Holy Spirit Catholic Community - Preliminary Design Principles

		Project Phasing Unless fund raising exceeds expectations, we will need to complete this project in phases. The first phase should include the church, social hall, and parish offices. The school and religious education classrooms would be part of a later phase. The reasons for this are: Building a single parish church was deemed the next logical step in the parish unification process by our Pastor (first Fr. Joe Muha and then Fr. Enrique Terriquez) and the Pastoral Council through the process of many months/years of discussion. The Diocese is strongly supportive of us building a new church first. The more unified parish that will result from worshiping in the same church, and the additional growth expected in Mass attendance, will provide a stronger base for fundraising for the school and will hopefully result in the school being built soon after completion of the church. Baptismal Font Because we are a baptismal people, we will locate a baptismal font at the entry of the worship space as a powerful sign of this sacrament of entry. The font will be designed to accommodate the option of immersion of infants and adults as encouraged in Church documents. Reconciliation Chapel Because of God's abundant mercy, we should provide a reverent chapel space for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The space for reconciliation should be warm and welcoming, and could be located near the font or in the daily chapel. Music Ministry Because liturgical music is sung prayer, and the liturgy is musical, we will provide appropriate space for music ministry and excellent acoustics. We will locate the music ministry in a way that supports their leadership role but does not put them in a position of performance and distraction. Eucharistic Reservation Because we are a Christ centered people, we will create a most noble, prominent, worthy setting that invites and encourages private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This special place will accommodate approximately 12 people, and be visible from and integrally connected to the main church and daily chapel. Shrines and Sacred Art Because we honor the Communion of Saints and our history, we will evaluate our sacred art and treasures, and preserve and enhance them for use in our new facilities as appropriate. We will also look for opportunities for new art in the church building, and not simply fill the spaces available with less than worthy art. Summary We must all recognize that in this process, there are many people with many ideas, but we can build only one church and school. Each of us will have something we don't like about the design, and each of us will have something we do like about the design. But in the end, we are going to have a wonderful place to worship together and to educate our children.	General Building and Site Character Reflect the natural character of the site Preserve the natural resources " Resource protection Provide habitat enhancement areas Social Hall The master plan should include a Parish Hall large enough to hold approximately 540 people, and include a large kitchen capable of serving that many people. School The master plan should include: sufficient classroom space to allow two classes each of K-8th grade, along with space for daycare (smaller number of classrooms may be built initially) a gymnasium and lockers kitchen separate from the social hall large playground area, including soccer and baseball field Religious Education Six classrooms/meeting rooms for religious education. Entry Plaza and Gathering Space Because we are a welcoming people, and gather as the Body of Christ, our entry plaza and gathering space should be a warm and welcoming sign of hospitality. Access for Persons with Disabilities Because welcome and inclusiveness are Gospel values, we will design all of our new facilities for easy access by all. Our entries and other areas of the buildings will be barrier free to allow easy movement. Our assembly seating area will provide optional areas for persons in wheelchairs. The sanctuary will be designed with an easy to use and prominent ramp to welcome all. We will provide a special space for worship for persons with compromised immune systems. We will also provide hearing assistance devices and proper lighting in our worship space. Assembly Seating Because we are a communal and welcoming people, we will create a seating plan that represents the unity of the gathered assembly. The plan will be Cruciform (nave and transepts) or Deep "U" and maximize the seating within 65' (less than the length of St. Anthony Church) of the altar to enhance our liturgical participation. The plan should provide for seating at least 900, plus overflow seating areas for special Masses. Special Ritual Space Because we are a sacramental people, we will provide space for our rites & rituals. Communion procession Confirmations, Ordinations Funerals, Weddings Blessings, Anointings RCIA

		Preliminary Design Principles and Concepts for New Church and School Since mid-June, approximately 30-35 parishioners have been hard at work with our architect team and liturgical design consultant. This core group, plus another 20-30 occasional participants, have each worked at least 30 hours each (for a total of at least 900 person-hours of effort) to develop a set of design principles and concepts to guide the architects in designing our facilities. Listed below is the result of this effort to date. An even more detailed list was developed with the architects, but this list indicates the highlights of our discussions. Of course, it may not be possible to include all of these principles when constructing our new facilities.