Capital Campaign Updates

Dear Fellow Disciples, Peace.

I hope this message finds you well and filled with God’s blessings. I am delighted to share some wonderful news with you regarding our obligation to the Nashville Diocese’s Legacy of Faith, Hope and Love Campaign. Thanks to the graciousness of Bishop Spalding, our parish has been extended a 25% reduction from our $1,139,000 commitment to the diocesan campaign. This generous gesture reflects Bishop Spalding’s support for Saint Rose of Lima Parish and the vital work we do together as a community.

Currently, we have six key program components in motion: the Master Plan and Funding, Marian Center, Athletic Field, Sanctuary, Columbarium, and New Gym.

Master Plan and Funding: We’ve presented the Master Plan to over a dozen different groups, receiving positive feedback. Engaging with various stakeholders has been fruitful, with constructive comments provided during and after the meetings. In May, we aim to meet with the Murfreesboro Planning Department to discuss our plans further. Funding: While our cash balance decreased this month due to our contribution of $854,250 to the Diocesan Legacy Campaign and design expenses, our cash total remains robust and continues to grow. However, all the funds needed for the Marian Center must be secured before construction can proceed. We’re pleased to note the growing membership in the Hundred Dollar Heroes initiative, where households contribute $100 monthly to support the program’s endeavors.

Let us reflect on the invaluable legacy left by past generations, a treasure too easily overlooked in the rush of our daily lives. This Easter, let us take a moment to express our gratitude to the visionary heroes of Saint Rose of Lima whose dedication laid the very foundations of our present campus. They paved the way for future generations to encounter God. Because of their faith and devotion, we have inherited not only a beautiful church and a thriving school, but also a rich tapestry of stories, traditions, and values – an enduring spiritual inheritance.

In our last update in January of this year, we stated that the Feasibility Study for the Marian Center Renovation was well underway. We had received approval from the Diocese legal team to enter into a contract on the Athletic Field Relocation Study and were planning to meet with the Saint Rose ONE Building Committee to present the preferred alternative for the Master Plan Update. We also reported that we had completed some clearing on the 30-acre Nature Sanctuary and finalized a federal grant request for EPIC funds to clear out the underbrush on this property.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

From the beginning of our Capital Campaign, we have strived to provide transparency. Our Finance Committee has advised on financial matters and the Parish Council has prioritized our initiatives. Together, we have ensured that all decisions have addressed the parish’s needs, reflected our mission and served our community effectively.

As we further navigate the financial aspects of this campaign, I want to reiterate some important information I shared in the bulletin last October – our original goal, though carefully calculated, was based on cost estimates from 2020 when we initially completed the Master Plan. Our continued research and discussions with architects have proven our assumption that we will need a significant increase in participation and funds to finish phases I and II.

Volunteers are needed to help with the capital campaign (e.g. mailings, planning events, calling nights, etc.). If you are interested in supporting our efforts in this capacity, please contact Karin Gleason via email at kgleason@saintrose.org or call her at 615.898.0555, extension 1070.

Se necesitan voluntarios para ayudar con la campaña capital (por ejemplo, envíos por correo, planificación de eventos, noches de llamadas, etc.). Si está interesado en apoyar nuestros esfuerzos en esta capacidad, comuníquese con Karin Gleason por correo electrónico a kgleason@saintrose.org o llámela al 615.898.0555, extensión 1070.

Last year's International Festival was a huge success! Thank you to all who shared their culture through either food, song or dance. Thank you also to all who celebrated our diversity at Saint Rose of Lima, by attending.

In hopes of making this year's event even better, we need to start planning now! If you are interested in being a part of the 2024 team, please contact Karin Gleason via email: kgleason@saintrose.org or phone: 615.898.0555, extension 1070.

Since our last update in early December, progress on the Saint Rose Development has been ongoing, albeit not as robust as anticipated due to the holiday season. Nevertheless, we have made sufficient strides to forecast a busy January ahead.

In relation to the Marian Center, the structural engineer from Bauer Askew has conducted a comprehensive inspection, resulting in a forthcoming report detailing his findings. Overall, the building's structure is in good condition; however, they identified issues that may impact the optimal utilization of the space. A meeting with the architects is scheduled for mid- January to explore available options. We will provide a comprehensive update on our recommendations following that discussion.

In our most recent update, we shared significant progress in the realization of the Marian Center and Athletic Field Relocation projects. Following the announcement of the selection of designers in our previous update, we have concluded contract negotiations with Bauer Askew Architects for the Marian Center Renovation.

