Responding to changes within the Catholic Church and population growth within the parish, St. Henry Church decided to update the existing Master Plan. This included building a new sanctuary to seat 1,100, a daily chapel to seat 150, and a new Fellowship Hall with a catering kitchen. The existing sanctuary was transformed into a gathering narthex and parking was greatly expanded. Centric’s Master Plan recommended maintaining the “sense of arrival” through the existing church entry doors and into the existing Nave adorned by magnificent stained glass windows.
The new church design closely followed guidelines set forth in the document Built of the Living Stones - Art, Architecture, & Worship, which was created by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. A key design aspect of these guidelines that has been incorporated at St. Henry’s is a radial seating plan, or deep “U”, in the new church. The new seating arrangement creates a greater sense of community within the congregation.
