Our Needs

A Divided Campus

Education & Ministry Programming

Our church and school are one mile apart on busy and dangerous Polo Road.

Education: the distance between the church and school limits the educational opportunities we can offer to both our school and religious education students.

Ministry Programs: the inconvenient separation between our worship space and our educational facilities limits our ability to expand and enhance our ministry programs.

Worship Space & Gathering Space

Our worship space has served St. John Neumann's parishioners for almost forty years. However, it is inadequate for our current needs and our options for expansion and improvement are limited.

Seating Capacity: our 600-seat capacity is too small, requiring six weekend Masses to accommodate everyone. Also, there are no accessible pews for wheelchair or walker seating.

Floor Plan and Processional Entrance: the church’s layout is inadequate for all our liturgical rites and our lack of central processional doors results in a lessened sense of dignity and solemnity for our liturgical processions.

Entryways: security is difficult with our three entrances, and our congregation is divided instead of socially gathering together before and after Masses. 
Cry Room: this space for families with young children is functional but viewing the liturgy on a television screen is neither inclusive nor inviting. 

Baptismal Font: we lack a permanent baptismal font symbolically positioned as a part of our worship space.

Accessibility: our interior and restroom doors, sanctuary platform, and elevated areas of the rear pews and sacristy are not handicap accessible.

Parish Hall, Multi-Use Space, & Parking

St. John Neumann is Columbia's largest Catholic Church and our facilities limit our ability to serve our membership.

Large event facilities: our Parish Hall and kitchen are small, and the school gymnasium lacks a kitchen. This limits the types and sizes of events our parish can host at either location.

Conference and Meeting Space: both the church and school facilities are stretched by the demand for meeting, activity, and conference space for our programs and ministries.

Parking: We need more than double the amount of parking so that parishioners and guests are not forced to park on busy Polo Road.

Covered Drop-off: we do not have a safe, covered drop-off entrance area at our church.