Like Notre Dame, other sacred spaces need to be restored

The fire that gutted Notre Dame Cathedral in 2024 was a traumatic event not only for the Catholic community of Paris, but for people all over the globe. As terrible as the event was, it nevertheless showed that sacred spaces remain vitally important to everyone even in an increasingly secularized world. Just five years later, the magnificent cathedral has once again opened its doors – a testament to the people of France and to all those who supported the rebuilding effort.

Yet there are many other “Notre Dames” out there. Innumerable churches are in desperate need of repair, rebuilding, or expansion – not only because of fires or natural disasters, but due to the ravages of time or because the buildings are too small to hold everyone.

In fact, even standard maintenance of a church structure is a complex affair. As with any large public building, the list of potential problems is long – including everything from leaky rooves to cracks in walls and stonework. Unfortunately, churches are also common targets of arson and vandalism. And once a church has fallen into disrepair, it is actually more likely to become a potential target.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reports that there have been more than 360 cases of arson, vandalism, and destruction at Catholic churches since 2021. They list incidents individually by month and year, and the picture is sobering.

Happily, there are also cases in which churches simply need to be rebuilt or expanded because the congregation has grown too large. Such was the case with St. Peter Clavier Church in Lexington, Kentucky. One of the oldest Black Catholic parishes in the US, after its founding in 1887, it received financial support from St. Katherine Drexel among others.

Eventually the building grew too small to hold everyone (and there were also flooding issues) so the congregation was forced to relocate to the parish hall, which had once been a school. Plans were laid in 2016, but years passed before that dream could be realized.

St. Peter Clavier Church was not as famous as the Cathedral of Notre Dame, of course – even if its civic and religious significance was as important to Lexington as the French cathedral was to the city of Paris.

In the United States, Catholic Extension Society has made it a key part of its mission to save and rebuild such churches, especially in poor communities. Since its founding in 1905, the organization has built or repaired more than 13,000 churches in America, as they explain on their website:

Among the churches that have been helped by Catholic Extension is St. Peter Clavier. With the organization’s support they were finally able to break ground on a new church building. It was rededicated in 2023.

In Oklahoma, Catholic Extension is also helping the people of San Juan Diego Mission construct a brand-new church building. Originally founded to serve 23 families, the congregation has long been meeting in rented warehouse space without heat or air conditioning, and with a roof that leaks when it rains.

Despite these conditions, hundreds of families are now actively participating in the mission. There are faith formation programs, along with initiatives to support the youth in the community. The new church, which will begin construction this coming year, will enable the mission to further thrive.

It is just one of more than 40 sacred spaces that Catholic Extension Society will support in 2025.