A place for the people

    “A hundred thousand welcomes” — the meaning of the Gaelic message inscribed on the cornerstone of the new parish hall and narthex — nicely sums up the hopes and intentions of the St. Patrick Catholic Church addition at 541 S. Interocean Ave. in Holyoke.
    “We wanted this to be a welcoming space, not only to Catholic parishioners, but to the entire Holyoke community,” said Ernie Krogmeier, a member of the church’s renovation committee.
    Sunday, July 23, about 150 people gathered after Mass for a dedication service for the new space — and everybody fit easily in the new entryway. Later in the day, an open house saw well over 100 community members through the doors to tour the addition and enjoy refreshments.  
    For the dedication, special readings and psalms were chosen to match the construction of the welcoming space. Father Jerry Rohr concluded the service with a special blessing for the addition and everyone in it. “May all who come here know the presence of Christ, experience the joy of his friendship and grow in his love,” he said, sprinkling holy water all over the narthex, hall, kitchen and those gathered.
    The large narthex, or entryway, includes a wide-open tiled area with new glass front doors that face Interocean Avenue. A ramp and a wide stairway with beautiful wrought iron railings lead up to another open area at the entrance of the actual church.
    The space has already begun to prove its purpose as a place for parishioners to gather and socialize before and after services; a setting for wedding, confirmation or family pictures; or simply an area for overflow at a large wedding or funeral.
    “It warms your heart to see a large confirmation class of 60 kids all lined up for pictures in this new space,” said Krogmeier, referencing the confirmation ceremony that happened soon after the structure’s completion in May. “This will serve the community for a long time.”
    From the entrance, there is also access to new handicap-accessible bathrooms, a ramp leading down to the church basement, and the new parish hall, a roughly 40-foot-by-70-foot room with wide pass-throughs to a brand-new kitchen.
    Handicap accessibility was  a major focus in the project, as this was the first addition of space to the church since 1963. While several smaller renovations had taken place since then, problems in this category remained. Steps had to be climbed to enter the church, the elevator was known to malfunction, and the only bathrooms in the space were rather small, in the basement and down a narrow hallway.
    In the new addition, St. Patrick’s opted for low-maintenance ramps rather than elevators or lifts that can break down. As an added bonus, the gap between the north side of the church and the south side of the parish hall (conveniently created by the ramp that leads downstairs) allows for natural light to still shine through the church’s many stained glass windows.
    For many dedicated ladies of the parish, their favorite part of the addition is the big new kitchen, which includes a commercial hood over two residential stoves, ample storage, a commercial refrigerator, a commercial dishwasher and a long-coveted ice machine.
    A massive island in the middle of the kitchen with back-to-back sinks and plenty of workroom is a favorite feature as well. “You’re not walking all over each other anymore trying to work,” said LaVonne Dalton. Karin Kramer said she loves the social aspect of the island, allowing those preparing meals to talk and work at the same time.
    Other priorities in the addition included new heating and cooling systems in the church, general maintenance items such as roof repair and classroom space for religious education.
    The formal classroom space is yet to come, as the church basement will be renovated for this purpose. Until then, a combination of the basement space, parish hall and parish rectory spaces will be used for classrooms.
    Some elements were simply shuffled around in the building process. The large statue of St. Patrick outside was relocated to a much more prominent position, flanked by stained glass windows on either side. Inside, a large crucifix was moved from the parish rectory office to the entryway.
    The stained glass windows throughout the space could be a story in themselves. Many of them have been moved around since the church’s initial construction in 1934, finding new homes with the addition of a new sanctuary and entryway in 1963. The new narthex has created more space for the beautiful windows to be displayed.
    With some previously hidden away in poorly lit or partially blocked corners of the church and bell tower, the windows come to life in their new locations in the entryway — some backlit, but most benefiting from the abundance of natural light.
    “They’ve really become works of art out here,” said Krogmeier.
    The large, prominent St. Patrick window from the old outer wall above the choir loft was relocated to the new outer wall above the narthex. A new stained glass window depicting the Holy Family is in the works to fill the old space, designed by Phil Watkins, the grandson of Frank Watkins, who made most of St. Patrick’s other windows back in the 1930s and 1940s.
    Overall, the response to the new space has been overwhelmingly positive, with many donations coming together to pay for the majority of the approximately $2 million project. Church savings provided another large portion, leaving less than 10 percent still owed.
    “It’s the culmination of a lot of work and a lot of people trusting and willing to invest in St. Patrick’s future,” said Rohr. “The gathering space is important, but it’s the people that really are the church.”