St. Joseph s Church, Toms River Feasibility Study Case for Support

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1 St. Joseph s Church, Toms River Feasibility Study Case for Support The Catholic Community of St. Joseph s can trace its origins back to the 1870s when a few people gathered for Mass in private homes celebrated by priests from other areas. Over the following years, the number of Catholics increased and the parish was formally incorporated on October 30, The first Catholic Church in Toms River, a small wooden frame building, eighteen by twenty-four feet with four leaded glass windows, served the people from 1882 until It was then that a larger church was built and, in 1909, a rectory was added to the site on Hooper Avenue, south of Washington Street. St. Joseph s Church continued to grow and flourish, and in 1932 a social hall was erected behind the church. This was later renovated to house the first school, which graduated its first class of seven students in Father George A. Welsh, pastor from 1926 to 1949, not only founded the school, but also had the foresight to see the need for expansion. Father Welsh purchased the tract of land that now houses our present campus. With the arrival of Father Lawrence W. Donovan in 1949, another era began. The school-church building was completed in Continued growth resulted in the construction of another classroom building and Holy Family Hall, both of which opened in History was made again when in 1963 St. Joseph s parish dedicated the first and only Catholic High School in Ocean County. Under the direction and guidance of Monsignor Casimir H. Ladzinski, our pastor from 1987 to 1996, our present 1,200 seat church was planned, built, and then dedicated by John C. Reiss, Bishop of Trenton, on January 9, Today, Father G. Scott Shaffer leads our congregation of 7,000 families and more than 1,300 students at St. Joseph s Grade School and Donovan Catholic High School. Our Church has served as the center for spiritual life in our community for more than 130 years. It is important that we now fully invest in the future development of our parish by addressing the pressing needs at the Church, grade school, and high school. As the current parishioners of St. Joseph Church, it is our sacred responsibility to preserve the dignity of its buildings so that they will remain strong for future generations of Catholics. Faith to Move Mountains and Our Combined Campaign The Faith to Move Mountains campaign is a Diocesan-wide initiative seeking to raise a minimum of $75 million to secure the sustainable endowments necessary to meet its long-term pastoral and temporal needs. Only by strengthening the foundation of our Diocese and endowing its ministries so that new generations will hear the Gospel and embrace their Church can we address our daily challenges and ensure our Diocese a strong and vibrant future. Through the parish s participation in the Diocese of Trenton Faith to Move Mountains campaign, 70% of all contributions collected by parishes will be allocated to the Diocese and 30% of the funds will be returned to the parish up to the assigned goal. Contributions collected by each parish beyond that goal will then be allocated 70% to each individual parish and 30% to the Diocese. 1

2 St. Joseph s Church, Toms River Feasibility Study Case for Support Every parish in the Diocese of Trenton has been assigned a financial goal based on 112.5% of its annual offertory. For St. Joseph, this figure is calculated to be $1,590,000, payable over a five-year period St. Joseph s Church Commitment to Diocesan Campaign Assigned Financial Target $1,590,000 Parish Component 30% Returned to St. Joseph $477,000 Diocesan Component 70% Returned to Diocese $1,113,000 However, due to its extraordinary needs, St. Joseph s has been granted permission to pursue the possibility of conducting a combined campaign in support of both Diocesan and parish objectives. The church will share with the Diocese (70:30) on funds collected up to our Diocesan goal ($1,590,000) to address our participation in the Faith to Move Mountains Campaign with $477,000 being returned to St. Joseph s. St. Joseph s Church will receive 100% of all funds collected raised beyond $1,590,000, ultimately to achieve an overall goal of $8,850,000. We have always relied on our community for growth, which began over 130 years ago with a small group of devoted parishioners. Now, we must plan for the future. While we have been extremely blessed thanks to your ongoing generosity, we cannot rest on what we have accomplished but continue to grow and expand to meet our current and future needs. To that end, St. Joseph has prioritized specific parish renovation projects to be funded through a potential campaign. We anticipate a parish-wide effort to address these financial challenges and strengthen our parish for years to come. Our Needs at St. Joseph s Church - $1,450,000 Food Pantry and Parking Lot Expansion ($150,000) The current food pantry is operating at capacity in the basement of the church offices. The food pantry, which is open 30 hours each week, serves hundreds of families every week and plays a vital role in the lives of those who are dependent on the pantry to supplement their food needs. Funds collected through the campaign will be used to relocate the pantry into a church-owned building on Lafayette Avenue in order to provide for more space for food and refrigeration. The relocation will require much needed additional parking, including more handicap parking spaces on the perimeter of the church building. Church Roof ($500,000) The current roof is in desperate need of repair and requires the replacement of the deteriorating tile roof with more durable and sustainable material. Lower Level Church Space ($800,000) The lower level of the church needs an upgrade to be used as a more functional space for program and meeting space needs. The immediate needs include the renovation of the sprinkler system and the upgrade of the current elevator. 2

