Letter from Fr. Smith
Dear Faithful of St. Lawrence and Friends of Our Parish,
From the moment the Mater Dei Community was entrusted to the care of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, it has been our responsibility to lead the community in the worship of God using the traditional patrimony of the Church, especially through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are also responsible for guiding your souls towards heaven through the administration of the sacraments, but also through preaching, and the many pastoral activities that help make our parish such a vibrant home.
Read the Case Statement
Campaign Goals
Through the Generation to Generations campaign, we have an opportunity to lay a stronger foundation for the young people of our parish and for future generations to grow in faith here at St. Lawrence. With your support, Generation to Generations will establish firmly our position as a mature parish without debt, maintain and improve the spaces needed for the many activities its vibrant life requires, and preserve the beauty and tradition of our church and liturgy. Our vibrant parish is thriving, and by the grace of God, we hope to accomplish several critical projects that with God’s help will ensure St. Lawrence is well-positioned for many years to come. Our campaign goals include:
Purchase the Parish Center from the FSSP | $900,000
At the request of the parish, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) generously purchased the adjacent Parish Center building at 112 State Street when the parish did not have the funds to do so. The FSSP has given us five years of free usage of the space, with a deadline of June 2027, to raise the funds necessary to purchase this building from the FSSP or to vacate it.The Parish Center is a three-story (plus finished basement), multi-use facility that is vital to the operations and ministry of the parish. It is imperative that we preserve access.
Eliminate the Parish Debt | $600,000
The parish’s debt stems from the $1.5 million mortgage taken on by the parish in 2022 to purchase the church from the cathedral. Our principal payments according to the terms of the mortgage are $75,000 per year, but we have aggressively been making extra payments on the mortgage so that the amount we owe is now down to $900,000. By June 2029, the amount remaining would be $600,000. By eliminating this debt, we will invest those monthly savings into further pastoral work and our campus.
Restore the church’s rose window and improve the social hall | $300,000
Our church’s beloved rose window is in disrepair, needing professional restoration. The restoration process includes repairing the stone, repointing the grout, removing the layer of plexiglass, and tending to the stained glass itself. This would greatly enhance the beauty of the church’s façade, letting in more light through the rose window. Additionally, we must maintain and improve our social hall, which is actually part of a structure connected to the church known as the schoolhouse. The social hall needs several updates to make the place bigger, more beautiful, and welcoming. Plans call for:
- Adding central heating and air conditioning to the whole building
- Expanding the social hall back to its original size by removing the wall between the old library and the social hall
- Removing the drop ceiling in the social hall to create more vertical space
- Improving the lighting
- Replacing windows and flooring, if funding allows
Further, our improvements to the church would include renovating part of the sacristy to create more storage space, including for the sacred vestments that are used at Mass. Currently, we have exhausted our vestment storage space and some vestments are stored in ill-fitted temporary containers. Storing the vestments properly is very important as they are quite precious, and improper storage can cause them to crease, wear, and tear due to getting caught on sharp edges.
Expand the Rectory Space | $300,000
The current rectory space is at capacity for our priests, and has no dedicated guest room. This lack of space creates various challenges. For instance, when more than one guest visits – such as two seminarians – the chapel is inaccessible for prayer. We also hope that eventually, as the parish grows, we would have the possibility to have a fourth priest, which is currently impossible. With $300,000, we would have the funding needed to acquire an adjacent house – making the two combined houses into one living space – or sell the current building and purchase a larger building closer to the church.