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Major Renovation Project Taking Place At Immaculate Conception

FORT SMITH (KFSM)- When you cross over the Garrison Avenue Bridge from Oklahoma into Arkansas, one first things you might notice is the Immaculate Conception Ca...

FORT SMITH (KFSM)- When you cross over the Garrison Avenue Bridge from Oklahoma into Arkansas, one first things you might notice is the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Deacon Greg Pair says the parish serves over 1,800 families.

“As our parish began to grow, we realized we needed more space,” he said.

Three years ago, the church decided they needed to renovate, while also wanting to preserve over 100 years of history.

“The biggest part of the renovation is going on in the St. Anne's Building; of course it was built around 1905,” Dc. Pair said.

St. Anne’s was a convent and boarding school until 2001. The deacon said right now, only the first and second floors are being used. The space houses Bible studies, kids’ religious education classes and Ladies Auxiliary Club meetings.

“The top floor we haven't used in a few years for safety reasons, one being that it didn't have a fire escape,” Pair said.

He said the building's outdated elevator will also be replaced. Construction got underway about three weeks ago. When complete, all four floors of St. Anne’s will be part of IC’s Education Center.

“They're gonna see beautiful floors,” Dc. Pair said. “They're gonna see spaces and classrooms, instead of just wide open space, because the top floor of St. Anne's was originally used for boarding people. They're gonna see a beautiful building restored to its glory.”

All the revamping is possible thanks to IC’s “Restoring to Glory Capital Campaign.” So far, the church has raised over $2.8 million of their $3.2 million goal. Fundraising began in Oct. 2013.

“You start a major project like this, and you never know where [the money is] gonna come from,” Dc. Pair said. “God has really blessed us with people wanting to preserve St. Anne’s.

Church officials say there are over 610 donors to date. If you’re interested in helping with the renovations, you’re asked to make checks out to the IC Renovation Program. Once a month, the church also takes up a collection basket for donations to the fund during Sunday mass.

The work to St. Anne’s is expected to be complete in June of 2015. Future projects include parking lot improvements and renovations inside the church. For more information about IC, click here. You can also find them on Facebook.

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