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Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow

A Message from Fr. Rick

Dear Parishioners of St. Peter Parish,

I continue to be amazed by the beauty of this church. I am blessed that I get to work in such a magnificent building. The building is majestic and the sanctuary is stunning. The building is extraordinary, and we need to preserve it in the name of all the faithful who built it and cared for it over the past century.

At the same time, we are presented with a wonderful, yet challenging, opportunity to enhance God’s ministries in our parish. Our proposed building plans are meant to address important parish needs. Please join me in financially supporting this building project, and in praying for its success. Together, we can ensure that our parish is a center of spiritual growth and renewal for generations to come.

God’s blessings to you!

Fr. Richard Stoffel

Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow

Preserving Yesterday

St. Peter Catholic Church has been blessed by the faithfulness and generosity of its members throughout its 150 year history. Our beautiful church is a second home for our members and a beacon in the Slinger community. St. Peter is a place for worship, service, education, fellowship, reflection, counsel, and joy. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit that guided our founders continues to lead us today. We are grateful for the many people who have played a part in shaping the St. Peter story.

- Sanctuary furniture and pulpit - Restoration of altars & statuary - Major structural improvements - Restoration of the organ

• 2009 - Our Faith in our Future Capital Campaign allowed us to raze the old rectory, acquire a new rectory, purchase additional land to increase parking, grow our parish endowment fund, and make sound investments in our capital improvements fund.

Our ancestors have given us a firm foundation…

Now it is time for us to add a new chapter to that story.

• 1850’s - Fr. Casper Rehrl helped establish St. Peters. (along with 29 other parishes)

• 1856 - A small log church built on the present site served as a mission church.

• 1870 - Fr. Peter Mutz built the first rectory and thus became the first resident pastor.

• 1881/1882 - 2-story brick school was built, staffed by the School Sisters of St. Francis.

• 1891/1892 - The present church was built at a cost of $19,300.

• 1919 - The pipe organ was installed. (ably played by Sr. Romilda Simon 1941-1991)

• 1992/1993 - On the 100th anniversary of our church building… new construction, repairs, & renovations occurred. Guests and visitors to this day compliment the holiness and beauty of our worship space. - 30 x 40 foot 2-story addition with covered entrance

- Elevator - New sacristy - Reconciliation chapel - Shrine alcove

Celebrating Tomorrow

Our Targeted Parish Needs

We are committed to making our parish a center of spiritual growth and renewal… a faithful, trusting and loving community. We are a dynamic parish in a growing area. It is our responsibility to ensure that what makes us special today enhances and grows participation for tomorrow. It is also our responsibility to prepare for the future reality of fewer priests as anticipated by Vision 20/20, the Archdiocesan long-range plans. Today, we find ourselves overcrowded and running out of space to accommodate current and future programs as well as ministerial needs. As we grow, we cannot afford to put more stress on our current facilities that have run out of space.

We can make a significant addition to our church facility that enhances its’ appearance, insures our ability to manage future needs, and preserves the legacy that has been entrusted to us. We firmly believe that how we choose to enhance our church facility will increase appeal, attractiveness and interest in St. Peter Catholic School, St. Peter Religious Education, Youth, Young Adult, and many other ministry programs. Our goal is to ensure that we have the facilities needed to share the Good News of Christ for generations to come.

Our goal throughout is to address the following parish needs without changing the warmth, charm, and traditional appearance of our church, and without disturbing our fine 1992 addition.

Increase church seating capacity

We need to prepare for the day when we need to consolidate our present weekend Mass schedule in light of Vision 20/20 (Priest Pastoral Leadership Plans for the Milwaukee Archdiocese). Vision 20/20 anticipates our Tri-Parish Cluster (St. Peter, St. Lawrence, and Resurrection) being served by one priest by 2020. This means fewer Masses, which means we will need more seating capacity.

The following graph shows the challenge ahead as a disproportionate number of our diocesan priests approach retirement. Over 70% of all Milwaukee diocesan priests are currently 60 years of age or older. Presently, of the 324 diocesan priests, 177 are active and 147 are retired. Archdiocesan in-house projections suggest there will be 100 diocesan priests in full-time parish ministry in 2020.

