St. Paul’s Catholic School is ‘Building on Hope’

Architect’s rendering of the future plaza of St. Paul’s Catholic School. (Courtesy Photo/St. Paul’s Catholic Church)

By Emily Woodham

Staff Writer

NAMPA—St. Paul’s Catholic School in Nampa is kicking off its capital campaign for a new school, catechetical center and campus plaza. The theme is “Building on Hope.” Phase one is planned for this February.

“We’re setting up a campus that we can use for the next century,” said Father Justin Brady, pastor at St. Paul’s Parish and School. “The health, vibrancy and the heart of our school aren’t fully reflected in the current building, which has served well for 100 years. It is not wishful thinking to say that once we have a campus that reflects the school’s interior excellence, it will grow.”

St. Paul’s campaign to build Marist Hall was themed “Building on Faith.” Father Brady, Deacon Daniel Gamboa, administrator at St. Paul’s, and the committee decided to continue focusing on the theological virtues for the school and Catechetical Center campaign. Phase one of the new project is hope; phase two is charity.

“Hope is this operation in the confidence and belief of God’s fulfilled promises. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is the concrete understanding that God provides for our needs and that what God calls us to, He will let us accomplish,” Father Brady said. “The next phase is charity, or love. Love wills the good of the other. So, as we create this more diverse campus with greater resources, the way we love the other within worship, education, outreach, formation, and fraternity will be magnified in great ways.”

The original school, built in 1922, has been expanded and improved at various times in its history. However, the school is outgrowing the space as the population booms in Nampa and the surrounding areas.

More than 125 students are enrolled at St. Paul’s School, the only Catholic school in Canyon County. The parish has nearly 700 children enrolled in its faith formation classes, which meet in the school building. The new campus will be designed to accommodate the demands of both faith and academic formation. “The parish and the school are two ventricles of the same heart, all pumping with the same mission of forming souls for Christ,” Father Brady said.

The population of Canyon County has grown by more than 100,000 people in the last year to nearly 270,000, according to the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS). There are about 111,000 people in Nampa.

“To put the population of Nampa into context,” Father Brady explained, “when Boise was that size, it had four Catholic schools and five parishes.” The parish boundaries of St. Paul’s run from Melba to the border of Oregon and parts of western Meridian. “We have one of the largest parishes, and there’s a need to grow. We need more room. This speaks to the vibrancy of St. Paul’s.”

Lombard, Conrad and Associates are the architects for the new school and catechetical center. The construction company is Hellman Construction. The new center will adjoin the parish church, built in 2013, and Marist Hall, built in 2019, on Roosevelt Ave., in Nampa. St. Paul’s planned to include a new school building on the same campus from the beginning of their construction of the new church.

The committee for the new campus is focused on more than meeting immediate needs. They are planning the parish and school campus that can serve well into the future.

“Looking at what the parish and campus need to be for the next 100 years is not meant to sound grandiose. It’s a very objective reality because our decisions will hinder or enable this parish’s mission. So, we are going at this project with a lot of zeal and boldness. If we under-build this, we’re in big trouble.”

St. Paul’s plans to improve the overall classroom experience for the school and faith formation and increase “specials”—rooms designed specifically for subjects such as math, music and art. Overall plans also include an early education center, outdoor space for science classes and sports facilities.

“Whereas I do not know all that the future will demand,” said Father Brady, “I am confident that the glory and power of God will accompany us along the way.”

Be the first to hear the vision for the future of St. Paul’s Catholic Church and School at the “Building on Hope” campaign launch on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Marist Hall. Father Brady invites all St. Paul’s parishioners and those who wish to join the St. Paul’s community in building a new school and Catechetical Center. Mass at St. Paul’s Church at 5 p.m. will follow the building campaign event.