Greensburg parishioners could be in new church by Christmas

By Tim Wenzl

Southwest Kansas Register

One year ago, May 4, 2007, a tornado destroyed 95 percent of the town of Greensburg. Like most structures, St. Joseph Catholic Church fell victim to the 200 mile per hour winds. Now, on the eve of that horrific anniversary, the Most Reverend Ronald M. Gilmore has approved plans to construct a new permanent church in Greensburg.

“The people of Greensburg are strong in spirit,” stated Bishop Gilmore. “The people of St. Joseph Parish are unwavering in their faith. As they continue to rebuild their lives, we want them to know the Church will be with them now and in future generations. I pray that this church will be a hopeful sign of stability for the parish and the community.”

The project will include the construction of a church, parish center and space for religious education. The architect is Edward Murabito and Associates of Wichita. The contractor is Triple B Construction, Inc., of Clearwater. This is the same team that built Holy Rosary Church and parish center at Medicine Lodge in 2000.

While a timetable is not yet in place, liturgy commission member Ellen Peters said she’s “secretly hoping to have Christmas in the new church.”

Father Gregory Le Blanc, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, said that is a distinct possibility.

“There had been talk about moving the site,” Father Le Blanc said. “But Bishop Gilmore spoke so eloquently about how Bishop [John B.] Franz had picked this site in the early 1950s. We thought it was hallowed ground.

“This is an emotional time as we approach first anniversary,” he added. “But it’s also a good time to reaffirm our faith, to see where our church in Kiowa County is headed.”

The approximately 8,000 square foot structure will incorporate the worship space, classroom area, and social hall into one building. It will be placed on the same parcel of land as the former church building. The church cross and bell that survived the tornado will remain on the site as enduring symbols.

The church bell became a beacon for the entire community in the days to follow the tornado; it was rung at noon and 6 p.m. each day, bringing with it a sense of inspiration and hope.

Like the project in Medicine Lodge, the Greensburg project will be constructed at or below cost. “We have a practice of doing one project a year at or up to five percent below cost,” stated Don Berntsen of Triple B Construction. “We have been doing that for about 25 years now.”

Berntsen said that he was currently contacting subconstractors and he would have a timetable for the project soon. He anticipated the building going up in approximately 120 days from the start of the project. That would mean the church could be completed before the end of the year.

The parish has held religious services in a modular church since July 2007. So soon after the tornado was the modular building put in place, that parishioners still had to avoid debris in the road to get to Mass. Peters noted that Masses at the modular church have been consistently filled to capacity.

“I was just so grateful to have a place to celebrate Mass,” Father Le Blanc said of the modular structure. “We’d been having Mass for four or five weeks in Pratt.”

The Catholic Extension Society paid for the modular building, temporary utilities, as well as permanent utility hookups and the entrance ramp into the church. Once the new church is constructed it is anticipated that the modular church will continue to be used by the parish for parish purposes. The new church will seat 170. Currently the modular building seats 100.

Father Le Blanc was in Pratt, where he is also pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, when the storm hit a year ago. Since then, he has watched the community grow both physically and in spirit since that horrifying night, May 4, 2007.

“The people of Greensburg are tremendous,” Father Le Blanc said. “They are tremendous witnesses … a treasure to the church.”

David Myers contributed to this article.