Facility Demolition Phase 2 of Project
The former Sacred Heart Catholic School off of South Central Avenue will be torn down this November, part of a plan to better serve the needs of the parish.
Youth Net, a Marshfield Clinic afterschool program for nearly 300 area youth, has moved from the school building into the YMCA. “The rent they were paying was paying all the bills for the school. It’s going to put a burden on the parish,” explained Dennis Wolf, co-chair of the Future Family Life program. Upkeep for the 100 year-old facility would include a new roof.
The school was finished in 1917 and functioned as a church, convent, and auditorium. A growing congregation led to the building of a separate Tudor Gothic style church building in 1932. At its peak, attendance for the school reached 488 students in 1962. It would operate until the 2001-02 school year, when a low of 34 students led to its closure.
The fundraising goal of the Future Family Life program is $2.25 million, of which a quarter has been raised by the parish. Phase 1 of the project was to install new furnaces in the church, which was previously heated by the old school furnaces, a project that is now nearing completion. The second phase will be to tear down the school. Depending on the timeline for asbestos removal, demolition is planned for November.
After the school is torn down, the parish will construct a new handicap-accessible, 7,000 square foot facility. It will include a dining hall that can host 200 people, a kitchen, and 6-8 classrooms for youth Catholic education in the evening. “Our goal is to build a new facility and get our young families taught the word of God,” said Wolf. The building will also accommodate an addition if it is ever needed in the future.
Depending on how soon funds are raised, the building could break ground in 2019 or likely 2020. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the project can call the church office to make a tax-exempt donation.
A variety of antique and functional items will be open to the public for sale after mass on Saturday 6-8 p.m. and Sunday 8:30-12, this weekend and next. Items are up for bid or are best offer. Bookshelves, office chairs, antiques, stairlifts, children’s books, conference table (15×7”), piano, and decorations are available. Kitchen items include glassware, convection oven, stove, walk-in cooler, dishwasher, and much more. Sign up to win a MACCI gift certificate.
The parish recently welcomed Father Keith Kitzhaber, originally from Greenwood. Kitzhaber attended UW-Marshfield and is fluent in Spanish.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 112 E 11th Street.
Author: News Desk
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