Renewing the Mission: the Building Fund for Gesu

Gesu continues to grow and remains a strong and vibrant community thanks to our collective efforts, but we need to create the space necessary for the future of Gesu by renovating the Church and Parish Center. The key components of the Campaign are to promote our Mission through: Education, Community Building, Church Preservation and Accessibility.

Education: Gesu School is a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence with a rich tradition of Catholic values. The Jesuit influence permeates Gesu Church and School through the teachings of St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises. With over 700 students, it is critical to have more space available with updated technology and long distance learning capabilities. The renovated Parish Center will include two large meeting rooms which can also be used as classrooms. To remain competitive with other public and private schools in the area, we must invest resources in our Parishi for our students.

Community Building: Gesu is an energetic community with more than 6,000 parishioners and 67 ministries that need places to meet and engage. It is also important to note that the current Parish Office has many structural issues and cannot continue to be a gathering place for the Gesu Community. Two additional classrooms/meeting rooms will be constructed where the garage is currently located. This will add another 1,100 square feet to the Parish Center for a total of 12,000 square feet. The renovations will help provide the spaces our community needs - from the toddlers in Gesu Young Families group to the seniors in the 50+ Club.

Preservation of our Church: The Church has not been significantly updated in 40 years. We have the opportunity to help preserve the Church for generations to come and to make it more sustainable. For example, new lighting fixtures will replace the obsolete and energy inefficient fixtures. Our founding families had the vision to make a sacred place of worship for the community. We too must take action and have the courage and foresight to prepare for our future.

Accessibility: It is our duty and obligation to provide accessibility for all parishioners. In doing so, we must add ramps inside and outside the Church (including one that will give access to the sanctuary), an elevator to McAuley Hall, automatic doors, and updated restrooms. Our parishioners and visitors should have the access they need to fully participate in our community.