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Work Continues on New Pastoral Center

November 10, 1999

In preparation and celebration of the new millennium, Pope John Paul II calls for Catholics to "Open Wide the Doors of Christ." The Diocese of Gaylord will do just that with a brand new set of doors slated to open in the summer of the Jubilee year 2000. Construction on the new building, located just to the north and east of St. Mary Cathedral in Gaylord, began this fall. "The vast majority of our efforts are in education and service to the people of God," said Bishop Cooney. "By relocating closer to the Cathedral, we hope to be recognized more as Church than as a business." The 34,000 sq. ft. facility will house the diocesan staff, cathedral staff and a large educational facility. The current Diocesan Pastoral Center is comprised of four buildings located just west of Gaylord on Highway M-32. Diocesan staff is housed in Kateri (the original building purchased when the diocese was formed in 1971) and the Seton building. The Baraga building is utilized for meetings and educational offerings, and the Marquette building is rented to other organizations. A fifth building at the complex, Cabrini, burned in 1990. "We have been exploring options for getting our staff under one roof for quite some time," stated Steffel. "A number of possibilities were reviewed, but none really offered adequate work space for the 27 staff and meeting facilities without major renovations to the existing complex." Office space for the staff of St. Mary Cathedral is limited as well. The twelve member staff presently work out of the Rectory located next to the Cathedral. The new building includes a section which will better accommodate them as they serve the needs of the parish. An added benefit will be that the Rectory will become more of a home to the priests serving the Cathedral, allowing for more privacy and a more homelike atmosphere. While the areas occupied by the diocesan and cathedral staffs are separated, the fact they are located in the same building will help to foster the Church connection. The third, and perhaps most exciting, component of the new building will be the educational center. "Faith formation and education are a primary focus of the Diocese as we enter the new millennium," stated Bishop Cooney. "We want to have well-trained leadership in our parishes and to be able to offer really good educational programs for all of our people." He continued, "We live in an area where these kinds of opportunities are not readily available and we are committed to helping to provide individuals with the tools they need to grow professionally and spiritually to become true disciples of Christ." The highlight of the educational center will be a conference area which will hold up to 600 people theater-style. Moveable walls will allow the room to be divided into six smaller rooms accommodating up to 100 each. Even more meeting space will be available in a lower level. Current meetings at the Pastoral Center are limited to approximately 50 people. With the increased space, large events such as the annual Diocesan Conference and Youth Rallies could be held at the new site. In the past, the Diocese has had to rent space for such gatherings. The facility will also be made available for use by other Diocesan organizations. The educational wing will include the Rose Resource Center, a lending library of nearly 2,000 videos and upwards of 2,500 books, periodicals, reference materials and audio cassettes, devoted to faith enrichment. A bookstore will offer a limited number of publications for sale as well. An added feature to the lower level of the building will be an area devoted to communications, including a studio, editing and production areas. The Diocese already utilizes many types of media and technology. In addition to a number of printed materials produced by the various departments, the Diocese is actively involved in radio and in video. A weekly half hour radio program, Northern Michigan Catholic, is produced at the Pastoral Center by the Secretariat for Communications. The program is distributed for broadcast and can be heard throughout the entire diocese on Sunday mornings. "We're especially looking forward to the opportunities we'll have to use our equipment more appropriately, as well as to expand our abilities," said Candace Neff, Director of the Secretariat for Communications. "Right now we're somewhat limited in what we can do by virtue of space. I can envision a number of ways the new building will allow us to communicate the message of the Gospel more effectively," she added. A portion of the Educational Center is being designed with an eye toward the potential for cooperating with institutions of higher education to bring more specialized formation and degree programs to the area. Madonna University located in Livonia already offers social work courses at the AREC Center in Gaylord through its Distance Learning program. Satellite technology and interactive television make it possible to offer a broad spectrum of programs to more rural areas and the diocese hopes to be able to tap into some of these resources by providing appropriate facilities in the lower level. Also housed in the lower level will be the Diocesan Archives. The interior design of the building utilizes an open concept, creating office areas and work spaces with modular furniture. This system will allow for expansion and reorganization without major structural changes. "We believe the open design will offer some flexibility, while ensuring the facility as a whole will serve our needs well into the future," said Bishop Cooney. Work at the site is progressing and on schedule to allow the building to open in June. Funding for the project will come from the sale of the existing Pastoral Center, grants and individual donations. Individuals who would like to make a contribution may do so by sending their gift to: Diocese of Gaylord, 1665 West M-32, Gaylord, Michigan 49735. Checks should be marked "New Pastoral Center."