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Cornerstones V3: Frequently Asked Questions about our Capital Campaign and New Church

Frequently Asked Questions about our Capital Campaign and New Church

As the Capital Campaign continues its success we have been asked questions about the campaign. Each week we will answer the most often asked questions in this section. We ask you to submit your questions electronically to holyname@holynamecc.org or you can write them out and drop them in the Building Campaign Question Basket located in the church entryway.

Q: How are we doing on our $500,000 campaign challenge?
A: Just in case you have not heard the good news - a very generous donor has offered to make a $500,000 pledge to the building campaign if we, as a parish, raise another $500,000 over the course of August. Yes, that is correct. We secure another $500,000 in pledges and then the matching $500,000 will be given. That means that we will raise $1,000,000 in August because I have faith that all of our volunteers will step up their efforts, and that all our parish families will be generous knowing that this is an opportunity to double our pledge amounts. The donor family wishes to remain anonymous so that request will be honored. Suffice it to say that the campaign just keeps getting better! We have already received $165,000 in August pledges, which is 33% of this challenge goal, with three full weeks remaining! So thank the Lord for blessing us in this way; and if you have not yet made a pledge, please pray about how you can help us reach this $1 million goal.

Q: How can we tell if the contractor is really giving us a deal – or should we have bid out the work?
A: The general contractor who will be responsible for the construction of our new church is being held to very strict guidelines. Not only does the Archdiocese of Denver have an approval process for contractors to meet but the scope and costs of our project are well known to everyone on the finance, building, and campaign committees. These costs are being continually updated by the project architect and the people on these committees will be monitoring the price fluctuations, design details, and costs associated with building. It is fair to say that there is nothing private about any of the costs of the project and it is unlikely any of us have ever personally encountered a project where there is so much oversight and so many people watching over our shoulder. Tom Fox of Fox Construction could justifiably have been chosen based on any one of the following merits but instead he embraces all these elements: He has expertise in large scale commercial buildings; he has a personal stake in our project, as a parishioner, and does not see us as just another unrelated client; he has passion for our project wanting to become personally involved in every aspect of
construction as a means of outwardly expressing his faith; and he has agreed to waive his profit for the project, saving us all thousands of dollars. We did invite other major contractors of Steamboat Springs to give us a bid on the church project. But when we mentioned the conditions under which Tom Fox is willing to serve us, all of them declined to give us a bid. All of these reasons manifest the elements of good stewardship and for these reasons we are pleased to announce that Tom Fox will be our general contractor.

Q: What about other sub-contractors, can’t we find parishioners to do building work that will be equally as motivated to help with the construction?
A: Yes. There are several generous people who have come forward to donate their services, so far. But because of strict liability rules we cannot have someone who works in a particular field just donate a few hours of work during construction. It is necessary for people with building trade businesses to model their gift in the same manner as the general contractor. So the church will enter into a contract for the scope of services and pay for the labor and materials, while the sub-contractor may waive any net profit from the job in order to save us money on the construction. A licensed and insured electrical/mechanical/painting/plumbing/etc contractor would have to be willing to work for the general contractor on the project just like with any commercial endeavor. We welcome parishioners as sub-contractors who are motivated to let their work become an outward manifestation of their faith. In doing so, we trust that our new church will be built by skilled craftsman who have a passion for their own worship space and will later be able to look with pride at their contributions to our new church. Interested sub-contractors are encouraged to contact Fr. Ernest or Tom Fox soon. We will announce who these subcontractors are at a later date.

Q: I’ve heard we can pay our pledges by a credit or debit card or from one of our bank accounts by an automatic withdrawal. Is that true?
A: Yes it is. You can pay by check, credit/debit card or by automatic deduction from a checking or savings account. 1) If you elect to pay your pledge by check we will send you a reminder note along with a return envelope so you can mail it, hand deliver it, or put in the collection basket. The reminders and envelopes will be sent as often as you elected to pay. For example: if you elected to pay your pledge on a monthly basis you will receive a reminder and remittance envelope each month. 2) We are now able to accept pledge payments via your credit or debit card, or by automatic deduction from your checking or savings account. If you have already made a pledge and want to change your method of payment please call the office and we will get a form to you. If you have not pledged yet, the volunteer who calls on you will have the form. You may elect to have your automatic payments made on either the 5th or 20th of the month.


Robb Spence
Campaign Director

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