A major facelift at St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge will offer a dramatically different view of the Baton Rouge campus that intersects at the corner of Sherwood Forest and Goodwood boulevards.
Ground was broken Jan. 1 on a 5,000-square foot office building as well as turning dirt on what will be a stunning new plaza at the church entrance. Additional work includes construction of a prayer garden near the new plaza, additional parking and adding much-needed bathrooms to the church structure, pastor Father Michael Alello said.
Once the new office building, which will sit adjacent to the church, is completed, the current office building will be demolished.
An interior facelift is also scheduled for the church, and if all goes as planned, Father Alello is optimistic the work can be completed within a year.
“We are excited, building for what we need today and for growth,” Father Alello said. “One of the biggest reasons we are putting the office where it will go is the first thing you will see when you hit the corner (of Sherwood Boulevard and Goodwood Boulevard) is the church. It will provide great visibility for our church, which is our place of worship and the reason why we are here.
“Now all you see first is this (office) building that was built in the 60s.”
Father Alello said the current office building has reached the point where the HVAC is unrepairable, the building floods during heavy rains and any upgrade is cost prohibitive.
“It just made sense from a practical standpoint to build a new facility and from an aesthetic view to allow the church to be the center point of the campus,” Father Alello said.
The new office structure will house a conference room, break room, nine offices and the potential to add two workstations.
The plaza will be more welcoming and offer a more accessible entrance to the church. The prayer garden will be anchored by a beautiful oak tree and will feature statues of St. Thomas More and the Blessed Virgin.
Unable to veil his pride, Father Alello noted that all of the work is being completed minus a capital campaign.
“For us to move forward with this major project, and we have not had to ask for money, speaks volumes about what our parishioners have continued to do in the most trying time for most of us,” he said. “It’s a testament to their community and their faithfulness and good stewardship.”
“It also says a lot about the dedicated stewardship of the team at St. Thomas More and a testament to our work as a team on campus for us to be good stewards,” he added. “We value the gifts people give, and I want them to see that value in return.”
Father Alello said the timing is advantageous for construction because the pandemic has left people seeking work. In fact, he noted the estimate came in under budget.
The construction comes on the heels of an announcement that Amazon is believed to be planning to build a massive distribution site at the location of the current Cortana Mall, a once thriving shopping/restaurant hub that has been shuttered. Plans call for a nearly three-million-square-foot warehouse as well as a 45,000-square foot office building.
The Cortona area is inside the St. Thomas More Parish boundaries.
“The Amazon announcement looks promising for us,” Father Alello said. “We are excited about that and what it can do for our neighborhood and our families. We are just positioning ourselves to continue to serve the needs of our community for many years to come and to build on the goodness of our people for many years.”
“I hope what it says to everybody is St. Thomas More is invested in our area and will be for a long time,” he added. “We are really excited about the growth in the parish and the school and the things that are happening here.
“It’s about building a great part of town and attracting families and people to grow.”
Father Alello believes that because St. Thomas More includes a church and a school it has the ability to have a positive impact on the community.
“When a church is helping an area grow, it is not just helping our Catholic brothers and sisters,” he said. “We hear so often that invitation to go out and make disciples. That going out is serving the greater community.”