St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Located in a suburban neighborhood outside of Cedar Rapids, this Catholic parish needed a Master Plan to address the needs of their expanding parish with many young families. The Master Plan was developed using an intensive participatory process to include as many parishioners as possible, including special workshops for the children of the parish. Included in the plan was a 1,200 seat sanctuary, a large gathering space, a chapel, support spaces, a new kitchen, recreational multi-use room, a youth room, and multiple religious education classrooms.

The successful design resulted in fundraising that committed $5.8M to Phase I. Phase I work includes a 1,200-seat sanctuary addition, a circular outdoor plaza/gathering space, a large narthex, reservation chapel, nursery, permanent space for the Youth Ministry program, flexible education space, and a Religious Education Resource Center.

Upon entering the addition, parishioners are greeted by a font, or “blessing rock” that flows through an underground channel to the permanent immersion baptismal font, located in the middle of the worship space. The sanctuary is rich in design features, as identified by the parishioners during initial planning activities, and has excellent acoustics and sight lines. The separate reservation chapel provides opportunities for personal prayer.

At its base the addition utilizes brick that matches the original portion of work. Large amounts of glazing are located above the brick with a soaring metal clad roof plane above. A sustainable design was paramount for the building committee and parish, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is designed to be very energy efficient. The addition incorporates an innovative geothermal hybrid system that heats and cools the building, as well as other sustainable initiatives which include innovative lighting strategies, window glazing, and insulation.