Our History — 1989 to Present

The Relocation Of St. Joseph's To Stratford

Ladies and Gentlemen: We are pleased to report that the proposed Church Development at the Lordship Point Site in Stratford is feasible ...

The above quote was taken from the feasibility study completed by Kasper Associates, Inc., which was discussed on May 31, 1987 at at special parish meeting. Following a day of prayer, abstinence, fasting, and after the Sunday morning Holy Mass, 88 parish members convened to deliberate on a parish board recommendation to build a church and hall on a 1.3-acre site at the parish cemetery. By a 3-to-1 majority vote, the reommendation was accepted and subsequent motions were immediately made to implement the proposal, which included relocating the rectory to Stratford as well.

The vote capped a six-month joint study by the parish committee and the local engineering and planning firm. The study was conducted on the question of relocating the parish to the Lordship section of Stratford, which focused on whether the cemetery property could accommodate a new church. Once the work with the company's planners was completed, parish officers and directors continued to meet for many more long evenings to evaluate the findings of the feasibility study.

After all the possible advantages and disadvantages of relocating the parish were carefully considered, the parish committee issued a nine-page report that was mailed to every parish member. The report contained the following plan of action:

- That the parish relocate the rectory, as soon as possible, to the vicinity of the parish cemetery.
- The church be relocated to the southeastern section of the cemetery property in two phases of construction: First, a parish hall; second, a church.

Parishioners were asked to make a personal study of the report and to come prepared to vote on May 31 on the proposed relocation. Members were also asked to approach the meeting in a spiritual way. May 30 was designated as a day of prayer, abstinence from meat and fasting from 6 p.m. until after Holy Mass on May 31. The intention was to have parishioners direct their thinking to seeking and performing the will of God on the question of relocation.

After a 90-minute discussion, a vote by ballot was called. There were 66 votes in favor of relocation to the parish cemetery and 22 against People voted against the proposal for three basic reasons:
- Some thought the rectory whould be included in the proposed cemetery site plan.
- Others preferred continuing to search for a different building site.
- Still others believed that the parish should remain at its present location.

The proposal included relocating the rectory as a first priority with the options of either buying or building a house near the proposed church building site. It was decided to place the pastor's residence in a neighborhood that has residents in a closer proximity that existed with the cemetery site and, therefore, more parking and yard space could then be planned for around the new proposed church.

It was thought that the construction of a parish hall should be first, so that financing would not go beyond the means of the parish. The hall could have been used as a temporary place of worship until the church could be constructed, and it would be necessary to have a hall in order to hold fund-raisers for the entire building project. However, the decision would ultimately be left to the elected building committee. They determined if the parish could have afforded to buld the entire church/hall complex at once, or in phases.

In the days after the special parish meeting, the parish board started working to relocate by initiating plans to:
- Sell the existing church property
- Locate a new rectory
- Raise funds
- Build a new church and hall

In less than a month, four committees were formed to accomplish these tasks:
- Negotiating
- Rectory relocation
- Fund-rasing
- Building

What follows is a history and review of the accomplishments of each committee

Negotiating
The negotiating committee wasted no time in contacting firms to appraise the existing church and adjoining rectory. Once an appraisal was made, the committee met to draw up a proposal for the sale of the property.

They then met with several potential buyers and entered into serious negotiations with the Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana Emanuel (Emanuel First Hispanic Baptist Church). It was felt they had the greatest financial resources among the 10 interested congregations. On July 25, 1987, the Hispanic Baptist Church demonstrated their commitment with a deposit of more than $6,000.

Attorney Robert Nicola volunteered his services to assist the committee in the negotiating process. After several months of meetings and much correspondence, the conditions for the sale and the legal contract were mutually agreed upon with the sale price set at $645,000. The balance of the $64,500 was received on April 10, 1988.

Conditions contingent upon the sale of the church on the part of St. Joseph's were:
- Approval by the congregation
- Approval by the bishop of the Eastern Diocese.
- Approval of the building plans for a new church by the Town of Stratford planning and zoning commission.

All three contingencies were met. Contingencies on the part of Emanuel Parish included the ability to raise $100,000 and most importantly for both parties concerned, the approval of a $430,000 loan from the American Baptist Church.

The Hispanic Baptist parish met both and the way was cleared to close on the sale of the church. On June 7, 1988, the American Baptist loan committee approved the loan, reportedly the largest it had ever made.

Originally the sale of the church was not to close until Dec. 30, 1988, but in order for St. Joseph's to meet the monthly progress payments on the construction of the new church, in became necessary to close the sale on Nov. 30, and to rent our Barnum Avenue church for one month, since construction was to be completed by Christmas of 1988.

On the last day at the corner of Barnum Avenue and Harriet Street, St. Joseph's held a joint prayer service of thanksgiving with Emanuel parish in the East Side church. At that time (Dec. 30, 1988) the keys to the property were turned over and the electric organ was left behind as a gift to the new occupants. A smorgasboard of Hispanic and Polish foods was then enjoyed by members of both parishes to celebrate what God had accomplished for each.

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