Scottsdale parish set to expand after 30 years
By Ambria Hammel | March 19, 2009 | The Catholic Sun
SCOTTSDALE — Catholics at one of the diocese’s oldest churches are eager to see something new on the parish property.
Hundreds of families gathered in front of the Rhoady Lee Center at Our Lady of Perpetual Help March 1 for a groundbreaking ceremony.
Parish leaders dug golden shovels into a dirt mound where the Rhoady Lee Center will be cleared, making room for what is described as a more modern and efficient Parish Life Center. The two-story, 27,000-square-foot building marks the first expansion at the parish in more than 30 years.
“People are very excited about it,” said Msgr. Tom Hever, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He later posed for photos behind a jackhammer and in the driver’s seat of the tractor that will help clear the way for the Parish Life Center.
The project marks the final phase for the parish’s master plan. The first phase included renovation of Maguire Hall and building administrative offices for the parish’s school.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been planning for the Parish Life Center since 2005.
The center will provide needed office space for parish staff now working out of the rectory and larger meeting space for various ministries. It will also create a social hall, teen center, kitchen, and atrium classrooms for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and an indoor gymnasium for the school.
