St. Alphonsus building for now and the future with new parish activity center

As the St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Greenwell Springs community has “grown tremendously,” so has the need for additional space to accommodate its growing ministries. With the construction of a new 12,800 square-foot parish activity center, the church is building for now and the future, according to St. Alphonsus clergy and administrators.

“It will be a very user friendly with the capacity to serve the needs of the parish community,” said St. Alphonsus Pastor Father Mike Moroney.

When forming the master planning committee for the “Generation to Generation” campaign the parish selected people with diverse opinions including, representatives of St. Alphonsus Church and School, long-time parishioners as well as new parishioners, according to JoAnn Stein, St. Alphonsus Executive Director.

The committee determined that since St. Alphonsus was “landlocked” on the side of the Frenchtown Road where the church and school are located, the church needed additional and larger meeting spaces.

“We looked at all kinds of possibilities on this side of the campus, but nothing  could be contained or held in the size of the building we needed,” said Stein.
St. Alphonsus had purchased property across the street, so it began developing ideas of what could be done there.  

“We wanted to find something that was very versatile so that we’d have meeting spaces, we’d have a banquet room so that we would not have to continue to use the school gym, because the gym was used by both the church and school. That would alleviate having events at the gym so the school could have it full time,” said Stein.

There’s also an entry/lobby area, gallery space, nursery, kitchen, restrooms, utility and storage space.

The building has a large, covered pavilion (4,400 square-foot) to a create smooth access between the inside and outside of the building during large events, such dances and barbecues.

There’s also ample parking with 100 parking spaces.

Mindful of of the safety of people walking across Frenchtown Road, St. Alphonsus installed a pedestrian crossing.

Events associated with Mass, such as receptions, etc., will continue to be held in the church’s St. Francis room, Stein said.

Before the COVID pandemic, the campaign commitee projected the cost of the building would be $3 million. But due to COVID, that cost rose to $5 million, according to Stein.
But this is when the generosity, support and talent rose of St. Alphonsus kicked in, according to Father Moroney and Stein.

Parishioners responded to a “soft fundraiser” asking for support. St. Alphonsus parishioners serving as subcontractors  reduced their original cost estimates. This gave St. Alphonsus the $2.5 million, or 50 percent in its building funds that it needed to obtain a loan from the Diocese of Baton Rouge. No savings funds or operational funds of the church or school were diverted to pay for the building.

“We didn’t compromise anything for this building,” Stein said.

Father Moroney and Stein expressed gratitude to the parishioners for being generous and noted that their investment in time, talent and treasure will yield a return of long-time blessings for the community.

“They have made this building possible,” said Father Moroney. “This building will serve them now and as we go into the future.”