St. Columba Parish Expansion and Renovation

St Columba Parish Campus Construction Update

August 2026


Our planned church entry renovation and narthex addition is scheduled to begin in mid-September.

Bishop Berg will visit us Saturday, August 29 for our official groundbreaking and blessing. More details to follow.

We hosted a Construction Planning Town Hall with our architect and general contractor on August 9 reviewing final details for Phase 1 and discussing anticipated impacts. Almost 100 people were present, and we know not everyone was able to join us. For a full explanation of the information shared during that comprehensive meeting, please visit our Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document which will be updated as needed.

Here are some of the highlights shared at the meeting:

  • If all proceeds as scheduled, our general contractor, FCI, will begin mobilizing equipment, safety fencing, and materials on campus the week of September 14.
  • Foundation work is the first step of construction, which is scheduled to begin as early as September 21.
  • Foundation work necessitates the removal of our ADA ramp, and as soon as that happens, the church building will be closed to the public. A temporary ramp is too costly and would only increase church access by a few weeks.
  • We anticipate weekend Masses will be moved to the gym as early as September 26.
  • School Masses will be held in the gym on Wednesdays at 8:15 AM beginning September 2. (This is a change from what was originally shared.)
  • All other daily Masses will take place in the parish office chapel once the church is closed.
  • During construction, the parish office chapel will be available for private prayer during regular church-office business hours.
  • Work inside the church entry area is scheduled for early October. The Narthex addition will follow, and construction is scheduled to be complete in June 2027.
  • We recognize that celebrating Mass in a gym is different from worshiping in our church, and we understand that many people may have questions about how this will feel. Our goal is to create a space that is meaningful, reverent, and worthy of the sacred liturgy.


Click HERE to watch a special video—a sneak peek at the future of St. Columba Church!


Final Fundraising

You may recall we have received $6 million in commitments toward our $6.2 million fundraising goal. Good news—our early cost estimates have proven to be very solid, and our construction bid is on target! Please continue to follow through on your three-year Living Stones pledge commitments, as all pledged dollars are needed for this work to proceed.


Window Restoration Sponsorship Opportunity

To raise the final funds needed, we will be following a long-standing tradition in our parish and offering a limited number of window restoration sponsorships.

Our beloved stained-glass windows will be removed and professionally re-stained and re-glazed by experienced stained-glass artisans who specialize in the conservation of historic church windows. The windows will be reinstalled with double-paned, clear-glass on the outside to shield the stained glass from weather and temperature extremes, while improving energy efficiency. This system will protect our stained glass for decades.

  • Individual/Family (or group) window sponsorships, often done in honor or memory of a loved one, will be available for $7,500 each to help cover the true costs of restoration.
  • Current campaign gifts cannot be “applied” to a window sponsorship—this is a new initiative.
  • If you are interested in a window sponsorship, please contact the parish office to add your name to our “Window Sponsorship Interest List.”
  • Window sponsorships will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so make your intentions known early if this might be something of interest to you. (UPDATE: WINDOW SPONSORSHIPS ARE NOW FULL.)
  • Expressing interest early does not guarantee a window will be available for you to sponsor, as this type of window sponsorship is limited to about 17 windows.
  • Window sponsorship details will be finalized by October 1.
  • Later, a few community-wide window sponsorship opportunities will be shared.



St Columba Parish and School Campus Design Update

Dec 2025


The St Columba Design Team is making steady progress in collaboration with Integration Design Group (IDG). The Schematic Design Phase—where the project’s basic layout and vision were established—has been completed. A contract is now in place with IDG for the Design Development (DD) Phase, which transforms the initial concepts into detailed construction drawings and specifications. This phase is underway, with the first review meeting held on November 19.


Recent work includes reviewing solutions for site drainage, parking layout changes, sidewalk upgrades, and terrace design. The team has also reviewed plans for our new church narthex, installing new heating and air conditioning equipment, and upgrading water lines for the fire protection system.


A key decision was made to modify the terrace design to preserve the large silver maple tree at the church parking lot entrance, as required by the City of Durango. The next major review meeting with IDG is scheduled for December 17, focusing on church improvements and additional review of the narthex plans.


Looking ahead, the goal is to complete 100% of the construction documents, with general contractor bidding set for June 3–August 13, 2026. The estimated date for receiving the full building permit is September 2026. The Design Team appreciates your continued prayers for guidance from the Holy Spirit throughout this process. Please let any of us know if you have any questions.


Campus Design Team: Rich Bechtolt, Mike Bray, Kevin Chick, Father John Jatau, Gil Van Lunsen, Deacon Chris Peterson, and Donna Rheault 


For those of you who would like to fulfill your campaign pledges through an online donation, please click the button below. You can set up a one-time, weekly, biweekly, or monthly payment schedule.