* Fr. Rick Stoffel is in the 60 – 64 age group.

• Provideformorespaciousarrangementofchurchseating The current pews and kneelers are too close together. Repositioning of the existing pews and kneelers will provide more space for comfortable seating.

• Increaseavailablemeetingspacesforflexible useforfaithformationgatherings We are terribly short of meeting space. Current ministries compete for space. At times, multiple programs are sharing the same space, which is challenging. As fresh ideas for new ministries surface, we find we do not have the space to allow these ministries to flourish and grow. The preliminary plans provide new meeting spaces that have the flexibility to provide the ministry space needed that day.

• Furtherincreaseavailableparkingforworshipandevents Expanded church seating means we need expanded parking. By making adjustments to our current parking, we will be able to increase available parking.

• Updateandmodernizechurchkitchenandexpandchurchhallfacilities The church hall will gain additional space, and the kitchen will be updated to be more functional and efficient.

• Providealargergatheringspacenexttoourworshipspace A defining characteristic of our parish is the family spirit that binds us together. This spirit is nurtured and grown as we gather before and after our liturgies, sharing and connecting with one another. We currently lack sufficient gathering space. A larger gathering space will also provide more room for visitations for funerals and greeting space for weddings.

• Providechild-comfortingspacenexttoourworshipspace During Mass, children get antsy, and parents need a space to temporarily retreat to while staying connected to Mass.

• Provideupperfloorrestroomfacilities Providing restrooms on the same floor as our worship space will be welcomed by all parishioners. Additional restroom capacity will also be provided in the lower level.

• Provideadditionalstrategicallylocatedstoragespace There is never enough storage!

• Provideenhancedchurchaccessibilityandeaseofentrance Reconfiguration and enclosure of our front entrance will greatly improve access to our church, and further enhance the welcoming environment as parishioners and guests enter our beautiful church.

• Repairareasofourworshipspace(stainedglasswindows,sidealtars,etc.) Some of the present beauty found in our worship space that is in need of attention could receive updates in ways that could last far beyond a band-aid approach to repairs.

Through the years the many parish programs and events have helped us to grow in our spiritual life and helped us to know Jesus as our personal Lord. – David & Karen Grant

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Architectural Renderings

ViewfromtheNorthwest

LookingtowardsNorthwestwall

Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow

ViewfromtheSoutheast

FullyExpandedChurch

LookingtowardsSoutheastwall

Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow

Three Building Project Priorities

The proposed building plans consist of three distinct priorities. The estimated cost of all three priorities is roughly $5 million. Please keep in mind that these building concepts are preliminary in nature. There is much that needs to be considered as these plans evolve and additional parishioner input is received.

We are given the opportunity to build a complete symmetrical worship center for the present and future, while preserving the legacy left by those 154 dedicated families that sacrificed to provide the environment that has blessed so many for 122 years. – Dave Wolbrink

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Priority1:NorthChurchExpansion (Estimatedcost:$1.9million)

• Expand permanent seating from 450 to 580, with additional temporary seating for 92• Bride room/Family grieving room• Reconciliation chapel• New sacristy space• Expanded gathering space

• Child comforting area• Extra space between existing pews• New restrooms on main level• Accessible sanctuary• Four flexible meeting rooms • Updated kitchen, expanded church hall, additional storage, and additional restroom space

Priority2:FrontEntranceExpansion (Estimatedcost:$1.65million)

• Fully enclosed front steps with two vestibules• Elevator/lift• Generous gathering space with visibility to the Parish Hall• Additional meeting rooms• Inviting & enhancing curb appeal

Priority3:SouthChurchExpansion (Estimatedcost:$1.25million)

• Completes the symmetrical design of the church exterior• Provides for a balanced, harmonious church interior• Expand permanent seating to 730, with additional temporary seating for 159• Three flexible meeting rooms• Additional storage

These three building priorities are color coded in the floor plans found on the next page.

