Welcome to the St. John Fisher Building Campaign

(Last Updated: 9/2/2010)

(View of New Church from Street Corner)

The St. John Fisher Building Campaign ("Campaign 21") will be a major upgrade to the existing St. John Fisher campus in order to support our vibrant and growing parish as we move forward into the 21st century. The centerpiece of this campaign will be a New Church.

This area of the St. John Fisher web site is intended to provide information related to the following basic questions about the Building Campaign:

What are we planning to do? (Building Campaign Scope)
What will the new church look like? (New Church)
Why do we need to do this? (Our Vision)
When are we planning to do it? (Time Frame)
How are we going to pay for it? (Funding Status)
How can I contribute? (Donating)
Who can I contact if I have questions? (More Information)

Ground Blessing Marks the Start of Construction!

On Saturday, June 12th, Bishop Oscar Solis performed a "ground blessing" ceremony over the planned location of the new church altar. This ceremony formally marks the start of construction for the Saint John Fisher Building Campaign.

(Click on image to view a larger version)

Building Campaign Scope

The Site Plan for the current Building Campaign, including the new school playground and grassy area.

(Click on image to view a larger version)

The overall scope of the Building Campaign requires that:

Some new buildings will be constructed
Some existing buildings will be converted to new uses
Some existing buildings may be removed
Other existing buildings will remain unchanged

To more effectively manage the work ahead, the various building activities will be organized into a number of activites which are described below.

Current Building Campaign

Upgrade underground utilities
Create New Grass Play Areas for School
Reconfigure Parking with Additional Retaining Walls
Improve Driveway / Ramp Entrance
Convert the Existing Convent to a New Rectory
Construct New Maintenance Garage (near New Rectory)
Remove Existing / Old Rectory (to make way for the New Church)
Construct New Church
Convert Old Church to a Gym / Parish Activity Center (PAC)
Create New Gathering Plaza
Add New Sign & Stairs at Street Level (at corner of Crest and Crenshaw)
Enhance Site Lighting and Landscape Throughout

Future Plans

The site plan diagram also indicates that future plans will include new construction as well as changes / conversions of existing buildings:

A New Parish Administration Building
New School Art Room
School Library Addition
Conversion of the Old School Administration Office to a New Preschool
Conversion of the Old Parish Offices to Religious Education Classrooms

New Church

This section provides additional information about the New Church which is the major focus of the current Building Campaign.

(Elevated view of "New Church model" looking over Crenshaw Blvd.)

(Church and Gathering Plaza)

(Diagram of Finalized Floor Plan) (Click on image to view a larger version)

The numbers on the "Floor Plan" diagram correspond to the following interior elements of the New Church:

Main Entrance (Narthex)
Reconciliation Chapel
Shrine Room
Multi-Purpose Room
Restroom
Quiet Room
Envir. Work Room & Sacristy
Music Storage
Mechanical Room
Organ Windchest & Access
Organ Pipes
Music Area
Seasonal Decorations Platform
Altar
Blessed Sacrament Chapel Tower
Priest's Sacristy
Priest's Restroom
General Sacristy
Men's Restroom
Women's Restroom
Stations of the Cross

Simulated Interior Views

Following are several views of the interior of the church that indicate possible colors, textures and materials.

(View from Main Entrance over Baptismal Font toward Altar) (Click on image to view a larger version)

(View from Music Area over Altar toward Blessed Sacrament Chapel) (Click on image to view a larger version)

(View from Blessed Sacrament Chapel over Altar toward Baptismal Font & Main Entrance to the right) (Click on image to view a larger version)

(View of the Shrine Room) (Click on image to view a larger version)

(Blessed Sacrament Chapel Art Glass) (Click on image to view a larger version)

View of the art glass behind the altar (Reredros wall art glass.

(Reredros Wall Art Glass) (Click on image to view a larger version)

Following are views how the art glass from the old church will be relocated to the Narthex (entrance) of the new church.

