Parish launches campaign to expand sanctuary as membership surges

Audrey Weiss and John Stone explain which wall be pushed back to make room for more seating within the sanctuary of Risen Christ Church in southwest Boise. (ICR photo/Philip A. Janquart)

By Philip A. Janquart

ICR Editor

A parish that began gathering in a school cafeteria more than 30 years ago is preparing for a major expansion to keep pace with rapid growth.

What started with a few families eventually expanded to hundreds. Today, Risen Christ Parish appears to be bursting at the seams, making the “Rooted in Christ, Rising Together” expansion campaign a necessity.

“They started gathering in 1992,” Risen Christ Parish Life Coordinator Audrey Weiss told the Idaho Catholic Register (ICR), recalling some of the church’s history. “And that was over at Lake Hazel Elementary. In 2000, the building committee was formed to build this space, and then they started the groundbreaking in 2003.”

Weiss, who is also a member of Risen Christ’s campaign cabinet, said that for the first few years, Masses were celebrated in the parish dining hall. By 2004, the sanctuary was completed, giving the parish a permanent worship space. But leaders say the church was always designed with an eye toward the future.

“That is true,” said Risen Christ parishioner John Stone. “It was built with the idea that one day it would be expanded.”

That day has come.

An architectural drawing of the expansion. The highlighted portion is the south side of the church. (ICR photo/Philip A. Janquart) 

According to Weiss and Stone, the parish has grown from about 200 families to 900 in just three years, a pace leaders describe as both a blessing and a challenge.

“At the 10:30 a.m. Mass, it’s just bananas,” Weiss said. “You have folding chairs in the narthex, 60 to 70 people, because there is not enough room in the building. Fr. Ben was asked by the Risen Christ Finance Council how he felt about the prospect of a building project, and his response was, “I would like for our family to be under one roof for Mass.’”

Stone, a parishioner since 2007, leads the parish building committee. He retired after a career working on transportation projects throughout the Valley and now directs the effort to expand the sanctuary.

The project will increase seating in the sanctuary by 196 and add a cry room that can accommodate 34 people. With the added capacity, codes also require expansion of bathrooms and the parking lot.

“We’re looking to expand the south side,” Stone explained. “Even though the parking lot’s not really shown, that’s all part of the project too, including handicap parking spaces and accessibility.”

Originally, the plan included expanding the north side of the sanctuary as well, but was adjusted to reflect cost and current need.

“This is the right size to accommodate the growth we have, the number of people attending [Mass] and the available funds we have,” Father Ben said.

Planning for expansion began in earnest in January 2023. The timing was significant: by July 2023, the parish had paid off its original mortgage, freeing up resources for the next phase of growth. By May 2025, the parish had about $800,000 in reserve for the project.

An exterior view of the southside wall that will be pushed further south to make room for more seating inside. (ICR photo/Philip A. Janquart)

“Parishioners who were donating to the original mortgage moved their donations over to what we were calling the building improvement fund,” Weiss said. “By the time we actually employed [the Steier Group], we had over a million dollars in savings. From these contributions and a few large one-time donations.”

The parish turned to the Steier Group, a firm that specializes in Catholic fundraising campaigns, to help organize the effort. Leaders say the group brought structure and experience, allowing the parish to roll out a well-coordinated campaign.

In August, the parish launched the public phase of the three-year campaign. Members received information packets, letters from Father Ben and pledge cards.

“So now everybody in the parish should have received this information,” Weiss said.

The project’s total cost is estimated at $6 million. The Diocese of Boise requires parishes to raise 70% of project costs before granting a loan. So far, the parish has raised $2.7 million, including its reserve savings.

Stone said much of the early effort has focused on communication and transparency.

“We’ve had extensive conversations with different parishioners and hosted conversations after Mass with project drawings to be able to show them what we’re doing,” he said.

The parish is also working with familiar partners. Architect Greg Ugrin, who designed the original church, has returned to oversee the expansion. Leaders say the continuity is helpful, both for design and for preserving the spirit of the original building.

The southside entrance of Risen Christ Church. The wall that will be pushed out is to the immediate left. (ICR photo/Philip A. Janquart) 

Though the church resembles an arc to some from a structural standpoint, that was never the intention, according to Weiss who said that once both sides of the building are extended, the church will be in the cruciform shape.

Weiss emphasized that the expansion effort is not just about bricks and mortar, but about people. She said the parish has experienced remarkable growth in part because of its commitment to welcoming newcomers.

“Part of the reason that we’re growing so much is trying to get every parishioner here to practice radical hospitality,” she said. “Our parish is welcoming, and it’s something we really strive for. I think that contributes to the growth. And the Holy Spirit is at work. The growth is unheard of.”

The idea of radical hospitality is part of the Risen Christ mission, a culture Father Ben has been helping to nurture since he arrived in 2022.

“This campaign is about more than adding seats,” he states in the campaign’s brochure. “It’s about making room for more hearts to be transformed, more families to feel at home, and more lives to be anchored in Christ.

Father Ben said that as a growing Christ-centered community, we all need to respond to others’ needs, “and right now.”

He added that the expansion “will be a visible sign of our mission: a place of radical hospitality, vibrant faith and unified purpose.”

From the beginning of the campaign, Father Ben has emphasized everyone gathering together in one space to celebrate the Eucharist.

Parish leaders say they are confident the community will meet the goal. For now, they are focused on inviting parishioners to prayerfully consider their pledges and help build for the future.

As Stone put it, the project is the next step in a journey that began decades ago in a borrowed cafeteria.