Old 2009 article on St. Peter, South Beloit’s building campaign

St. Peter's continues to collect funds for expansion

St. Peter's continues to collect funds for expansion

A sign outside St. Peter’s Catholic Church in South Beloit is a reminder of the parish’s expansion plans. Phase One includes a new grammar school and chapel in Roscoe at a cost of $3.75 million.Staff photo by Ashley Rhodebeck

 

Posted: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 12:00 am

St. Peter's continues to collect funds for expansionBy Ashley Rhodebeck
arhodebeck@beloitdailynews.combeloitdailynews.com | 0 comments

Next fundraiser dinner/auction set for May 2 and will feature speakers, update on project

The economic recession hasn't stalled one Stateline Area church's plans for expansion.

St. Peter's Catholic Church in South Beloit has collected more than $2 million in cash to build a one-story grammar school and chapel in Roscoe. Another $1.2 million has been pledged, the Rev. Jerome Koutnik said.

“We haven't really seen a slow down in giving to the building fund,” he said.

The church also is working with businesses, such as ABC Supply, to secure about $300,000 of in-kind donations, he said.

With those material donations, Koutnik said, the church would be about $250,000 short of its $3.75 million goal.

“As soon as the money comes in we're building,” he said.

Fundraising began in 2007. Two dinners last year brought in about $93,000, which Koutnik described as “hugely successful.”

He was also the subject of a DVD recorded last March about the expansion plans and financial needs. The 41-year-old school leaks, and one grade level receives lessons in a temporary structure resembling a mobile home.

Koutnik cannot gauge how much money the video brought in, but said it continues to draw good attention to the project.

The second expansion phase includes a $10 million church that can seat 1,000 and the capacity to add another 500. The parish's current facility holds 380.

Moving the school to Roscoe makes sense because about 80 percent of St. Peter's congregation lives in the Rockton-Roscoe area, Koutnik has said.

Furthermore, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford has owned the 15.8-acre site across from the Hilander shopping center on Hononegah-Elevator Road for 20 years.

St. Peter's put the expansion plans in action after seeing Roscoe's, Rockton's and South Beloit's populations rise.

Renderings of the future school have been drafted, and plans regarding the sewer, roads and water have already been negotiated.

“We're in many ways well ahead of this project,” Koutnik said.“The funds just need to catch up.”

Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey and Winnebago County State's Attorney Joseph Bruscato will speak at the Radisson Hotel in Rockford during the church's next fundraiser dinner and auction. It is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. May 2. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by calling 815-389-2024.

An update on the project will be given then, Koutnik said.