Value Judgement

St. Edward Catholic Church

St. Edward Catholic Church recently began to experience growing pains as the number of congregants increased within an already limited worship space. JRA Architects was chosen to develop a master plan for the church to help determine how to best improve the worship experience for the parishioners. During the creation of the master plan, budgetary restrictions were deemed an integral criteria for success and, consequently, an addition was chosen as the proper way forth instead of a new building.

To make the most of what existed - while freeing enough space for all the worshipers who come to St. Edward - an addition was designed to accommodate over 11,000 square feet of worship space for up to 900 people. By repurposing part of an existing school into the church’s new gathering space, we were able to most cost effectively find the space needed.

The seats within the church are in a radial pattern, with 95% of them within 65’ of the altar, affording excellent visibility to the altar. Tall vaulted ceilings with incandescent recessed lighting create a simple, religious atmosphere more conducive to worship. A continuous skylight in the roof structure begins over the baptismal font extending over the main aisle to the altar table, connecting these two major religious symbols, while flooding the space with daylight.

JRA’s rich history of designing worship spaces helped the parish create a re-imagined, beautiful religious environment without the expense of building from the ground up.