Catholics to break ground soon on new church and school in West Fargo

WEST FARGO Construction will begin soon on a Catholic church and elementary school here, making the dual-purpose site home to the fifth Catholic school and one of the largest sanctuaries in the metro area.

Construction crews will break ground April 24 on a roughly 12-acre site at 2820 Bluestem Drive, which will be the home of Holy Cross Catholic Church and Trinity Elementary School.

Construction on the 76,000 square-foot site is expected to be finished by next year.

The school must be ready for occupancy by July 15, 2015, said Earl Wilhelm, property manager for the Fargo Diocese. The church doesnt necessarily have a deadline.

Bishop John Folda of the Diocese of Fargo said the $15.3 million, 76,000-square-foot project has been in the works for seven years, while West Fargo has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the diocese.

In December, Holy Cross Church sold its building at 1420 16th St. E. in West Fargo to the Lutheran Church of the Cross after the two churches shared a site for almost 30 years.

Both churches outgrew their respective houses, and Holy Cross already had tapped the southern West Fargo site as a place to grow. Holy Cross members will continue to attend at the current site until the new church is completed.

Its been talked about for a long time, and different options were explored, including building on the current location, Folda said. Unfortunately, the space there was inadequate and wouldnt work for the current needs and anticipated growth. With the additional elementary school and facility upgrades, we can successfully support Catholic advancement in this area. The entire faith community will benefit.

The Rev. James Meyer at Holy Cross said the new church will have a main sanctuary that can seat about 1,000, which is double the worship space available now.

Holy Cross has almost tripled in size since the mid-1990s. It now serves about 1,300 families, Meyer said.

Read more here:
Catholics to break ground soon on new church and school in West Fargo