide sufficient illumination at night.

Then there was the “mishmash of artwork,” as the current pastor, Msgr. Robert Bussen, describes it: a mural of Calvary behind the altar that included a rattlesnake crawling toward the crucifix; two large marquetry pieces created by some visitors to the parish, and lighting fixtures that “looked like Walmart Tiffany lamps – umbrellas of rainbow colors.”

Msgr. Bussen took the parish’s request for a remodel to diocesan officials and suggested that they apply for a grant through the Catholic Extension Society.

“This mission appeal was a request for them to reach out to a very small and very remote area that desperately needed a renovation, and they really did come through. They were very, very generous,” Msgr. Bussen said.

The grant from Catholic Extension was for $50,000 and required that the parish match it; an additional $50,000 came from diocesan benefactors, and the parish received $20,000 from another gift.

The mission parish in Kanab, with 61 registered families, is served by the priests and deacons from Christ the King Parish in Cedar City and St. George Parish in St. George, both of which are about 80 miles away. When no priest is available, which occurs about once a month, a Sunday Celebration Absent a Priest is celebrated. Typically, about 70 people attend the weekly Mass; roughly 20 percent are visitors.

“This small but vibrant community …  remains the face of the Catholic Church in southern Utah for the many Catholic visitors to Grand Canyon,” said Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator. “It has been without a resident pastor since Msgr. Winterer retired in 2011. It remains without a resident pastor for the time being, but this renovation gives a healthy boost to the community’s sense of well-being. With the sacrifice of the small community of parishioners and the assistance of the diocese, some minor repairs of the St. Christopher Church could have been made, but without the assistance of Catholic Extension the extensive remodeling that has been accomplished would not have occurred. Even now St. Christopher’s faces a rather daunting challenge to repay the remaining debt.” 

“Most everybody in the parish has made a pledge,” Poe said, and a number of visitors who are on the parish’s mailing list “were very generous.”

Working with a liturgical architect and the diocesan Liturgical Arts Commission, contractors upgraded the electrical and HVAC systems, removed the hazardous steps, tore out the dark plastic wall panels, and installed windows on either side of the altar, “just flooding the church with light,” Msgr. Bussen said. “The church feels very open now. It’s a delightful place to come in and worship.”

The remodel also enclosed the area between the church and the parish hall to create a gathering space used by wedding and funeral parties prior to them entering the church. In addition, it provides handicapped access to the lavatories, and allows parishioners to go from the church to the hall without being exposed to rain or other natural elements.

One item that wasn’t included in the original estimate was new pews. To meet ADA standards, the side aisles had to be widened, but because the benches were constructed of pressboard, the contractor didn’t recommend cutting off the ends of the pews as had been planned, Poe said. The pews, which dated from 1957, also required constant repair to the kneelers, so the parish opted to replace them.

The first Mass in the renovated chapel was celebrated almost exactly four years after the slip on the steps, on Dec. 6, 2015, with Msgr. Winterer presiding.

Most, if not all, of the parishioners appreciate the renovations.

“My wife (who passed away five years ago) would have really liked this church,” said Melvin Kirkland, who originally wasn’t in favor of the remodel because he wanted the building “just exactly like it was when I came in here 30 years ago.”

Now, however, he appreciates the church’s openness, he said. “It’s just like anything else, it takes a little time to get used to it.”

“It’s so much brighter and more spacious,” agreed Barbara Mossinghoff, president of the parish council.

For their efforts in planning and managing the remodel project, which lasted more than two years and required more than 1,500 volunteer hours, the parish’s Knights of Columbus was presented with the 2016 Church Activity Award by the state council at the annual convention on May 7. They were chosen from a field of seven entries from Knights councils throughout Utah.

“There is hardly a mission church or parish in rural Utah which has not benefited from the generosity of Catholic Extension; St. Christopher’s is just the most recent on a long list,” said Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator.

Catholic Extension provides grants locally to help fund: 

• scholarships for theological training for church leaders

• seminarian education

• deaconate formation

• Hispanic ministry

• Mass stipends

•campus ministries for Newman Centers at Utah State University  and

  Southern Utah University

• rural missions

• conference grants for diocesan directors. 

For information about Catholic Extension, visit catholicextension.org.