The contract has been reviewed by the Diocese, and we are delighted to announce its execution. To kick off this transformative endeavor, a project Kick Off meeting was conducted on Nov 29th with the Ministry Leaders representing the Food Pantry, Backpack Ministry, Bridge Ministry, Saint Rose Radio, Boy Scouts, and Knights of Columbus. These leaders, being primary users of the renovated facility and additional storage spaces, actively participated in discussions.

We continue to make progress on the Masterplan Update, Marian Center Renovation, and Athletic Field Relocation. After notifying the successful design firms for the Marian Center and Athletic Field

Relocation projects, we began detailed scope and fee negotiations. Some may question what that means since many of the parish are more familiar with low-bid projects than professional services. When it comes to “professional services” like architectural and engineering design, low bid is not the preferred option, in fact, it's against federal and state law when public money is used, as it does give the owner the best outcomes.

Since the last update, the ONE Building Committee met with Bill Heyer, the architect of the 2020 Master Plan. He provided us with some enhancements to better utilize the campus overall and make room for potential expansion, if needed. The building committee is currently working through these ideas and hopes to be ready to present an updated Master Plan in the next several weeks.

For almost 100 years, Saint Rose of Lima has been striving to make a significant impact in the lives of our parishioners, students and the surrounding community through prayer, service, celebration and fellowship. Our parish has changed over the years but has stayed true to our core mission to be the place of encounter with the fullness of Christ in this community. Because growth over the last several years had been substantial and did not show any signs of slowing down, the parish began making plans to expand our facilities. In 2020, we developed a Master Plan to provide more space for our ministries and creating a campus that enables us to carry out our essential mission.

Since our last update, we have advertised for an architect for the Marian Center Renovation as well as for the Athletic Field Relocation. We received six submittals on the Marian Center and nine submittals on the Athletic Field Relocation. A selection committee of Jim Rose, Neal Terrell, Leslee Dodd Karl, Will Moorehead, Jose Portillo and myself discussed each submittal and short listed two firms for each project. They are Bauer Askew Architects and WBA Architects for the Marian Center and Gresham Smith and Kimley Horn for the Athletic Field Relocation. Next we will ask each firm to present their ideas regarding scope and schedule. We hope to complete that effort in the next couple weeks, select a top-ranked firm and negotiate a contract by mid-October.

Saint Rose has an eBay online selling site. It is called: strosegifts. All money raised will go to the Saint Rose Capital Campaign. Several of us have been working on this site for many weeks. We are about ready to go live.

If you have an item to donate, please call: Brenda D'Amico 615-427-8967 or Deacon John 615-427-8968.

Saint Rose of Lima issued a Request for Qualifications for two projects: Marian Center renovation and Athletic Field Relocation. Interested firms qualified to provide comprehensive, professional services for these projects should contact Wayne J. Oveman at wjoverman@dtkjllc.com for a copy of the Request for Qualifications. Submittal date is August 25, 2023.

Thank you to all who have pledged and/or donated to the Capital Campaign. We are so grateful to the parishioners, ushers and Knights of Columbus that volunteered and assisted with the distribution and collection of pledge cards during Commitment Weekend. While this first phase of the campaign has come to a close, please remember that prayers, pledges and donations are still needed to help us reach, and hopefully surpass our goal.

These parishioners have graciously agreed to participate on our Campus Building Committee for our master plan construction. They will be working to bring the details to the master plan and communicate with the parish. Please reach out to these parishioners to give your input and ask questions.

Removal of the five pine trees at the Stonewall House will begin on Monday, July 24. This will take approximately 10 days. During that time the drive down the left side of the church will be closed while they are working. The house will not be able to be used during the day and we will reschedule meetings to a different location. We apologize for the inconvenience.

How is Saint Rose of Lima determining the pledge amounts that we are asking families to consider?

The request amounts are based on several factors, including giving history and the answers shared in the feasibility study. Our goal is to challenge everyone to consider supporting Saint Rose of Lima above their usual giving. We ask each family to prayerfully consider a manner of giving, and we encourage you to give an amount that is meaningful and sacrificial to your family.

Volunteer Opportunities (Help Needed!!) –Wayne Overman is leading an effort to get the ball rolling, but he is asking the “parish at-large” for some specialized assistance as listed below. If you have this expertise or know of someone in our parish that does and is willing to donate time to help this effort, please drop Wayne a note at wjoverman@dtkjllc.com or call/text 615-414-5731. We are not asking for a huge commitment of time, just a few hours here and there. We are hoping to build a database of skills in our parish that can assist us in moving the program forward. As the program progresses, we will be reaching out for other skills that will be needed, so stay tuned!