2023 To the Heights Award Finalists
The inaugural To the Heights Award by MDKeller received over 130 submissions representing every continent. The high volume and inspiring quality of the submissions underscore the global resonance of the potential Church property holds to be an occasion of hope and missional activity. Applicants envisioned creative property solutions to address pastoral challenges like loneliness, senior care, refugee housing, environmental stewardship, and childcare for single parents, with many ideas already in action for the benefit of the community.
Five finalists were selected for the most thorough review, with deep weight placed on the level of impact that the $10,000 would have on the projects. The voting was incredibly close among all five options, with the Serenelli Project ultimately claiming the inaugural award. Meet the finalists here and learn more about how they are putting property to work for the New Evangelization.
Redemptive Real Estate
The Serenelli Project’s goal is to become a monastic prison re-entry community whose mission is to create a stable community of prayer, work, discernment of God’s call, and recovery for those coming out of prison. In doing so, we are choosing to center our community around prayer and worship and are looking for a church to be the center of our community.
Reaching the Rural Church
Establishing an inaugural Catholic Rural Life Service Center to serve the faithful in more remote parts of the diocese by better utilizing and/or repurposing church properties to create support centers in farm communities that will offer much-needed resources and services such as mobile food pantries; spiritual programming often available only at the diocesan pastoral center or parishes in larger cities; outreach programs, such as Catholic mental health and wellness care initiatives; and urgently needed youth activities to keep our young people close to Christ and the faith.
Building Catholic Leaders
The University of Central Missouri's Newman Center has purchased and renovated three former Greek Fraternity houses and converted them into Catholic Student Households to serve as a beacon of light at UCM. We desire to build additional bedrooms and living space to increase student capacity for our waitlist-only Household program that has students involved in daily prayer, evangelization, vocational discernment, formation, and community events.
A Beacon of Hope in the Inner City
St. Joan of Arc is part of a merged parish in Camden, NJ and in partnership with St Joseph's Carpenter Society, seeks to support the parish in converting campus buildings to updated and necessary neighborhood uses, allowing for the buildings to have a sustainable future, honor their pasts, and support current parishioners and residents in their spiritual as well as communal lives. This project includes rehabilitating the long-vacant school building into 14 affordable apartments as well as converting the rectory building into 4 very small apartments with community space suitable for continued parish and partner community rooms. These uses will allow for some revenue generating space while still providing the parish an active and visible role in the community.
Convent for Combat Vets
The Carmelite sisters in Wagga Wagga have used their large, underutilized convent to create the Pro Patria Centre to be the coordinated medical, holistic health care and wellbeing providers for veterans, first responders and their families in Wagga Wagga and the Riverina. Pro Patria Centre is on its way to becoming a Centre of Excellence and there are currently 18 service providers in PPC’s current suite of services.
