Father Reggie Urban wants the Catholic Community members who worship at St. Rose site in Great Bend to "see the light."

His desire is literal as well as figurative when considering the nearly century-old church-structure and the significant facelift it is undergoing beyond its 91-year-old main doors.

"What I can’t wait to see is the light pouring in past the baptismal font, and across the people," said Father Urban, pastor of the Catholic Community of Great Bend, which now has two worship sites. "This (St. Rose site) is a gorgeous building."

The pre-existing St. Rose and St. Patrick parishes joined as one community in July of 2003. Father Urban explained that since that time, "St. Rose" and "St. Patrick" are referred to as "worship sites," since the community has two places to worship.

Opening up the front of the building to allow more light was just one of the aims of the construction project at the St. Rose site, which began July 10, and is expected to be completed around the first of the year. With the addition to the front of the building, the gathering area will be greatly expanded. Inside, a glass wall will run directly along the perimeter of the choir loft behind the rear pews, separating the gathering space from the worship area. This will also allow for a cryroom option and expanded seating during heavily-populated Masses.

Father Urban said the expanded space will also benefit those involved in a funeral or wedding, allowing individuals to gather inside the building for last minute instruction, instead of waiting outside, or in the auditorium next door.

"The steps were deteriorating, there was no gathering space, and it wasn’t wheelchair-accessible," said Father Urban, who was reared on a farm between Great Bend and Hays. "One of our goals was to make it accessible."

The current bathrooms, which now resemble broom closets with hardly room for a broom, are being replaced with two bathrooms which are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. A lift for the physically-challenged will be installed in the two-level gathering area.

After arriving at the worship area, members will find a new baptismal font, which will allow baptism by immersion. This will replace the former font, which was an antique wooden lectern with a large bowl constructed into the top.

The road from the first discussions about the project to actual implementation took a year-and-a-half to traverse. A previous capitol campaign had mulled over a plan to add a social-catechetical hall to the auditorium next door (which Father Urban said could be a future reality). But when various committees looked at urgent needs, he said they all realized there was no other way to go. Letters were sent to members. Commissions and committees had to approve the project. And the final plans, which also included completing in May 2006 four classrooms at Holy Family School that were under construction, had to be approved by Bishop Ronald Gilmore.

"His main comments on the first plan was that it was too flat," FatherUrban said. "The way it looks now will complement the building as much as possible."

Father Urban is intent on re-using nearly every scrap of original wood, stone, and stained glass that has been affected by the renovation. "The same stone will be in the outside windows and entrances," he said. "Hopefully it will look like they put [the addition] on when they built the building."

Since construction began, the nearly 2,000 households have joined for Mass at St. Patrick’s. It is the first time the members have worshiped as one since the establishment of the pre-existing St. Patrick Parish 46 years ago. Father Urban said that participation at the nearby Dominican Sisters Chapel of the Plains also has increased as a result of the project.

The new addition was designed by Don Marrs, whose wife, Mona, is the niece of Father Rene Guesnier, OSB. The general contractor is David Cruse. Dedication of the new addition is expected to occur in January or February of 2007.