New Church Building
Dear Faithful of St. John Neumann Parish,
Get ready for an exciting update! As summer fades and school gears up, so are our plans for the new church. The best part? We've hit our $3 million baseline goal for the Time to Build Campaign, and the Diocese gave us the green light in June to move forward with the construction document of the church and hall.
Our architects, Boudreaux, are working hard to finalize the drawings, aiming for completion around October. They're also asking us to make decisions on many of the finishes – flooring, paint colors, wood trim, and more – that will make our new church shine. We'll have a Diocesan review in early October as well.
Once the documents are ready, our builder, Edifice, will determine the final construction cost, hopefully by November. We'll also be securing permits from Richland County and finalizing our financial plans with the Diocese. Our dream is to break ground in early 2026, with construction lasting about 15 months. We're eagerly anticipating the cost report from Edifice, knowing that your incredible support has already laid a strong foundation.
To truly bring our vision to life, we welcome every additional gift or pledge, big or small. Together, we're building something extraordinary for the future of our parish, and we're so grateful for your belief in this incredible journey!
To donate to our new campaign, click below:
Scroll down to watch our informative and interesting videos on a variety of subjects on the new church building
Catch up on the latest "Time to Build" news:
SJN Campaign Conversations, click on videos below to watch
#1 with Fr. Sandy McDonald
It's Time to Build! Fr. Sandy invites everyone to share his excitement for the building of our new church and the final campaign to make the dream a reality.
#2 with the Architect
David Wiesendanger, Head Architect with Boudreaux, shares his joy in the final phase of the design and development of the new church.
#3 The Tabernacle Tower
Fr. Sandy explains the placement of the tabernacle tower under the central arch. Our current tabernacle will be incorporated into a beautiful design that will visibly bridge the threshold between the public worship space of the sanctuary and the private prayer space of the Blessed Sacrament chapel.
#4 with Fr. Sandy about
the Current Church
Fr. Sandy explains what will happen to our current church at 100 Polo Road, and to the special statues and objects that have meant so much to us over the past 50 years.
#5 with Fr. Sandy – The Baptismal Font
The baptismal font is the primary symbol of out incorporation into the Body of Christ though the Sacrament of Baptism. Our new font will be a large baptismal pool where we will bless ourselves as we enter, in the same place where our new Catholics, adults and children, will be baptized.
#6 with Fr. Sandy McDonald - The Stations of the Cross
Fr. Sandy shows us one of the Stations of the Cross given to us by Providence Hospital to be installed in our new church. They were carved decades ago by Vincent Demetz in the Demetz Art Studios in Val Gardene, Italy. Interestingly, our Risen Christ and Mary and Joseph in our church were carved in the same studio. See also one of the 16 bronze stations in our current church, which will be installed outside in the garden for an outdoor Way of the Cross.
#7 with Bryan Knupp of Edifice Construction
Conversation with Bryan Knupp, Executive Vice-President of Edifice Construction. Since 1996, Bryan has specialized in the building of churches and the various structures that make up their campuses. is particular concern is the safety of children when the construction is on a school campus, as ours will be.
#9 Students Outline Church Building
SJN School Children outline the perimeter of the new church on the school property. See the building blueprint superimposed to get a sense of scale!
