EL DORADO — A growing religious education program coupled with the desire of parishioners to have a columbarium at Holy Redeemer Church in El Dorado has inspired its members to commit to raising more than a $1 million over three years in order to bring the vision to life.
The “Making All Things New” campaign kicked off March 8 and culminated April 26-27 with a commitment weekend.
With the location of Holy Redeemer in a “predominantly non-Catholic region of the state,” parishioners are compelled “to equip our children and high school students with the catechism of the holy Catholic Church,” project literature explained.
In 2007 the former education building was torn down because of major structural deterioration. The parish’s master plan included an education annex during the church’s expansion in 1998, but budget cuts did not allow for construction of the new building, pastor Father Gregory Pilcher, OSB, said.
Parishioners have been able to use the space they do have by implementing scheduling shifts for classes on Wednesday nights, religious education director Philip Smith said. With about 160 students, Smith has 10 classes separated into two groups. Five of the younger classes meet at 5 p.m. with the next set of older students meeting at 6 p.m.
Smith said there is only one actual classroom in the current building, the St. Jerome Room. “We have kids in the narthax, the choir room, the library, the office and the lobby of the front office,” he said.
Smith said the predicted growth of the church is 5 percent, and the church has a total of 250 to 300 students. He believes with the addition of the education building, the church will be able to reach even more students than the number currently attending.
“We will have eight classrooms, Smith said, “Some will come back, now that it has been made a priority.”
With the students able to meet during the same time frame, Smith also hopes this will be an additional avenue to reach parents.
“A lot of times they come back for the sacraments,” Smith said. “We want to teach them this is a ‘whole life relationship with Jesus’, not just first Communion class.”
Summer activities should also be able to increase, Smith said.
“On the priority list, I hope to have a parish-wide thing we can focus on, a Vacation Bible School service-type of event for the younger ones and something for the older ones and after that, a broader offering to the whole parish.”
Right now Smith teaches an apologetics class and would like to offer more adult faith formation, he said.
Smith said he is excited about the new building and knows there is support for the columbarium too.
Father Pilcher said parishioners want burial niches that the columbarium will provide. Currently the church is holding the remains of four parishioners who desired their remains to be kept until the columbarium is built as their final resting place.
He said 200 places of interment will be initially constructed with plans to add additional niches as the need grows.
The campaign has garnered commitments of $1,250,000 in the eight-week period, coming close to the $1.5 million goal. Once the Diocese of Little Rock gives the OK, construction can begin, Father Pilcher said.