3 3 St. Joseph s Church, Toms River Feasibility Study Case for Support Our Needs at St. Joseph s Grade School - $1,660,000 Grade School Addition ($1,300,000) A new entryway will be constructed to provide a more convenient entrance from the parking area. The new design calls for the construction of an elevator that will provide entry to all floors as well as additional space for classrooms and other educational needs. Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms ($320,000) Pre-K programs have become a standard offering at many schools in our area. In order to meet the demands and also provide a student pipeline into the upper grades, the parish must invest in its own Pre-K program. The plan calls for the conversion of the vacated convent into classrooms and administrative space. Kindergarten Security ($40,000) The current Kindergarten classroom in the church basement needs to be upgraded to ensure that our youngest students can learn in a safe and friendly environment. This includes additional security doors and electronic locking mechanisms to separate the current Kindergarten area from the remainder of the church and allow secure free movement between classrooms. Our Needs at Donovan Catholic High School - $4,150,000 New Parish Hall/Cafeteria/Practice Gym ($4,000,000) The plan calls for the conversion of the current cafeteria into a practice gym as well as the construction of a new Parish Hall/cafeteria that will be built where the breezeway is located. The need for additional gym space has been growing for many years as sports teams and performing arts programs compete for limited space. Today, more than 35 teams and half of all our students participate in programs that rely on the current gym. Not only will this new facility better meet student demand, but it will also provide our Church with a multifunctional space within steps of the church building. This plan will include an elevator to provide access to all three floors of the high school. Buildings and Ground Storage ($150,000) The buildings and ground storage will have to be moved from their current location to allow space for the Parish Hall. The funds collected will be directed toward the purchase and installation of a prefabricated storage structure for maintenance; and building and grounds equipment. Total Parish Needs $7,260,000* *All costs are projections and subject to change Our goal in this study is to assess our ability to raise $8,850,000 for the collective needs of St. Joseph s Church, St. Joseph s School, Donovan Catholic High School, and the Diocese of Trenton. $1,113,000 of the funds (70% of our Diocesan goal of $1,590,000) will be directed to the Diocese to satisfy our obligation for the Diocesanwide campaign. The remaining funds ($7,260,000) will stay at St. Joseph to complete our capital projects and help us prepare for the future. Please join us in this exciting and essential effort to better our services to one another, to our community, and to Christ.

4 $75 Million Campaign Faith to Move Mountains Campaign for the Diocese of Trenton Campaign Goal $75 Million Every parish in the Diocese is being asked to participate in this historic campaign. Campaign Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us faith to move mountains. We pray that you strengthen our faith, so that every prayer on our lips and every work of our hands may give glory to your name. Walk with us on the pathways of life, illumined by the light of your truth, so that we may see with the eyes of faith how hope lifts us up and how love always leads us to you, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. A Message From Our Bishop: My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We read Jesus words in the Gospel of Matthew, Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20). Here in the Diocese of Trenton, generation after generation of Catholics have provided everything necessary for the mustard seed of faith to grow and remain strong. No need was ever too great for us. No opportunity, too negligible. No sacrifice, too much. And no mountain, too high. Our faith has brought us through the twists and turns and joys and sorrows that our lives in the four counties have brought from the very beginning. Now, as in every successive generation, new seeds of faith have fallen on the good soil of the Diocese of Trenton. But the world looks very different now than it did in the past. And new challenges new mountains never dreamed of before confront our faith. Can we move them? Only by strengthening the foundation of our Diocese, endowing its ministries so that new generations will hear the Gospel and embrace their faith, touching real lives not with mere words but, rather, with concrete acts of mercy and generosity as Pope Francis daily encourages. To these ends, after much prayer and extensive conversations, the Diocese of Trenton has embarked upon a new Endowment Campaign the first such effort in over twenty years --- not for the sake of bricks and mortar but, rather, for the flesh and blood that make up our community of faith, so much in need of our ministries. We are calling this initiative Faith to Move Mountains because that is what we need to do if the faith handed on to us is to endure and grow. Now, more than ever, the mountains loom large. Only your faith and generosity will move them as, together, we continue to believe that nothing is impossible with God. Faithfully in Christ, The Most Reverend David M. O Connell Bishop of Trenton

5 Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew. 17:20 Faith to Move Mountains is a Diocesan-wide campaign seeking to raise a minimum of $75 million to secure the sustainable endowments needed to meet our long-term pastoral and temporal needs, including: Our Parishes $30 Million A minimum of 30%, or $22.5 million, of the funds collected at the parish level will remain at the individual parish to address their own local needs. Once a parish has reached its goal, the allocation of funds will reverse and the parish will receive 70% of all additional monies collected. Additional funds will provide an endowment for parishes experiencing critical financial circumstances ($7.5 million). Ordained Ministry $20 Million Increase the current endowment for our retired clergy who have dedicated their lives to their parish communities. In the next 10 years alone, 44% of our priests will be eligible for retirement! Supplement current and future education costs for our growing class of seminarians, as it costs approximately $40,000 to educate one seminarian for one year. Expand the diaconate program to serve communities requiring excellent homilies, sacramental preparation and spiritual direction. Catholic Schools $15 Million Provide additional sponsorships for seats at a school reflecting the total cost of educating the student, which has risen to nearly $7,000 each year. Support our Mission Schools, which serve underprivileged children from ethnically diverse communities with limited access to a quality Catholic education. Provide administrative and operational support to continue building the Catholic Alumni Partnership (CAP) program, which has already raised more than $180,000 for tuition assistance, technology upgrades, and local campus needs since its launch in Catechesis and Evangelization - $5 Million Provide financial assistance for full certification for all of our catechists and scholarship assistance for parish leaders (DRE s, Youth Directors, etc.) so that all serving in this role will have or be pursuing a master s degree in in such programs as pastoral theology, ministry, and liturgy. Support the organized training of adult formation teams, strengthen existing programs, or create new ones at each parish. Build a comprehensive network upon our parish evangelization ministries in order to empower every parish community to deepen the spiritual lives of its people, reach out to those who have left the Church, and welcome all those who are coming to the faith for the first time. Social Services $5 Million Award grants to parishes and Catholic Social Service agencies to respond to the increasing needs of those struggling in their communities. Provide professional assistance to parishes with a critical need for counseling services among their parishioners suffering from addiction, loss of a loved one, divorce, and other mental health issues.