Parish outgrows Huntley church, seeks addition

After only 10 years, St. Mary Catholic Church in Huntley already has outgrown its building and is seeking new space in which to grow its ministry.

The church hopes to build a 32,567-square-foot, single-story addition that would include a 600-person parish hall, a small chapel, office space, a full kitchen and 10 rooms that could be split into 17 meeting rooms, said Monsignor Steve Knox, the church’s pastor since 2004.

Church leaders brought the project to the Huntley village board’s committee of the whole last week and the body sent it to the planning and zoning commission for future review.

The project, designed by Barrington-based Ruck Pate Architecture, is expected to cost $7 million. The church plans to raise a large chunk of the money among its parishioners before applying for a loan, Knox said.

According to its website, members have pledged $1.57 million. The groundbreaking date would depend on when the church secures the financing. And, of course, that is contingent on village board approval.

In 2001, the church served 1,200 households. Today, 5,000 households are listed on the rolls.

The growth in town also forced church leaders to add two more Masses over the weekend. There used to be four and now there are six.

Because there is no spare space for large parish gatherings, the church holds its religious education program off site in rented space at Marlowe Middle School.

Since Knox’s arrival, he has hired five additional employees.

“There’s more people so, really, there’s more of everything,” Knox said.

The potential snag in the church’s plan is in parking. Church officials are proposing 532 parking spaces, which is 163 fewer than the village requires. They are asking that the board lets them go ahead with the 532 parking spaces.

It’s a prospect that doesn’t sit well with Trustee Harry Leopold. He is concerned there could be more than one event happening at the same time at the church, but not enough parking to accommodate all of the people.

“We basically like the idea of what they’re doing and it’s pretty much acceptable in general. However, the parking will be an issue if they insist on asking for relief on that many spaces,” Leopold said.

Ironically, church leaders erected the current building on Dundee Road because the parish outgrew its old building on Woodstock Street.

The church on Woodstock Street was used from 1932 until 2001 and held just 200 people.

“The growth in the area just overwhelmed it.” Knox said.