STORM LAKE, Iowa | Dawn Prosser, development director serving St. Mary's Catholic Church in Storm Lake, enjoys the view in her new office, part of the $2.8 million St. Mary's Parish Center.
No, it's not necessarily a window vista that looks out upon the shores of Storm Lake. (There is a window, it does look west.)
The view, rather, comes from her doorway: one that reveals dozens of people coming and going, getting all sorts of use out of the new facility, from teachers to students to parishioners to those celebrating to those in mourning.
Oftentimes, there are musicians entering the site, on their way to the music room.
"We have a music room," says Prosser, one of the busiest vocalists in the parish. "Our music practices used to be held in a junk room. You might have been able to reach the piano, and maybe you couldn't."
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Now, musicians practice in an open space. The quilters who report to the church at least once per week do the same, not having to climb stairs to get to their workstation.
"Our quilters are generally women of retirement age," Prosser says. "It's important for them to be able to meet on the main floor."
In January 2013, a fund drive began for a Parish Center project, one that would serve a growing and ever-diverse parish. Ground was broken for the project on March 15, 2015. H&R Construction of South Sioux City served as general contractor.
The new site features office space for Prosser, office personnel and the Revs. Tim Friedrichsen and Dave Esquiliano. There are also conference rooms, the expansive Parish Hall, a full kitchen and beverage center.
In the past, for those who wanted a reception of some sort, they would inquire about the Knights of Columbus Hall on the east edge of Storm Lake, or the lunchroom serving St. Mary's Catholic School.
The place was christened recently, in a matter of speaking, with a celebration of the Vietnamese New Year. Students at St. Mary's High School will celebrate their prom in the new Parish Center, just as they celebrated the homecoming event this winter.
"The old St. Mary's Rectory didn't have meeting space," Prosser says. "We had a small reception room and a couple of offices. Deacons had to go to peoples' homes to meet with them, not at the church offices."
That, too, is changing.
"It is amazing how we have used it," Prosser concludes. "We got the OK from the fire marshal on a Friday afternoon in December and we were using it that night or the next day. We didn't have a dish towel in the kitchen yet and we were getting use out of it."
