our past

our present

our future

Where we come from.

Where we are.

Where we're going.

A Prayer During Transition

God, our Father, the Catholic Community of Manchester, from its very beginning until today,   has been a source of faith, hope, and love for its members and for those in need.  For this we give You  thanks.

Heavenly Father, You are with us in every part of our journey through life.  During this time of transition, we pray that Your Holy Spirit will grant us the patience and wisdom we need to understand the changes ahead of us.  We ask that You inspire us to embrace the future of our parish with excitement and a renewed hope in Your loving presence.  And we thank You for Your companionship as we follow the Gospel and serve one another.

Through the intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, we make our prayer to You, Father, through Christ, our Lord.  AMEN.

Parish 2030 Video Series

Beginning after Easter 2024, we'll be releasing a series of weekly videos talking about the past, present, and future of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish:  our transition, growth, and the results of our long-awaited feasibility study.

VIDEO 1 - Growing Attendance, Growing Youth Participation, Diminishing Number of Priests and Current Buildings Status.

VIDEO 2 - Old Solutions, Present Studies, Future Steps.


VIDEO 3 - Task 2 – Analyze Buildings.


VIDEO 4 - Task 1 - Analyze Properties


Contracting a Feasibility Study

In recognition of our future needs, Saint Teresa of Calcutta undertook a lengthy search to identify a nonpartial architecture firm to conduct a feasibility study of our parish and its properties to help us determine the best course of action for our future. In 2023, NYC-based architecture firm Urbahn Architects was contracted to conduct the study, which included (7) major tasks.

  • Task 1 - Analyze Properties The goal of this task is to gather background information on the parish properties and review regulatory requirements that they are subject to.
  • Task 2 – Analyze Buildings The purpose of this task is to inventory the buildings on the subject properties, documenting the spaces within to determine current use and general building condition.
  • Task 3 - Confirm Program The purpose of this task is to establish a space program that reflects how the Saint Teresa Parish consolidated churches will operate in the future.
  • Task 4 – Decision Matrix The preparation of a decision matrix will be an important tool in developing an effective and actionable Master Plan that can achieve buy-in from the church community.
  • Task 5 - Master Plan In order to home in on the most viable sites, we will further develop the test-fits plans started under Task 4 foreach site.
  • Task 6 – Color Renderings The goal of this task is to create compelling renderings of the ultimate recommended master plan to be used for presentations and other collateral material to help gain buy-in from the larger community of Saint Teresa.
  • Task 7 - In-Person Meetings We have provided an allowance for additional conference calls/virtual meetings and/or in-person meetings to be billed on an hourly basis.

PROJECT UNDERSTANDING

The Parish of Saint Teresa of Calcutta is comprised of four Catholic churches with schools and other facilities on four different properties of varying sizes and attributes in the town of Manchester, Connecticut. There are 21 buildings, large and small, within these four properties. Due to the declining number of parishioners and more so, due to difficulty in recruiting priests to lead four different houses of worship, the Parish is contemplating the consolidation of the facilities with a larger church on one or two locations. In addition to the church properties, the East Catholic High School managed directly by the Archdiocese of Hartford is a property under consideration.

TASK 1 - Analyze Properties (watch VIDEO 4)

The goal of this task is to gather background information on the parish properties and review regulatory requirements that they are subject to.

SAINT BRIDGET CHURCH

RESIDENCE ZONE C (RC)
Parking Spots
201

SAINT JAMES CHURCH

RESIDENCE ZONE A (RA), B (RB)
Parking Spots
122

SAINT BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH

RESIDENCE ZONE A (RA)
Parking Spots
142

ASSUMPTION CHURCH

RESIDENCE ZONE A (RA)
Parking Spots
96

Proposed Parking


Minimum Church Parking Requirements per Zoning Code:

1 Parking Spot for every 3 People


Proposed Parking for 1,000 Person Church 350 +/- Parking Spots

123,000 SQFT (2.8 Acres)

TASK 2 - Analyze Buildings (watch VIDEO 3)

The purpose of this task is to inventory the buildings on the subject properties, documenting the spaces within to determine current use and general building condition.

SAINT BRIDGET CHURCH

Church Footprint
6,943 SQFT


SAINT JAMES CHURCH

Church Footprint
8,802 SQFT


SAINT BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH

Church Footprint
6,310 SQFT
Overall Footprint
19,457 SQFT

ASSUMPTION CHURCH

Church Footprint
6,813 SQFT
Overall Footprint
15,185 SQFT

Proposed Church Square Footage


Church General Size
10-24 sqft per person
18-22" per person in pews


Proposed Church
1,000 person capacity:
10,000 - 24,000 SQFT
0.22 - 0.55 Acers

Strategic Plan
SOWER

SOWER
Download Here

CCM - VISION 2002 - 2007

Catholic Community of Manchester  2002
click here to open

DREAMING SESSIONS 2024

Dreaming sessions  summary
click here to open

URBAHN ARCHITECTS 

Since Urbahn’s founding in 1945 we have specialized in planning and design commissions for clients within the public realm. Our portfolio includes a wide array of building types, focusing on education, community and cultural facilities, healthcare + science, justice, and urban infrastructure. Our work has encompassed large-scale master plans and program studies, new buildings and additions, renovations, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation. Owned and closely operated by four professionals, Urbahn’s principals actively seek out unique opportunities, craft a tailored project approach, and then personally oversee the process from start to finish. Although Urbahn has expertise in a variety of projects, our true forte has always been our willingness to take on unprecedented challenges - the types of commissions that come without a playbook. Our ability to repeatedly achieve excellent project outcomes is the result of our deeply held values, corporate structure, our staff’s versatility, our belief in integrating knowledge with technology, and our culture of innovation.

www.urbahn.com