Letter from Fr. Andrew

Dear Friends of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church,

With great joy and excitement, I announce the launch of our capital campaign: Completing the Dream and Opening Heaven! In 2013, our beloved pastor, Fr. Harry Bugler, launched the campaign that blessed us with the Early Learning Center, which has served hundreds of families and secured our parish’s future. At the time, we chose to put our families first, pausing the second goal of this campaign which focused on improvements to the church building.
Now is the time! After two years of consultation with Sainte Chapelle Studios and the St. Louis IX Art Society, we are ready to complete the dream. This project honors Fr. Harry’s vision and responds to the consistent hopes parishioners have shared with me over the past three years. Every element has been prayerfully discerned to lift our parish higher, to open Heaven, and to meet the real needs of our church today.

Phase One: Shoring Up Our Foundation
We will replace the failing subsurface drainage from 1979, upgrade piping for new bathrooms, and fill the many gaping voids under the church, rectory, and sidewalks.

Phase Two: Completing the Dream
This phase brings long-awaited improvements: two additional bathrooms, a devotional chapel for Adoration by enclosing the Baptistry, reorienting the Sanctuary toward the main entrance, moving the Tabernacle into the Sanctuary, replacing worn Sanctuary carpeting with a beautiful surface, and constructing a heavenly Baldacchino to frame the Altar, focus our attention, and lift our eyes to Heaven.

Phase Three: Opening Heaven!
A radiant mural above the Sanctuary will make visible the invisible reality of every Mass: HEAVEN IS OPENED! We see Christ, Ascended in Triumph, revealing His victory over death and the promise of eternal life. Around Him, eight Saints—chosen with prayer—will intercede for us and inspire us to holiness.

Inside this booklet you’ll find more details, explanations, renderings, and the ways in which YOU can be a part of this mission! This renovation will be a gift for generations. Imagine every soul who walks through our church doors—rich or poor, strong or wounded—being lifted with hope, reminded that Christ has already conquered, and that Heaven is OPEN for us!

Dear friends, this is our moment to complete the dream and open Heaven together! I invite you to prayerfully discern how the Lord is calling you to be part of this great mission. May God’s will be done, and may Our Lady of Prompt Succor and St. Philip Neri guide us in continuing to build a church that reflects the beauty of Heaven itself.


In Christ, 
Fr. Andrew Rudmann