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8 March 2023
ST. MARYS (KSNT) – The Immaculata is in the home stretch in terms of construction.
Crews have been working day in and day out in St. Marys for over two years. Now, they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Major milestones, like adding a 12-foot statue of Mary or statues to the exterior of the church, have been completed in the past few months. But now, it’s all about the final touches.
“It is a lot of just tying up loose ends,” Fr. Patrick Rutledge said. “We’re putting in the flooring, we’re decking out all the side chapels. So, a lot of stone is coming in for that. Putting in the pulpit, the baptismal font.”
Pretty soon, thousands of parishioners will have a new home. When it’s completed, the Immaculata will be the largest St. Pius X-built church in the world. The Church community is beyond excited.
“I remember as a small child my parents talking about the day we would build a new church,” Bernadette, a church parishioner said. “And so after growing up, and now I have children of my own, and actually getting to finally see it happen. The feeling is just — it makes my heart just swell.”
Bernadette lives so close, she can hear the bells chime from her kitchen. She says she often opens her windows to hear them better, but she’s beyond ready to see everything in person.
“If I’m being honest, I’ll probably cry,” Bernadette said. “I mean I’m very excited to have a new church, the have actual pews, to have a new cry room to bring my children to when they need to step out.”
Rutledge agrees.
“Just enriching the souls of the parishioners here and helping them grow close to God through the space, because God uses material beings to draw us to himself,” Rutledge said. “And I think that’s the greatest joy for me is the fact that we’ll be able to pray in beauty.”
Consecration is set to take place on May 3.