Construction begins on Family Parish Center

Architect's Rendering of Family Parish Center

Assumption Catholic Church began construction this past summer of a Parish Family Center consisting of a gymnasium with a seating capacity of five hundred, offices for physical education, restrooms, lockers, concessions, and five meeting rooms.

The center is part of the parish’s Heritage and Horizons master plan to grow and improve the school and parish campus as it seeks to serve an expanding population on the Southside.

New condo construction near the parish and an influx of younger families has caused the parish to plan for the future needs of the community. The eighteen thousand square foot facility and related improvements will cost ($3,500,000.00) three million, five hundred thousand dollars. The general contractor is Danis Construction and the architects are Reynolds, Smith and Hills. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held June 16th.

“The Family Center is another step in the growth of our parish and school and will allow us to have more places to meet, study, pray, and play together,” said Father Fred Parke, pastor. “Our school facility is unique in that it is a generation of learning at one site: you can start at age three at our pre-school and stay here in one place until you are eighteen and a graduate of Bishop Kenny High School!”

The school is staffed by the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother and lay teachers, many of whom have been students at Assumption themselves. The school serves over 540 students and the parish ministers to 2,300 households. The parish and school share a tract of land with Bishop Kenny High School. The property, a total of over 60 acres, was purchased by the Diocese of St. Augustine.