(Entrance Glass - View 1) (Click on image to view a larger version)

(Entrance Glass - View 2) (Click on image to view a larger version)

This rendering shows the interior of the new church viewed from the entrance and the design of the font, altar, and ambo we are currently working on. The streamlined font gives abundant access to the baptismal waters and includes a large blessing bowl and immersion pool. Like the font, the stone altar and ambo reflect the graceful curves of the buildings structural elements and windows. The ambo is adjustable in height to accommodate children and those in a wheelchair.

(Font View 1) (Click on image to view a larger version)

This rendering shows the floor pattern for the center aisle. The pattern reflects the shape of the font.

(Font View 2) (Click on image to view a larger version)

Simulated Views of Steel Beam Construction

Following are several views showing the steel beam structure of the new church.

(Click on image to view a larger version)

Simulated Exterior Views of the New Church

Following are various external views of the new church.

View of the Gathering Plaza in front of the new church.

(Click on image to view a larger version)

Our Vision

We are building the new St. John Fisher Parish complex to provide for the needs of our parishioners in the 21st century. It includes:

A new church that enhances the way our community worships together
New, improved facilities for our youth
Increased space for our many ministries and religious education classes
An administration building that enables the parish, school, and religious education offices to work together more efficiently
A new preschool to serve our growing families
An art room, science lab, and new library for the school
An improved grassy playground for the school

Time Frame

(Time Frame Diagram) (Click on image to view a larger version)

This diagram summarizes a large amount of information from detailed plans and provides a summary of the current Building Campaign.

Seasons and years are used as the time scale since specific events may move based on:

Obtaining approvals from city agencies and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Performance of various construction companies
Payment of pledges made by parishioners

The following set of diagrams provides more detail on the sequencing and phasing of construction for the current building project:

Area 1A.1 - Remodeling of the convent (annex) and work on the eastern end of the site will begin in June 2010 and continue through September 2010. The convent will be remodeled as the new priest residence. The site work will include the construction of a new school playground and grassy area, retaining walls on the eastern and southern property lines, an improved connection to the Daughters of Mary and Joseph Retreat Center, and a new level and resurfaced parking lot.

Area 1A.2 - The center portion of the parking lot will be resurfaced through October 2010.

Area 1A.3 - The portion of the parking lot immediately in front of the existing church will be resurfaced through mid-November.

Area 1A.4 - The new church pad will be graded from Mid-November through mid-December 2010. During this time, connections to underground utilities will be made for the new church.

Area 1B.1 - Construction of the new church could take place from Mid-December 2010 through early 2012. Most of the steel framed structure will be up in the first 4 weeks. All hardscape and landscape for the new church will be completed.

Area 1B.2 - The connection between the new church and the existing church (the new Parish Activity Center) will be completed early 2012. Remodeling of the existing church will then begin.

Funding Status

(Funding Status Diagram) (Click on image to view a larger version)

This diagram illustrates the current state of the fund raising activities for the Building Campaign and provides the following information:

The current focus is on raising the funds needed for the New Church, Parish Activity Center, and a 10% Donation to Sagrado Corazon Parish in Cudahy.

Total Cost - This is the estimated total cost for the New Church and Parish Activity Center
Pledged To Date - This is the amount that parishioners have already promised to pay over a number of years
Collections To Date - This is the amount that has already been paid by parishioners (this is being used to cover any costs that have been incurred so far and that will need to be paid in the near term)

The bottom left corner indicates the level of financial support currently provided by the parish:

The number of families registered in the parish
The number of families that have already pledged to provide financial support

Donating

There are a number of ways to donate to the Building Campaign. You can obtain a pledge form in the information rack at the church or in the Parish Office and return it in the collection basket. If you would like to discuss making a donation or if you want to learn more about Memorial Naming Opportunities, please contact:

    Gayle Plecha
    Parish Administrator
    310-377-5571 (x106)
    GPlecha@SJF.org

More Information

For more information about current construction activities or the overall Building Project, please contact:

    Lisa Counts
    Building Committee Chairperson
    LHuntCounts@AOL.com