St. Lawrence Parish in Greece has grown by leaps and bounds for several years now, and the faith community is building a new parish center to accommodate that growth.
Father Frank J. Falletta, pastor, noted that St. Lawrence has increased its parishioner families from 1,600 in 1984 to more than 3,300 currently. And Catholics are continuing to move into the western part of Monroe County, he noted.
“There is still space within the parish boundaries to build houses,” he said.
Parish events and programs take place in the current parish center — essentially a gymnasium — as well as the church, an early-education building and the diocesan school located at St. Lawrence. The parish has needed a new center for some time, Father Falletta noted.
“We’ve got 22 ministries going on right now,” he said. “As the (parish membership) grows bigger, we’re looking to enhance the ministries and do more. (The new center) is the space that will enable us to do that.”
The parish broke ground for the new center July 16, he said, and when it is completed, it will be attached to the church via an expanded narthex, or entrance area, which should be completed by November. The new one-story center will seat 500 and cover 11,700 square feet, he said. Father Falletta added that the new center will feature a kitchen, five meeting rooms and a large room that can be temporarily divided into a reception room and auditorium.
The parish is funding its new center via monies raised in part through the diocesan Partners In Faith capital/endowment campaign, Father Falletta said. The PIF/building campaign’s combined goal was more than $2 million, $450,000 of which will go to the diocese, the pastor said. So far, St. Lawrence parishioners have pledged $1.342 million to the campaign, Father Falletta said. He added that the final cost for the parish center is still to be determined.