Floor Plans

UpperLevel–3Priorities

LowerLevel–3Priorities

We All Play a Role

The estimated cost of all three project priorities is roughly $5 million. Through our Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow Capital Campaign, we strive to raise as much of this amount as possible. It is feasible for our parish to potentially afford a significant portion of the proposed project… or even possibly all three priorities. Other sources of funding could come from the following areas: • Parish Reserves - We are blessed that our parish is on sound financial footing. To that end we have grown parish reserves totaling $2.5 million that have been safely managed and invested. Our parish could choose to use a portion of these reserves for the building project while conservatively maintaining significant reserves for operating expenses. • Borrowing - Through the generosity of parishioners and friends, we now have a Parish Endowment Fund totaling $1.3 million. To help fund a building project, we could consider borrowing funds from the Endowment Fund, and then, over time, return the funds to the Endowment Fund. Also, the climate is good to pursue commercial loans from local banks at historically favorable rates, as well as accept low-interest loans from parishioners. • Parishioner Participation - We could consider ways in which parishioners can participate in the building project, especially if they have access to construction materials and trades skills at a substantial savings.

The success of our Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow Capital Campaign will go a long way in determining the scope of an affordable building project. Exactly what we can afford to build will be determined in 2015, after we know the financial commitments made by our parishioners. Every contribution will make a difference.

InvitationtoGive You may ask, “What should I consider giving so we can achieve parish goals?” We are asking all of our parishioners to pray and consider one of these “Hoped for Gifts”: Three-yearPledgetoMatchExistingGiving We ask for you to pray and consider a matching gift, which means doubling your current giving over the next three years. For example, if you are currently giving $15 per week ($780 per year) as your regular offering, please pray and consider giving an additional $15 per week to our Building Fund for the next three years, for a total three-year commitment of $2,340. PacesetterGift We ask those who can give more to pray and consider a pledge of a pacesetter gift of $3,000 to $20,000 given over the next three years. LegacyGift We invite all members who have been financially blessed to pray and consider a pledge of a legacy gift of $20,000 to $250,000 or more, given over the next three years.

We have a beautiful church and the congregation is so welcoming that it is a joy to come to church. – Tom Cowen

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I feel like I am part of a bigger family at our parish. We have a very special, active and vibrant parish that I am proud to be part of.

– Ken Schuh

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Save the Dates

InvitationtoShareWeekend February28/March1

Join us for Masses on this special weekend, where we will pray for God’s blessings on our plans for the future, and share more information about the campaign. All parishioners will receive a campaign packet containing additional information and a form for your three-year Building Fund response. We will then ask you to spend the next couple weeks praying and considering how God is leading you to respond to this campaign.

InvitationtoCommitWeekend March14/15

Bring your response form to Mass on this weekend. If you cannot be with us on this weekend, please return your response form to the parish office, or bring it to Mass any time prior to March 15.

I am very supportive of the building plans and capital campaign because it will allow us to continue to strengthen

our faith for future generations. – Cheryl Jaeger

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We Pray for God’s Blessings

Make us one in you, O God. Through the power of your Spirit, give us unity of purpose, and oneness of Vision. Give us grateful hearts, O God. Help us see and appreciate the many and varied gifts with which you have blessed us. Help us grow in love, O God. Let us build up the Body of Christ as we move into the future together, as your holy people, walking in the Light of Christ. Amen.

Questions?

If you have questions about the campaign, our goals, or the building plans, please contact one of the following people serving on our Campaign Steering Team:

Jeanna Desmond (414) 704-3312 jeannadesmond@gmail.comAndy Strupp (262) 706-0579 astrupp70@gmail.comKen & Jackie Schuh (262) 305-7808 ken.schuh@stpeterslinger.orgCheryl Wachtel (262) 644-0961 cheryl_piefer-wachtel@bradycorp.com Dave Wolbrink (414) 405-4343 davewolbrink@yahoo.comDennis Wolf (262) 707-9383 wendenwolf@nconnect.netFr. Rick Stoffel (262) 644-8083 x11 fr.rick.stoffel@stpeterslinger.org

To the many other parishioners playing a role in this campaign, we say thank you! We are blessed to have so many dedicated members willing to give of their time and talents, and roll up their sleeves in service.

St. Peter Catholic Church208 E. Washington StreetSlinger, WI 53086(262) 644-8083www.stpeterslinger.org

Preserving Yesterday, Celebrating Tomorrow