Our schools St. Joseph ‘star’ for the day as Immaculata School unveils its renovations

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org

HENDERSONVILLE — Students and teachers at Immaculata Catholic School cheered St. Joseph on March 20, his feast day, as they celebrated the completion of a major makeover at the school. Why?

“We may not be standing here today without the intercession of St. Joseph, husband of Mary,” Father Christian Cook, pastor, told the crowd of students, teachers, parents and leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting and blessing of the school that day.

A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT

Immaculata’s $3.6 million makeover was accomplished over nearly four years, split into two phases. The first phase, finished in 2020, added a new lobby and visitor check-in system, as well as state-of-the-art technology upgrades at the prekindergarten-eighth grade school in downtown Hendersonville.

The second phase involved more extensive renovations – remodeling 5,540 square feet of the 97-year-old school and adding 820 square feet to accommodate a growing student enrollment of more than 150 students.

Phase two included the construction of an entrance tower – dedicated to St. Joseph – and a new STEM lab with a lecture-style teaching space and a hands-on collaborative work and experimentation space. It also included improvements to the school’s façade, relocated administrative offices, and revamped teacher’s workroom.

General contractor on the project was Edifice Inc. of Charlotte, with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Charlotte serving as architect.

A CREDIT TO ST. JOSEPH

Father Cook lauded the school’s new STEM lab as an important part of Catholic education’s emphasis on science and faith –complementary subjects which strive for the Truth and its source in God.

Yet equally special, Father Cook said, is the new St. Joseph Entrance Tower – a part of the renovation project that almost didn’t happen.

“Not too long ago, we thought this project was on the ropes,” he said. Pandemic-related supply chain delays and skyrocketing construction costs threatened to scale back the project’s scope.

School and construction officials considered scrapping the 30-foot-5-inch-tall brick tower from their plans.

Yet, he said, the tower was meant to be the showpiece of the renovated school – capped by a large white cross to match a similar cross atop Immaculate Conception Catholic Church across the street.

The structure symbolizes St. Joseph, a strong and silent witness of faith, Father Cook said.

Long-time Immaculata supporters Gayden and Janell Gauthier wholeheartedly agreed, donating the additional funds needed to pay for its construction.

“Without their very generous gift, we would not have this tower,” Father Cook said.

“St. Joseph is our sentinel with this watchtower watching over our families here,” he said. “St. Joseph was entrusted with God’s most precious Son, Jesus Christ. And we entrust to him every child, every school family, every visitor, every person who enters our school.”

St. Joseph came through in a big way for the school, noted Principal Margaret Beale.

It was on the feast of St. Joseph in 2020 that she learned the school was to receive a transformative gift from the Shea Homes Foundation. Shea Homes is an award-winning homebuilder that supports Catholic schools in communities where the company builds homes.

The $2.24 million grant from the Shea Homes Foundation, along with donations from the Gauthiers and others, as well as a successful capital campaign by the school’s home parish, Immaculate Conception, and a $475,000 grant from the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign, made the entire renovation project a reality, Beale noted.

Jim Kelley, the diocese’s development director, commended Immaculata School and its donors, especially the Shea Homes Foundation, on the successful campaign. “It is not the first such gift made by the Shea Family Foundation to benefit our Catholic schools, and we remain extraordinarily grateful to them,” Kelley said. “The diocese has truly been blessed by individuals and groups such as the Sheas that have bestowed multiple sevenfigure gifts over time for capital projects that are having meaningful, long-term impacts on the lives of people served by our schools, parishes and other diocesan entities.”

A Day For All To Celebrate

Monday’s ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony was led by Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

The entire diocesan family celebrates with Immaculata School, Monsignor Winslow said.

“It’s not just a cause for joy and celebration here for you and your parish and your school. It’s a cause of celebration for the entire diocese – because together we are one family of faith, we are a single Church gathered around our successor to the apostles (Bishop Peter Jugis). … And together, we walk toward God, following Christ, who is the Good Shepherd.”

That mission – to form disciples of Christ who go out into the world and transform it – is now even more possible thanks to this major renovation project, Beale said.

After the successful four-year effort, Monday was an occasion to give thanks to God, honor St. Joseph for his timely intercession, and celebrate Immaculata’s “stars” – its students, teachers, staff, parents and supporters.

Just before dismissing students from the ceremony to enjoy cookies and tour the new STEM Lab, Beale thanked everyone for their commitment to Catholic education in Hendersonville.

“We work hard to plant the seeds of virtue in the hearts of our students,” she said. “You are helping us plant those seeds in our students, that we hope blossom and bloom with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to better equip them to follow God’s will. Even at a distance, our students will always shine bright,” and she paused, waiting for the students to finish the sentence, “because we are…”

“Immaculata Stars!” the students cheered.