St. Mary's Building Restoration Fund

Caring and Repairing

Through God’s goodness and the donations of people who have gone before us, we have a beautiful building in which to gather and pray. Our work of repairing the church building will help St. Mary’s Church continue the caring work of Christ.

What needs to be done?

The church is in good shape. However, the church needs repairs to prevent future damage:

  • The roof needs to be re-sheathed and re-shingled. Shingles are falling off. Copper gutters, flashing and metalwork also need repair and replacing
  • The bell tower, a city landmark, requires the greatest attention. The brick, mortar joints, and masonry are failing and need repair. The metal and wood trim need repairing, refinishing and painting.
  • The exterior walls and stonework of the church building also need repairing and re-pointing.

How can you help?

Your support of the Building Restoration Fund is critical to its success. We appreciate your prayers most of all, but we also need your financial support.

There are multiple ways you can contribute:

  • Volunteer to work for the parish festival or other fund-raising events
  • Place a contribution in the collection basket. Mark your envelope “Building Restoration Fund”
  • Mail your contribution to the church using this donation form (click here)
  • Call the parish office at 616.459.7390 with your Visa or MasterCard number and the amount of your contribution. Automatic transfers can be set up to occur on a regular basis from a bank account or credit card account

Total cost for repairs, restoration and fees will be approximately $1.6 million. However, costs will likely increase with inflation if not completed in 3 years.

Photo gallery of some areas needing repair

Click on the image below
to view our fund raising progress!

Campaign Progress

 

Repairs Restoration FundHave Begun — browse the Photo Galleries, Videos and News Articles (below):

What's Being Done (November):

  • Window frames: re-painting the last ones
  • Doors: all three sets of doors have been stripped and refinished on the outside
  • Walls: cleaning off the dust and grime
  • Roof: most of the roof has been re-sheathed and shingled; the remainder will be completed with the scaffolding is removed from the roof
  • Bell Tower: new slate for the roof; steeple-top cross being replaced

St. Mary's History and Vision

With determination and prayer, early Catholics sacrificed to establish St. Mary’s church in 1857. As the Catholic community grew, parishioners shared the commitment to build a larger church to the glory of God and the honor of the Blessed Mother.

The heart of the parish is the beautiful gothic church where God and humanity are united, where faith is nourished and strengthened and handed on to other generations. For 150 years, sacraments have been celebrated, people have served others in need, and prayer & song have risen like incense. Generations of Catholics have respectfully acknowledged the vision and accomplishments of early parishioners by maintaining and passing the responsibility of caring for the church to the following generations and new parishioners, so that our Catholic tradition continues for future generations.