February 7, 2008

Fellow Pueblo West Catholics,

Since I last wrote you concerning the building of a new home for St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pueblo West, much has been happening behind the scenes.  Here is a brief update:

Victor Johnson, our architect, reports good progress on the preparation of structural and mechanical drawings.  At this point, he is confident that the project can go out for bids at the end of this month, with site infrastructure work to follow at the end of March.  This timetable is contingent, of course, on obtaining the necessary permits from Pueblo West Metro District and Pueblo County, as well as final approval from Bishop Tafoya and the Diocesan Finance Council.

The civil engineers have completed construction drawings for the site work in preparation for developing our new site, pending the necessary Metro West approvals.  Additionally we are exploring the best resource for construction loans.

Meanwhile, on the fund-raising front, we recently received a large boost - both financially and spiritually - from our brothers and sisters at St. Daniel's Church in Ouray, in the form of $10,000 gift to our building fund.  In addition, a variety of local special events - such as the "Chili Cook-off and Pie Auction" and the recent "Sister's Christmas Catechism - the Mystery of the Magi's Gold" - conducted by St. Paul's hard-working parishioners continue to produce significant revenue for the cause.

In short, while we still are some weeks or months away from actually breaking ground, we are getting tantalizing close to finally realizing our dream - a badly needed new Catholic church home in Pueblo West.  As the myriad of time-consuming but necessary final details are being worked through, I humbly urge you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Rev. J. William Huber, Ph.D
Pastor

Cans, Cans, Cans
Save your aluminum cans and bring them to Church with you each Sunday!  Help the St. Paul Altar Servers raise funds to purchase server chairs for the Sanctuary in the new church.  Leave your aluminum cans near the Parish Office and they will be collected and recycled.
 
 

Saint Paul's Vision of
Our New Home:

New Church Building News...

I am pleased to report that construction on our new church home in Pueblo West finally may be about to begin. 

In my last update, I advised you that further cuts in the original plans likely would be necessary in order to meet our available construction budget. These have been accomplished, including the regrettable deletion of the daily mass chapel and tower.

The revised cost estimate now stands at $3.7 million.  Under Diocesan policy, we are required to have 65 percent of that amount in hand, so the nearly $2.4 million currently in our building fund is sufficient to allow us to proceed.

Bishop Tafoya has approved of the necessary cuts, and it is our intent to seek permission to begin construction from the Diocese Finance Advisory Council at its next meeting in mid-September.  There are additional procedural steps to be taken with the Pueblo West Metro District, but barring unforeseen circumstances, we are in excellent position to start infrastructure work on the new building this fall.

Obviously, it has been a painful ordeal to pencil out the chapel and tower for the time being, and to eliminate a number of other lesser but nonetheless desirable items from the original list, including new pews and chairs.  However, the most important thing is to provide the church building itself, however spartan temporary conditions might have to be.  As a parish family, we will work together to pay for further improvements in the future, as financial resources allow. 

Thank you for your faithful contributions and prayers, without which we could not be sharing this happy news.  I humbly ask for your continued support, so that sooner rather than later we will have accomplished all of our original goals, including the aforementioned items as well as earlier cuts, most particularly the large worship space.

No, our work is not done.  Nevertheless, your perseverance to date finally is about to bear tangible fruit.  I am proud to be walking with you on this exciting journey.

Prayerfully in Christ,

Rev. J. William Huber, Pastor

 

Living God, 

    We, your people, cherish the memories of our short history as your    sacred gift to us in Pueblo West.  Guide us during this time of transition as we prepare for the future.

Grow within us a life of mission and giving:
Proclaiming the Gospel in Word and deed,
Healing the sheep who are wounded,
Touching the sheep who are in pain,
Warming the lambs who are cold.

May we discover more fully the gift of generosity with which you have blessed us. 

Help us, as part of the Body of Christ, to think and act on your behalf as we begin to build a new home for Your service in Pueblo West.

 Give us mission, grace, and peace through Christ our Lord.

     AMEN.          Saint Paul the Apostle              Pray for us.