The short answer is: a growing parish needs a larger church.

According to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the population of Plymouth has increased 26% since 1990 and is projected to continue growing into the foreseeable future. Most of this growth is occurring west and south of the town center and this is reflected in our parish statistics. In 1990, there were 5,108 parishioners registered at St. Bonaventure Parish. By 2010, this number had grown to 12,249 a remarkable 240% increase. Additionally, our parish population has been steadily shifting from a few year round residents and a lot of summer visitors to a lot of year round residents and a few summer visitors. The Plymouth area has changed dramatically in recent years with new houses, new stores, new roads and new schools. It is time for the parish to have a new church and improved facilities to meet the changing needs and expectations of our growing community. The upcoming parish building project will increase the comfort, accessibility, energy efficiency and safety standards of our facilities. Most importantly, a new church will provide us the space needed to welcome new people to our parish.

The short answer is: the church frequently exceeds its comfort capacity and needs room for additional growth.

St. Bonaventure church seats a maximum of 550 people when everyone is sitting shoulder to shoulder, small children are held close and every seat is taken. Although such seating is endurable, it is rarely comfortable. In practice, people begin standing in the back of the church as attendance approaches 450 people. The popularity of specific Masses varies greatly from season to season (and sometimes week to week). An excess capacity is needed to allow for the free movement of parishioners from one Mass to another. Every church has a certain "comfort capacity," that is, the point at which the church is full but some additional seats are regularly available. Our church's "comfort capacity" is about 400 to 450 people. This comfort capacity is regularly exceeded at the 8 AM Mass in the summer, the 10 AM Mass year round and every time a particular Mass draws an additional crowd (i.e. Scout Sunday). The comfort capacity is frequently approached at the 4 PM Mass. Outreach to new residents, summer visitors, inactive Catholics and people of other faiths is important to the life of our community. A 10% increase in Mass attendance means 145 additional people need to be seated. Outreach plus expected growth can reasonably bring 200 to 400 more people to Mass in the near future. Not only does a new church allow us to welcome these new parishioners but it also allows us to give them a seat

The short answer is: our parish may feel the effects of the priest shortage but should be secure in the coming storm.

The numbers that are currently being reported are frightening. The total number of priests actively assigned to parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston is 316, and that number is projected to drop to 178 within a decade. (There are currently 291 parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston.) Priests have already been asked to defer retirement until the age of 75 and, once retired, to help at a parish for as long as they are physically able. Our parish has been very fortunate to have the regular assistance of Fr. Lanergan and the occasional assistance of a few other retired priests. We have also been blessed to have Fr. Reed from Catholic TV helping on most weekends. In all likelihood, St. Bonaventure's will continue to have one assigned priest in the years ahead but finding assistance from other priests will become increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, our parish will count itself lucky when nearly half of the parishes in the Archdiocese do not have a resident priest. The least expensive way to expand the capacity of a church is to add more Masses but the priest shortage has rendered that option impossible. There has been some talk within the Archdiocese of combining churches into a single parish with multiple worship sites but this idea is currently on hold. The size of St. Bonaventure's, our geographical isolation and our need to expand make any reconfiguration of our parish unlikely. Nevertheless, our parish must work energetically to evangelize our neighbors and welcome new people into our faith community. All of us need to give of our time and our treasure if the parish is going to prosper in the coming storm. God willing, St. Bonaventure Parish will remain a beacon of stability in the years ahead and a testimony to the words of our Savior, "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The professional design and feasibility study generated by LDa Architecture and Shawmut Design & Construction estimates a completed project cost of $7.6 million dollars. The Parish Building Committee estimates additional costs of $600,000 associated with the completion of the project. The Building Committee is confident that the final costs of the project will not exceed $8.2 million dollars. [Note: All numbers are rounded for ease of illustration.]

The short answer is: the parish will finance the building project with a combination of monies raised through a capital campaign, parish savings, a 15 year mortgage from the Archdiocese and proceeds from the sale of property on White Horse Beach Rd. and Bourne Rd.

As of February 2011, the unemployment rate for the town of Plymouth was 10.8%; the median household income for the town of Plymouth was $74,355 and the median family home price in the town of Plymouth was $272,500. The current economic decline has affected the area more severely than other parts of the Commonwealth but has also created for the parish a unique opportunity and a profound challenge.

The opportunity: The poor economy has suppressed both the cost of labor and the cost of the materials making now an ideal time to actually begin new construction. The parish, if it acts quickly, can take advantage of a favorable market and receive added value for every dollar raised and spent on the building project. The parish, if it delays, will likely witness the rising prices that follow the rising demand of an economic recovery and may be left struggling to fund a far more expensive church.

The challenge: Without question, times are difficult for some parishioners and a good number of families are justifiably nervous about their ability to meet all of their obligations in the months ahead. Nevertheless, most families, although not "doing well" in the recession, are blessed to have good jobs, stable incomes and a rising return on their investments. Although, no fundraising goal has yet been set, it is hoped that every family will participate in the coming capital campaign with a generous heart. Hard economic times make fundraising more difficult but not impossible. St. Bonaventure Parish is a growing community with every reason to be hopeful about the future. Together, we can succeed!

The short answer is: The new church may be complete as early as Christmas, 2012!

Design & Construction: The parish anticipates signing a Design Contract with LDa Architects and Interiors by the beginning of May, 2011. LDa has already completed the Conceptual Design Phase of the building project and will complete design phases of increasing specificity until Construction Documents are completed in February, 2012. At that time, the project will be put out for bid. Site preparation and construction of the new church may begin as soon as March, 2012. Construction may be completed (if we catch a few breaks) by Christmas, 2012. The existing church will then be renovated into a new parish hall and should be open by May, 2013. The Parish Center Hall will then be converted into additional classroom and office space with construction completed by July, 2013.

Capital Campaign: The parish anticipates signing a contract with fundraising counsel for a Capital Campaign by the beginning of May, 2011. Solicitation of pledges will take place in phases beginning in June and running through December, 2011. At that time, the parish will shift its focus to pledge redemption. Pledges are usually made over a period of three to five years.

The above timelines are subject to a lot of variables and are best viewed as good faith estimates. Nevertheless, the Parish Councils are committed to moving this project forward quickly.

The primary reason for building a new church is to accommodate the growing population of our parish.

However, the building project is designed to achieve other goals.

1. The worship space within the church will be more comfortable. The aisles will be wider, the pews farther apart, the sanctuary more visible, the lighting system improved and the interior temperature more stable. Handicapped accessibility to the church will be improved and the restrooms more discreetly located.
2. The exterior of the church and the grounds will create the appearance of a town green and become one of the visual markers of Manomet. The church and its surrounding buildings will reflect the New England Heritage and the Pilgrim roots of our town as well as our Catholic identity. The grounds themselves will present an open invitation to all who pass by for a quiet walk, prayerful reflection and greater participation in a life of faith.
3. The renovation of the existing church into a parish center will allow easy access for community gatherings after Mass, provide a simple but inviting space for large group gatherings, funeral collations, youth and senior activities, parish fraternal organizations, and the option for additional events shaped to meet the evolving needs our community.
4. The renovation of the existing parish hall will allow more space for our religious education programs and allow these programs to expand in the future. Renovations will include improved meeting space, additional classroom space and an area for parents to comfortably wait for their children without having to sit in their cars.
5. Finally, it is hoped that our exterior building efforts will reflect an interior re-ordering of our parish life. A new church should reflect a renewed heart and allow us, as a community of faith, to boldly proclaim the joy, the peace and the permanence of the Good News of Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of His most Holy Name.