Saint John's Edmond Breaks Ground on Renovation

By Steve Gust
For the Sooner Catholic
A year and a half ago, a major construction project at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, began with lots of prayer and some planning. That was probably more than enough as the multimillion dollar project has started to become reality.

Called "A Building on a Tradition of Faithfulness," St. John's started phase one of its $6 million campaign with a groundbreaking Sunday,  January 9. More than 100 well-wishers were on hand for prayers and the official ceremony that will expand the sanctuary of St. John's. Its seating will increase from 850 seats to 1,250. The initial $3.1 million project will not only expand seating of the sanctuary, but it will provide more storage room and a larger sacristy. Although, the church can seat 850, it is generally full for most Masses. And the parish continues to grow with 75-100 new families each year. There are more than 2,700 families now.

About 18 months ago, fund raising began in earnest for the drive. St. John's pastor Father John Metzinger called Christmas and Easter Masses "logistical challenges, like seeing how many people you can get into a Volkswagen."

Completion of the work is expected by Easter 2006.

"It may be done before then, but Father would definitely like it done by Easter of next year," said Tom Casso. Casso is a member of St. John's building committee and was also a co-chair of the fundraising effort. It's been double duty for Casso, who is also playing a key role in the $9.5 million renovation of Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City.

Like his fellow committee members, he welcomed the St. John's groundbreaking.

"This is very gratifying to see these things come together," he said. He further called parishioner's giving to the building campaign inspiring, and noted parishioners ongoing generosity to the upcoming Archdiocesan Development Fund as well as recent relief efforts for tsunami victims.

The construction design was done by Paul Meyer and construction is being handled by W.L. McNatt of Oklahoma City. Another building committee member and co-chair of fundraising, Ken Kenworthy, said a second phase of the campaign, would be held later this year. That work, worth another $3 million, would include a second gymnasium, a youth room, science classroom, art classroom and a music classroom.

"I knew the parish would support this," Kenworthy said. "They have in the past. This is the fourth major construction project in the past 24 years."

In 1981, work began on the current sanctuary, which vastly expanded seating from the old church, which had been dedicated in the 1950s by Bishop McGuinness. St. John's has seen different church buildings since its inception in 1889 as the first church in the territory following the Land Run.

During the late 1980s, the church renovated its annex for the creation of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton grade school. The school, beginning with a few grades, now educates almost 500 children in grades pre-K to eighth. In the 1990s, when the late-Father John Petuskey was pastor, the church added new offices, a commons area as well as a great hall area, which doubles as a gymnasium.

Also present for Sunday's new era was Father Marvin Leven, former pastor of St. John's. Father Leven was pastor for the January 1981 groundbreaking.

"Unlike today, it was very cold," he recalled. "You couldn't even get a shovel in the ground. It was frozen."

He remembered a few other events of the initial construction, such as a nest and family of birds in a rafter, successfully relocated outside. During the transition, the church's organ was accidentally left exposed to the weather elements. Rain ruined it, Father Leven recalled.

"It was OK," he said. "We needed a new organ any way."

Also, among those looking forward to the expansion was current pastor, Father Metzinger. During a prayer service, he thanked the entire building committee including Kenworthy, Casso, John Erbrick, Jimmie Lou Yakel, Anne Keef, Connie Gibson, Bill Nash, Rick Reavis, Charles Axtell, Ken Buettner and Deacon Bill Coyle. Each took their turn with the shovel, turning over soil.

"We're excited about this," Father Metzinger said. "This new structure will help us with our sharing of the Good News of Christ."