A project that was long a dream for parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Ottawa, Ohio, is now nearing completion. An addition to the parish school includes classrooms and a new gymnasium, and will bring all the students in the K-8 school under one roof. (Currently, younger children attend class in the old school building on Fourth Street.)
All are welcome at a dedication Mass and blessing ceremony at Sts. Peter and Paul School’s new addition on Sunday, August 22. An 11:30 a.m. Mass will be followed by a procession to the school.
Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo will bless the new construction.
An open house will follow.
Missionaries and Sisters of the Precious Blood who served at the parish and/or school will be special guests.
Fr. Scott Kramer, C.PP.S., the pastor, praised the parish and the planning that was in place when he came to Sts. Peter and Paul last summer. The former pastor, Fr. Matt Jozefiak, C.PP.S., “had a good committee put together. The project was very well organized,” Fr. Kramer said.
Funds for the project were also in place, as the parish had exceeded its $4.9 million goal. Improvements to the site should prevent future flooding, which has been a problem in Ottawa in recent years. When the cornerstone was put in place, Fr. Scott blessed it with water from a nearby creek.
The addition includes a bright and spacious meeting room for the parish, an up-to-date office for the school’s IT staff, and a concession stand near the gym’s main entrance. A six-foot crucifix near the entrance will be a tribute to the C.PP.S.