A parish building committee had spent nearly a decade debating whether to build a new church or to correct serious structural problems and other concerns engineering studies found in the tall Gothic-style red brick church built in 1880. In 2007 the parish finance committee, acting on the recommendation of Father Allen Kemme, St. Thomas pastor, determined the parish should build a new church. Ground was broken May 3, 2009.

As the crowd swelled on the sidewalk in front of the old church, awaiting the arrival of Bishop Paprocki, volunteers passed out commemorative paper fans and bottles of cold water to help people cool off. A brass ensemble played Ode to Joy as Bishop Paprocki arrived, accompanied by Father Allen Kemme, St. Thomas pastor; Msgr. Carl Kemme, vicar general; Father Joseph Molloy, former St. Thomas pastor, who would concelebrate the Mass; and 13 other priests.

The bishop thanked everyone for coming and then invited them to join the procession he led of priests and Knights of Columbus to the new church. A member of the church building committee presented the dedication book to Bishop Paprocki, who then called upon Father Kemme to unlock the doors of the new church. Once unlocked, the bishop invited the people to enter the church, as they sang All Are Welcome.

The new one-story, 10,246 square foot church is located on the eastern edge of the church block. It has a Gothic-style exterior with vaulted ceilings, tall clear glass windows nearly floor to ceiling. Many design elements from the old church are incorporated throughout the new church. The nave has a large main aisle, and two large side aisles, separating rows of wooden pews which were brought from the original church. It has a seating capacity of 452.

The chiseled stone and dryvit exterior features a tall bell tower. The church entrance is on the east side off the parking lot. An exterior canopy at the entrance is wide enough for two car lanes. Stained glass windows from the old church are encased in wood, and back lit on either side of the large gathering space. At the front of the church, two more stained glass windows from the old church frame the altar. Stations of the Cross from the old church are on the walls of the nave.

Four light fixtures from the old church hang from the gathering space ceiling. New light fixtures hanging from the ceiling of the nave closely resemble the light fixtures from the old church. All the statues and some other liturgical items from the old church are used in the new church.

Swingler Construction of Effingham was general contractor for the project.

“I pray that this new church will bring you many blessings, graces and consolations as you take part in the Eucharist here, receive the sacraments, and pray for your loved ones when they die,” Bishop Paprocki said in his homily.

For those who knew or had heard about his custom of singing as part of his homily on special occasions, the diocese’s new bishop did not disappoint.

“The dedication of a new church is about as special as you can get in the lifetime of a church building,” Bishop Paprocki said, telling them he had chosen “a song which is really a prayer from one of my favorite singers, Bruce Springsteen. It is Into the Fire, which Springsteen wrote shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 as a tribute to firefighters and other rescue workers who literally went up into the fire trying to save others and sacrificed their own lives in the process. It is a prayer for God’s strength and for the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, which I pray God will give you throughout your worship in this new church.”