Thanks to your input in our recent assessment survey, we discovered that many questions have arisen about the building project and its status, and we are working to answer them here.  Have more questions?  Reach out to us at building@stphilipcc.org.
 

Q. Why is office and meeting space needed upfront? Can’t that wait so that we can build the whole church first?

A. We need to accommodate office and meeting space so that we can prepare to sell the current campus. But we heard you during the assessment, and we do NOT need to build the permanent office/meeting room building right away. The plan now is to use part of the temporary multi-purpose building for offices, meeting rooms and religious education. That will allow us to build more of the church in the first phase of construction – enough, in fact, to hold weekend Masses there.
 

Q. What is going to happen to the current St. Philip Catholic Church?   

A.  Our current campus is an asset to the parish as we move forward in concert with the Diocese. We'll obviously keep it until we have appropriate facilities on the new property to move and continue to grow. At that point the Diocese will have to decide what to do with the current property.  There are two possibilities:
1) It could be sold and the proceeds used against our debt. 
2) The Diocese could keep it and use it in some fashion, but they have indicated that in that event we would get appropriate credit toward our project. 
 

Q. Would the Diocese use our current church for another parish?

A. In the strategic plan of the Diocese, our new parish campus is destined to be the only parish for our area in the foreseeable future.  It is very unlikely that the current facilities would become another Catholic Church, but the final decision rests with the Bishop.
 

Q. Why is the project so expensive? Isn’t there a way to bring the cost down?

A. Building a new campus at a new site is an ambitious undertaking, and the costs reflect that (for example, $2.5 million is budgeted just for necessary site-work such as roads and utilities). As our population grows, the project must also plan for the likelihood of substantial growth in the parish. Beyond even that, our mission as a parish includes glorifying God, and we aim to do that in part through the beauty of a church with a design inspired by Catholic tradition. We recognize that we must be good stewards of the money that parishioners are so generously donating for the project, and so we are committed to being responsive to concerns about costs. We will make every effort to find reasonable cost-savings where possible, and to balance the vision of what this church and campus can be with the reality of our resources.
 

Q. Can’t the Diocese help pay for this?

A. The parish will raise 65% of our project budget in cash and pledges, and the Diocese of Fort Worth will help us by loaning the remaining 35% so that we can begin construction sooner. Other than this, the Diocese does not normally assist parishes with construction costs.
 

Q. How much debt can the parish reasonably take on?

A. Thanks to the generosity of St. Philip parishioners over time, our parish is financially solid and has been able to save. We have always operated with a balanced budget, spending less than our income. The parish staff and Finance Council are determined to retain prudent financial practices, and will ensure that construction debt is kept within manageable limits so as not to interfere with the ongoing work of our parish.

Q. What’s the timing, even generally, for the move?

A. The concluding push of the campaign will run through early October. Based on the results, Fr. McDaniel and the Building and Finance Committees will make decisions on how much to construct in the first phase. Once enough gifts are in hand to proceed, we will commission the construction documents, a groundbreaking will be held, and construction will begin. At that time we will have a timeline for construction and an estimated completion date.  Clearly, we hope that 2018 is a big year for construction, but it’s still too soon to give specific dates.
 

Q. Will the church exterior “match” if it is not all built at the same time?

A. There are a number of options for the exterior finish of the church, and we do not yet know which one of these will be the best choice for our project. The Architect and Building Committee will certainly be keeping this concern in mind as decisions are made.
 

Q. How long could all of this take to complete? What’s the long-term timeline?

A. The overall project will move as quickly as the financial support allows. As the first phase of construction is being completed, we will evaluate the move and priorities for the next phase of fundraising. We hope that the move and the construction will generate additional support from current and new parishioners.  At the same time, we understand that this is a four-year capital campaign, and that it needs to run its course.

Q. What are examples of why we need more parking and more classrooms/meeting space?

A. Everyone knows that parking is a severe problem at Christmas and Easter. But even on a routine basis, parishioners must in some cases park several blocks away. This is a particular hardship for senior citizens and families with young children. Also, we don’t want parishioners parking on the other side of West Main Street and walking across it to get to Mass.  For that matter, it’s hard to measure how many people don’t come to St. Philip simply because of the parking situation. Further growth of the parish would put the parking problem at a breaking point. As for meeting space, during the school year there are many instances when all the rooms are used on a given evening and groups have to find other locations for meetings or events. We have no dedicated space for our youth ministry program, and our religious education enrollment is capped because we simply don’t have room for more classes.

 Q. Could we add a Spanish Mass or do other things to attract the Hispanic population?

A. The addition of a Spanish Mass is a decision that rests with the Bishop; in the meantime, we will continue to serve all people who come to St. Philip’s to the extent of our resources.
 

Q. Is a grade school still possible?

A. We know this is an important priority for many young families. It certainly is a dream for the new site, and the land makes it an attractive goal. However, given the pace of fundraising and other needs that are yet to be addressed, it is a goal that is well down the road. In addition, there are site-related concerns, such as sewer considerations, that will make the addition of a school a challenge.
 

Q. What happens to the columbarium?

A. Our current plan is to move the columbarium (it was specifically designed to be mobile) to the new location, incorporate it into the new campus design and ensure it has an appropriate and reverent location, with room to grow.