CLICK HERE TO GIVE NOW

Instructions for gifts of non-cash assets, such as stocks, are available here.

Living Stones Capital Campaign Update

If you have not yet turned in your pledge card, please consider a pledge of 3% to 5% of your income annually for the next three years to help us reach our phase 1 goal of $6.2 million. Alternatively, you might consider a one-time gift of 3% - 5% of your assets. Some people may not be able to make a gift of this magnitude, and others may have the capacity to give even more. All gifts of any size are welcome and needed.

Update Revised July 8, 2025


The St Columba Campus Design Team is excited to announce that Adam Hermanson from Integration Design Group will make a presentation for the Parish on August 3 after the 10 am Mass in the gym. Please join us to learn more about our progress, timing and next steps for Phase 1 of our Living Stones Campaign.


The St Columba Campus Design Team has been busy in April, May, and June working with our architects to evaluate existing conditions on our campus with our mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing engineers. We have also had visits from stained glass consultants and consulted with audiovisual and sound experts.


Here is a summary of our Phase 1 Design Work and Findings:


CHURCH


  • A new narthex gathering space with a new entrance will be added on the east side of the church to provide much needed space as we enter and are sent forth from our liturgies. 
  • There will be new bathrooms, space for social gathering and a raised outside patio for church and school events. 
  • The balcony will be expanded and the old stairs replaced. 
  • The existing entry will be remodeled to provide vesting sacristies, and a new confessional and usher’s closet. 
  • The area under the balcony will be enclosed with glass and will provide a quiet place at the back of the church. 
  • The structure of the church is sound and will not require any additional repair or support.
  • The steeple will need a new sheathing but structurally looks good. 
  • All the stained-glass windows in the church have been cared for and are generally in good shape. They will be removed and repaired as necessary. The frames for the windows will have to be rebuilt. All the stained-glass windows will be used.
  • A new heating and air conditioning system will be installed in the church. It will be a dual heat pump/ furnace system, which will be cost effective and efficient to heat and cool the church. This system will be installed in the attic of the church.
  • Fire alarm and fire suppression will be installed in the church, and it will be fully sprinklered throughout.
  • Audio improvements are being researched to provide great sound quality within the Church. Improvements being considered include modern speaker systems aimed at the pews, microphone updates, appropriate AV component upgrades and wireless/ Bluetooth integration system for personal hearing systems. Speakers also will be added to the narthex entry and on the outside patio. 
  • Projection improvements are being researched for costs and possible inclusion.


INFRASTRUCTURE


  • The Land Use Development Permits were not required when St Columba was established, so we have applied for and obtained a Special Use Permit for the school and a Limited Use Permit for a place of assembly (the Church). The city zoning and compliance of the Parish property is now up to date.
  • In 1957, the alley through our campus was vacated by the City; however, we will have to establish easements to protect access to the utilities. This is good news, since no replatting of the property is required.
  • St Columba will be responsible for repair and replacement of damaged sidewalks and curbs and installing ADA curb ramps at the corners during Phase 1. However, over the years the city has covered the street curbs reducing the height of exposed curbs with past pavement overlays. They will correct this overlay at their cost sometime in the future. This is great news. 
  • We have proposed to install two taps into the 4-inch water main line on E 2nd Ave for additional flow capacity for the fire suppression systems. A Hydrant Flow test demonstrated enough pressure in the city water lines also good news as no supplemental fire pump is required.


HAUSER


  • Install modifications of the electrical system to support fire suppression.
  • Provide a new water supply for fire protection. Replace piping within the building as necessary.
  • New fire alarm initiation, notification, control and monitoring devices will be installed to include alarm horns and visual strobes throughout the building.
  • All areas will be sprinklered throughout. 


NEXT STEPS:

We are awaiting comments from the Planning Department on the Minor Site Plan application and will work with them to adjust the proposed scope as necessary. Next, the Schematic Design will be reviewed by a construction contractor to update our cost estimates which will allow us to prioritize moving into the Design Development phase of the project, where our design will be further developed towards construction documents.


Please join us on Sunday, August 3 to learn more about current and future plans for our St Columba Parish Campus.


Members of our St Columba Campus Design Team (CDT) for this scope of work are:

Mike Bray, Rich Bechtolt, Kevin Chick, Deacon Chris Peterson, Donna Rheault, Gil Van Lunsen and Father John Jatau.


Living Stones Capital Campaign Update

We are blessed to have received pledges of $6 million  towards the work described above.


Thank you for your generous response to our facility needs so that St. Columba Church & School can continue our mission of making disciples in SW Colorado.