St. Gabriel Catholic Church
Campaign Purpose
St. Gabriel Catholic Church and School in Connersville, Indiana, has long stood as a beacon of faith, formation, and community. Established in 1851, the parish has always recognized the importance of Catholic education in nurturing future generations. Over the years, this commitment has been reflected in the church’s willingness to grow, adapt, and invest in its future.
Phase I Built a New Gym & Cafeteria
The school’s original large building, constructed in 1926 and expanded in the 1950s, faithfully served decades of students. In 2020, the parish completed its Phase I Building the Beacon of Hope campaign, adding a new gym and cafeteria to the campus. That effort, guided by Walsh & Associates and informed by broad member input through a Feasibility & Planning Study, laid the groundwork, both physically and spiritually, for the next phase of renewal.
Phase II – School Renovation & New Classroom Construction
As St. Gabriel’s moved forward with Phase II of their plans, parish leadership faced a hard truth: the 1926 school building had outlived its usefulness. Extensive evaluations revealed that simply bringing the old structure up to code would cost nearly $9 million. Yet, even then, it would still fall short of meeting the evolving needs of the school and parish community.
With prayerful discernment and the same trusted partnership with Walsh & Associates, St. Gabriel’s launched Phase II of their vision: to remove the aging school building and make way for a new addition that would include modern, purpose-built classrooms for art, music, and preschool. The new space will better serve today’s students and support the school’s enrollment and competitiveness with other local schools for years to come.
The response from parishioners has been remarkable. With hearts full of gratitude and hope, the St. Gabriel’s community once again gave sacrificially and generously to ensure the success of the plans. Their dedication speaks not only to a love of their church and school but also to their shared belief in the mission of Catholic education and parish life.
Testimonials
“This is our second campaign with Walsh & Associates. That should speak volumes.”
– Pamela Rader, Business Manager
“This was my first time participating in a capital campaign but our Walsh director made it very easy to navigate.”
– Abigail Saxon, Communications Chair
Campaign Prayer
We, your parishioners, were chosen by you for this time to transform the rich heritage of our parish into the brightest Beacon of Hope within our communities. We ask you, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, to inspire us to respond to your holy will and not be afraid to sacrifice. As we progress through each phase of this capital campaign, may our work bear fruit for you and glorify your name both now and for future generations. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, in union with the Holy Spirit. St. Bridget, pray for us. St. Gabriel, pray for us. St. Mary, pray for us. Amen
Campaign Highlight
Campaign Goal
Amount Raised
Helping Churches Reach New Heights in their Capital Campaigns
Our mission is to be great stewards, to live up to the Parable of Talents and to bring out the best in those we serve. Our consistent and proven-to-be-successful approach to directing church capital campaigns helps assure this. We just work with churches, only do capital campaigns and ground them in prayer, scripture and sound stewardship teachings. Then we combine this with practical, proven-to-be-most-productive operating methods. This not only assures you of getting the best results and best return on your capital campaign investment financially, but also, that your church will grow spiritually and in community and will be more equipped and excited than ever about doing God’s will through the works of your church.
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