Historic Mission House campaign begins
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press The Coeur d'Alene Tribe donated $100,000 to St. Thomas Catholic Parish for the renovation of the church's Historic Mission House. Pictured from left: Tina Johnson, Dr. Ellen Jaeger, Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman Chief Allan, Bishop Peter Christensen and Father Mariusz Majewski.</p>
The Historic Mission House at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene is set to receive a major upgrade.
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has donated $100,000 to the renovation project.
“We are extremely grateful to the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman, the Tribal Council and the entire Coeur d’Alene Tribe. God bless them for their generosity,” said St. Thomas’ pastor, Father Mariusz Majewski.
Over its lifetime, the Historic Mission House — which was completed and dedicated Jan. 18, 1929, and adjoins the church at 919 E. Indiana Ave. — has served as the home for numerous Redemptorist Priests who served throughout the region.
“Our Building Committee and Legacy Moves Forward Committee have been hard at work on this project even before I arrived here in July of 2015. A great deal of feedback was received from many members of our community,” Majewski said. “This is certainly one of the stateliest buildings in all of Coeur d’Alene and great care will be given to preserve the integrity and feel of the interior as well as its early American Colonial exterior design which was clearly suggested by a large number of people.”
The interior will be reconfigured as it no longer serves as the home of a large number of priests. Electrical, plumbing HVAC will all be greatly enhanced and various spaces within the building will be repurposed. The building will be ADA compliant and follow all life safety features.
The architecture is being handled by Miller Stauffer Architects of Coeur d’Alene. A general contractor will be selected in the next few months. The project will exceed $1 million and final numbers will be determined during the fourth quarter of 2016.
Tina Johnson, Chair of The Legacy Moves Forward Committee, announced that Jim Faucher of Coeur d’Alene will serve as the project’s fundraising consultant. Father Mariusz said Dr. Ellen Jaeger, president of the Parish Council, has been asked to be the chairperson of the fund raising cabinet.
So far, led by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the project has received more than $450,000 in gifts and pledges including $250,000 from the Parish Building Fund.
For more information contact Carol White, 664-9259.