A view of our new, spiffed-up lot after infill, grading and seeding and a new sidewalk in late October 2023. Imagine the possibilities with this foundation for the future!

An Update on the Foundation for the Future Campaign and Supported Projects

October 13, 2023

When Saint Patrick Catholic Parish launched the Foundation for the Future campaign earlier this year, the Pastoral Council established a goal of raising $1.5 million. We recognize that this is a challenging amount to raise, but one that is clearly achievable by our parish. I want to take this opportunity to update you on where we stand with the campaign and the projects it will support.

For those who may be newer to the parish, in January of this year, Saint Patrick purchased the half-acre vacant parcel of land immediately north of the church building. The opportunity to buy the land, the former site of the old First Baptist Church, represented a rare occasion to acquire adjacent, buildable property for expansion of our campus. While additional parking will be our most immediate use of the land, it also provides a foundation for future facility expansion to accommodate parish growth.

To enable Saint Patrick to acquire the property, the Archdiocese of Dubuque extended us a line of credit, which we immediately used to buy the land. That line of credit was provided by the Archdiocese contingent upon Saint Patrick establishing this three-year fundraising campaign.

In addition to repaying the Archdiocese approximately $1 million for the cost of the land and preliminary improvements, the capital campaign will aid in funding more immediate capital improvements and repairs, some of which have already been completed. Those projects include repairs to the roof and updating aging heating and cooling systems; concrete and asphalt repairs to the church and school parking and playground, and remodeling work done in the basement for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. 

Within the past two months, generous in-kind contributions of time, equipment and materials have resulted in the new property being raised, graded, and seeded with new grass, as well as new sidewalks being poured along the west side of the lot. The Richardson Funeral Home bore the cost of putting a layer of asphalt on the old parking lot adjacent to their Funeral Home. We are grateful for the cooperation and mutual goodwill that exists between the Richardson Funeral Home and St. Patrick Church. 

Additionally, and very importantly, the Cedar Falls City Council in mid-September approved an ordinance change to its downtown development plan. This change provides Saint Patrick greater flexibility in using the new property as an extension of our campus. This was a significant accomplishment and was a great show of support by the City Council for Saint Patrick. 

In the six months since the campaign kickoff, generous contributions from many parishioners have generated a total of nearly $650,000 in cash donations and pledges for the three-year campaign in less than a year. However, as I mentioned in April as we began seeking contributions and pledges, we will need everyone’s participation to make this campaign a success. 

As I have said many times, you can’t out-give God. He is the source of all that we are and all that we have. But if we all share from our hearts what we are able, he will richly bless us in ways that we can’t even imagine. May you enjoy those cooler temperatures of October. October is the month of the Holy Rosary. Say a rosary for the success of our Parish Capitol Campaign. 

Fr. Ivan Nienhaus

September 11, 2023

Grading and sidewalk work begins on new church property

Work has begun to fill and grade low spots on the new church lot at the corner of Washington and 7th Street. The goal is to have the lot graded, seeded for grass, and any needed sidewalk repairs completed before the ground freezes this fall.  City officials have been notified of the work that will be taking place.

The Property Committee especially wants to thank those who are contributing the bulk of this work at minimal cost to the church, including Dave Guetterman for doing the grading; Peterson Contractors Inc. (PCI) for donating the fill material; Brad Best and his company, Peters Construction Corp., for the sidewalk replacement and perimeter stormwater control materials; Benton Concrete for the sidewalk replacement.

Several parishioners will also be helping with seeding and sodding. Please be aware that there may be some heavy equipment traffic in and out of the property over the next several weeks as the work is completed.

City Council votes in favor of parking code changes

On August 21st the Cedar Falls City Council gave initial approval to a proposed amendment to the downtown code giving more flexibility to civic and institutional organizations for parking. This is an important initial step towards developing the new church property acquired in January.

A big thanks to the Property Development and Campaign Committees for all their work to help make this happen! The code amendment will be considered twice more by the City Council in September, so please continue to pray for the project and our Capital Campaign to fund it! 

The Property Development Committee members are Laura Schaefer, Lisa Ahern, Donna Bash, Paul DiMarco, Tom Hoag, Justin Krieger, Roger Kueter, Bill Ludwig, Joe Sevcik, Brad Best, Dave Guetterman, Cody Vanasse, Fr. Ivan Nienhaus, Jon Wiebers, Danica Wilcox and Carri Zehentner.

Capital Campaign Update



July 7, 2023

Dear St. Patrick Parishioners,

As you know, we are a couple months into our capital campaign, Foundation for the Future. When we formally introduced this campaign in April, we mentioned we would give periodic updates regarding what we are doing with the property.

First of all, we want to thank everyone who has contributed to the campaign in any way, whether it be by donation, pledge, or prayer. After last weekend’s Masses, we are just over 36% of our goal of $1.5 million dollars.

As you may have seen in City Hall meetings, or in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier recently, St. Patrick parish is pursuing options for usage of the property. Given the city zoning code is a bit restrictive, we are working with city leaders to ensure we are doing what is best for our future and for the city of Cedar Falls. We will continue to update as we have new information.

If you have any questions, would like to donate, or would like to be involved in our Property Development team, please reach out to Parish Council Chair, Laura Schaefer, or contact Justin Krieger in the Parish Office. Thank you for helping us build our foundation for the future.

Sincerely,

The Property Development Team