Expansion of Saint John Vianney Catholic Church
A Growth and Beatification Project
In the late 2010’s, St. John Vianney Parish faced a good problem: there was not enough space to accommodate all the people regularly attending Mass. The church, which originally had chairs, had seen its seating capacity increase to just under 200 when the old pews from the chapel in Guadalupe Hall at Carroll College were acquired years prior. Still, even with three weekend Masses, parishioners would often find themselves in overflow spaces – namely the conference room or vestibule.
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Then, the original metal roof started leaking in multiple places and damaging the interior. The parish council and Fr. Gilbaugh determined that it would be foolhardy to replace the roof at great expense, only to destroy it down the road with a likely expansion of the church, and so a discussion began as to what options existed to keep the original building but make it bigger, better, and more beautiful.
The limitations of the original 1983 structure were identified: the capacity of the nave wasn’t sufficient for the growing parish and surrounding town; the basement was too small for parish events and lacked storage or windows; the sacristy was too small to accommodate both ministers and liturgical items (in fact, the priest had to store his vestments in his office and prepare for Mass there); and the architectural style of the structure lacked the appearance of a church.​
On top: Original front of SJV under construction
Bottom: Rendering of the remodeled exterior
Thus, in 2018, the pastor and his council members began brainstorming ideas, and hired Bechtle Architects the following year to produce renderings of what could be. The building was laser scanned and a computer model was created. It was determined that lengthening the nave northward would increase seating capacity by 80%, since almost all of the space gained would be devoted to pews – plus, an extra sacristy could be added behind the sanctuary if a traditional hexagonal end was employed (rather than the flat style of the north wall) and the sacristy could even be turned into a perpetual adoration chapel in the future. The A-frame roof over the vestibule could be replaced with some sort of a bell tower and thus mark the building as very obviously a church.
But nobody could figure out how to remedy the basement situation, since the bathrooms and their plumbing would be right in the middle of a lengthened building – that is, until council president Cheryl Hallsten suggested an excavation eastward into the yard, creating a daylight extension. This ingenious idea would eventually result in natural light coming in to the basement for the first time, the inclusion of an elevated outdoor deck, handicap ramp access, and the vast expansion of the basement capacity – all while also incorporating a kid’s play area, mechanical room, and storage room, with virtually no loss to the yard outside.
Top: original water damaged roof of the church after removal.
Bottom: The lowering of the new steel structure that would bear the weight of the bell tower.
Basement demolition prior to opening the wall into the yard. The back wall with the studs exposed was removed and expanded to double the size of the basement.
Eastward expansion of the basement into the yard.
Upon Bishop Vetter’s appointment in late 2019, Fr. Gilbaugh scheduled a meeting with him in Helena to share the parish’s needs, statistics, finances, and the architectural renderings. The new bishop gave his approval to move forward, not only with further planning, but also for a capital campaign to fund the project. Returning home, Fr. Gilbaugh and the parish council immediately set to work on the ‘quiet phase’ of the campaign, meeting with potential major donors, and before long had secured sufficient gifts or pledges that allowed for the hiring of a general contractor.
Then, the Covid-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, and circumstances changed dramatically. The community was fractured as people took various responses to the crisis. Some parishioners stopped attending Mass altogether, others moved out of the region, other Catholics moved into the area, and an extreme spike in labor and material prices resulted from the sudden increase in Gallatin Valley real estate values.
Nevertheless, the plan moved forward. The expansion was announced to the whole community and mailers were sent out to all households detailing the project, and asking for their financial support towards a campaign goal of $1,500,000. R&R Taylor Construction was hired to oversee the expansion and remodel, and work began in late 2020. The parish offices were emptied and moved to the RE Center behind the church, and the Divine Mercy Academy gym was converted to host Sunday Masses one block away. Daily Masses were held in the church conference room, which was made into a temporary chapel housing the Blessed Sacrament.
For the tower conversion, many styles of steeple or cupola were considered, but ultimately the design chosen was that of St. John the Baptist parish in Frenchtown, Montana. This open, semi-domed style was fashioned by a local artisan in solid copper, and a steel tower structure to support it was fabricated by R&R in their shop. A 30-inch bronze bell, originally cast in 1908 in New York, was purchased from the Verdin Bell company, which also began construction of the swinging mechanism and controller. Finally, on the crisp sunny morning of November 8, 2021, a crane lifted the shiny new cupola on top of the open tower as a group of DMA students watched and cheered. Shortly thereafter, Fr. Gilbaugh was lifted up to mount a new brass cross atop the upper dome.
Masses were temporarily held in the gymnasium on the DMA campus
Inscription on the new bell of the church
Installation of the cross on top of the church was done by Fr. Gilbaugh. The interior of the church under the bell tower during construction is shown along with the video taken from the lift after installing the cross on top of the church.
In the end, the project was extraordinarily successful despite all the challenges of the times. The capital campaign raised exactly the amount necessary to pay for the project ($2 million), and parish savings allowed for bills to be paid during construction without any loans being taken out. Bishop Vetter returned to the parish to rededicate it on January 30, 2022, and a catered meal for over 300 was served afterwards in the expansive new parish hall below.
The renovation and its design has proven extremely popular and well-suited to the needs of the community. Outdoor events can now be held on the deck rather than the grass, the basement provides enough space for any parish function, the priest no longer has to vest in his office, and nobody mistakes the building for anything other than a church! Each Sunday, the sound of a bronze bell announces the worship of God to the entire town, as Catholics gather within the walls of a beautiful sacred space to offer their adoration to the Father, through Jesus Christ. As St. John Vianney once expanded and beautified his little church in Ars, France, so also the Catholics of Belgrade did the same under his patronage in the early 2020’s, for the greater glory of God.
