Important Update on our Building Project

Over the past couple of years, we have gotten attached to the property on Hwy. 110 as the location for our new church; We have held events there, prayed over it, and even got Bishop Strickland to bless it for us. Unfortunately, as the plan has developed, some problems with this site have come to light.

First; The power line that runs through the property; It turns out that it is a high-voltage transmission line (something like 115,000 volts). In the future, it could be upgraded to as much a half a million volts with humongous steel towers. That’s a lot to have buzzing over our heads, and the power company's right-of-way would greatly limit what we could build on the property.
Second; Highway access; 110 is a state highway, so if we put in a church entrance to it, TXDOT would require the road to be widened to include a left-turn lane for southbound traffic and a deceleration lane on the north-bound side… and we would have to pay for that… could be as much a million dollars. Ouch!

Because of this, the Building Committee has recommended, and I have agreed that we need to look for another location for our church.

Fortunately, when a door closes, God opens a window; A parishioner has offered us another piece of land in the same general area (about 2 miles north of Tyler/Pounds Airport). It’s 12 acres, it’s on a county road (so access shouldn’t be a problem), and it seems to be free of booby-traps.
Also;

We have decided to change the timetable for the building project; We had originally planned to build the church first and add a parish hall in a later phase, but because of the explosive growth of the parish (and more growth expected in the future), we need to be up and running on the property as soon as possible. Because of this, we have decided to build the parish hall structure first which will serve as a temporary church building. This will get us out on the property much sooner (less than a year, God willing!) and also give us more time to work on a detailed design for the beautiful new church.

We want to avoid the 1970s “build the gym first” mistake; This is to be a truly worthy setting for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, God willing, will be replaced later with something even better… we’re in this for the long-haul after all! The building will be roughly four times the size of our current church with adequate restrooms, windows, and about 170 parking spaces (I like the sound of that!).

We have submitted these changes to the diocese for final approval and, once we get the green- light, we will be ready to start moving dirt.

I would like to thank the Building Committee for giving us the benefit of their time and expertise, and especially to thank the folks who have offered to donate land for the project… and thanks to all of you for your prayers and financial support! May the Lord bless you during these days of

His Resurrection and Ascension!
Fr Joseph F Valentine FSSP, Pastor

St. Joseph the Worker Parish

Capital Campaign Phase One

New Land Location for our Building Project

Important Update on our Building Project