The History and Programs From its inception, St. Joseph Parish has had a strong commitment to meet the full range of parishioner needs. That's why we have always enjoyed a wide variety of ministries that are designed to address those needs and provide for the spiritual well-being and development of the entire St. Joseph community. Of course, one of the most important needs of our parish is the education and faith formation of our children and we believe that we have a responsibility to see that this need is met. Our parish's commitment to provide a Catholic faith based educational opportunity for our children dates back to 1819 when Bishop Flaget requested that the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth open an elementary day school for the children of the Bardstown area. Bethlehem continued as an elementary school and then in 1911 St. Joseph Preparatory School for boys was founded on property adjoining the parish. In the fall of 1953, under the leadership of Msgr. James Willett, the new St. Joseph Parish elementary school opened and Bethlehem continued as a high school. At that time is was one of the largest and most modern in the Archdiocese, designed to serve the growing needs of the parish. Today, St. Joseph Elementary School continues to strive for excellence as it provides a solid foundation in faith and academic opportunities that enable its graduates to succeed. Steeped in Catholic values and traditions, we endeavor to help our students develop the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional skills needed to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners. The Need St. Joseph School - Over the years, the parish has always responded to expand opportunities for our children while striving to practice good stewardship regarding existing facilities and finances. For example, when the need to add two kindergarten classes emerged in the early 1990's, the parish responded. Yet, because of a lack of space one of those classes had to be placed in a portable classroom located outside the cafeteria. Also later in the 1990's the parish again responded to a need for a pre-school program. However, again the lack of space forced us to locate one class in the rectory basement and the other in two rooms on the first floor of the parish offices. Other similar efforts included providing a library and a computer room which required constructing two classrooms using space in the cafeteria. Also, adding additional resource teachers necessitated creating two rooms from the wings of the stage in the gym. In addition, changing rooms for athletes, a gym concession stand, and a P.E. teacher's office, were created by using the corners of the gym floor. Currently, the boilers and pipes for the heating system are original equipment and the air conditioning is provided inefficiently through classroom window units. In addition, to enhance supervision and safety, our administrative offices need to be located at the entrance on the first instead of the second floor. Finally, our children need a science lab that is available for use by all grades; a classroom dedicated to art to enhance our fine arts program; and our facilities should provide handicap accessibility. St. Joseph Parish Community - St. Joseph Parish is more than a church; it is a community in which people come together to fellowship, learn and grow. That said, the parish clearly has a shortage of space for community building activities and in particular for meetings and small group activities. The lone meeting space (the Maloney Room in Flaget Hall) is used by so many parish groups that it frequently could be double and triple booked. The high school and junior high youth programs have no meeting space designed for and dedicated to them. Additionally, there is no space dedicated to adult formation opportunities where den or living room style furniture would be much more conducive for adults involved in small group Bible study. Simply stated, besides reallocating some existing rooms, the parish also needs a "fellowship" hall space, a place where groups can meet year round for purposes such as bereavement meals, senior citizen activities, adult education, small receptions, youth activities, and more. The Proposed Solution School Addition and Renovations - $3,500,000 - Since the mid-1990's the Parish Council and Elementary School Board have considered and planned a three story 9,500 square foot addition to the school. This addition will address the need to relocate one of the Kindergarten classrooms and both of the Pre-School classrooms. It will also create a secure entrance by re-locating the administrative offices on the first floor. We also plan to create a science lab and art classroom, enlarge the library and computer labs into a coordinated Learning Center, and address the need for a new HVAC system that is both more ecological and cost efficient. It's important to note also that the new HVAC system will be a much more efficient and ecologically sound system called a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Zoning System. It will enable heating and cooling at the same time if the needs for different parts of the building require both on a given day. Additional renovations will include refurbishing the gym, creating an adult learning space in the rectory basement, and a small group meeting room and youth room in the space vacated by the pre-school classes. Construction and Equipping a New Fellowship Hall - $500,000 - One of the strengths of St. Joseph's Parish has been its ability to provide a nurturing and supportive community for all of our members. The Parish Council and Pastor are committed to doing everything they can to build a strong parish community. Therefore, to enhance community building and address several needs, a fellowship hall will be created in the lower level of the Physician's Office Building that we recently acquired from Flaget Hospital. The creation of an open space of 4,000+ sq. feet and a kitchen area will allow us to host a variety of activities for parish groups including luncheons, dinners, Bible studies, youth activities, adult formation classes and more. The Objectives – As a result of the completion of these projects, the following objectives will be achieved:
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