Parish breaks ground on construction of new church

More than 20 years in the making, St. Clare Parish in Centreville broke ground on construction of their new church building on April 23, 2018 with a blessing ceremony with Bishop Bradley.

"St. Clare has been saving money from the beginning. We have had two pledge drives and numerous fundraisers including garage sales, chicken barbecue, bake sales and raffles among other things. Parishioners have continued to donate to the Building Fund.,” said Parish Council Chairperson Katie Davidson. “The site for the new church is on land purchased from a deceased parishioner.”

According to Davidson the parish community hopes the new church will better serve its growing membership and be an even more welcoming Catholic presence in the community and for visitors. The larger facility will provide the parish with CCD rooms, wider aisles, larger capacity for weddings and funerals and also serve those with physical handicaps better.

“When I first came to the Diocese of Kalamazoo in 2009, we visited this site and I thought, ‘What a gorgeous site for a new church,’” said Bishop Bradley. “It is through the generosity of the parishioners that this church will be built and serve this community of faith for generations to come.”

Construction is underway by Three Rivers-based Brussee/Brady Inc. The hope is to be in the new church by Spring 2019.