Fairfield Bay parish has room to grow in expanded church

The exterior of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Bay shows the newly expanded church, which will provide for future growth for the parish. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor blessed and dedicated the church Nov. 1.
The exterior of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Bay shows the newly expanded church, which will provide for future growth for the parish. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor blessed and dedicated the church Nov. 1.

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor dedicated the expansion of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Bay Nov. 1 after nearly a year of the parish celebrating Mass in their hall.
Bishop Taylor handed over the keys to the newly remodeled church to pastor Father Oliver Ochieze who opened the doors for the congregation.
“It was a really moving ceremony. It was a special experience for all of us in the parish,” said Joe Preusser, who worked as project manager for the expansion.
The idea for expansion began in fall 2006 when the steering committee began to discuss the future. The church needed extensive repairs, so they began to discuss how a larger church would benefit their community, Preusser said.
The committee held town hall meetings for parishioner input and worked on plans for what needed repairs and what they would need in a larger facility.
Lee Johnson, who worked as an engineer and architect, helped with the preliminary design that went through several revisions to address issues brought up during the parish meetings.
“One of the things I love is designing homes,” Johnson said. “This is God’s home. It’s a pretty place, so I wanted to help with the design. It was an honor to work on this.
The estimate for repairs was more than $217,000, Preusser said, so they decided to go ahead with the major remodel.
The parish broke ground on Dec. 13, 2010, and renovated the facility from 3,300 square feet to approximately 5,200 square feet.
“It turned out beautiful. It looks like a brand new church,” Johnson said. “It’s larger, so it doesn’t feel as homey. But that’s something we can become used to over time, especially when all the summer visitors come.”
St. Francis of Assisi’s church has 172 registered families and most of them are retired, but attendance grows on holidays, special weekends and during the summer when people visit the area to enjoy Greers Ferry Lake.
“We had enough room to handle our own parish, but now we can accommodate all the people who visit and any future growth,” Preusser said.
By expanding the church, they were able to add more storage, a narthex, larger altar area and wider aisles.
“Before we couldn’t even turn a coffin around,” Preusser said. “It is a nice facility, and I’m pleased with how it turned out. It will accommodate our needs and help us better serve our own parish too.”
It also makes easier access for parishioners in wheelchairs, Johnson said.
The new design was also able to incorporate windows and natural light into the church, including stained glass windows designed by Roberta Katz-Messenger of Clinton. A stained-glass window behind the altar incorporates the large crucifix from the original church.
Fourteen stained-glass windows line the church for the Stations of the Cross. The stations from the original church are incorporated into the windows.
Other new additions include the altar and baptismal font designed by George Hoelzeman of Hattieville, both using granite from the same slab in their designs.
The old pews were refinished to match the additional pews needed to fill out the new sanctuary, which will now seat approximately 298 people.
The landscaping incorporates native stone and river rock, which blends with the native rock on the exterior of the church. The project allowed the parish to address drainage and other issues with the landscaping and add two plazas one either side of the entrance canopy — one honoring St. Francis and the other as a memorial area with engraved bricks.
The project will come in under $950,000, of which the parish has raised about $700,000 through fundraising, donations, building funds and pledges.
“Considering the overall scope of the project and cost, we did well,” Preusser said. “All the comments have really been positive. Some people didn’t want to go in there until it was finished, and when they did, they were just in awe.”

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