Members of the Tri-Parishes and supporters of St. John Bosco Academy in Cottonwood attend a Mass and blessing of the new chapel with Bishop Peter Christensen. The new chapel will make it possible for the entire student body to attend Mass each week. The capital campaign for the chapel, three classrooms and an enlarged daycare space has raised about $350,000 of the $575,000 needed. (Courtesy photo/Alea Wassmuth)
By Alea Wassmuth
For the Idaho Catholic Register
COTTONWOOD – Bishop Peter Christensen blessed the new Christ the King Chapel at St. John Bosco Academy on Tuesday, March 2.
The Mass also signaled the completion of a new addition to the school, which includes three classrooms and an enlarged daycare space.
Concelebrating with Bishop Peter were Father Paul Wander of the Tri-Parishes in Cottonwood and Father Anthony Amadi of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Grangeville. Deacon Ryan Uhlenkott of the Tri-parishes assisted.
Parents, grandparents and community members attended the Mass along with students and faculty, filling the chapel to overflowing. Tours of the new addition and a reception followed the Mass.
St. John Bosco Academy faced a new challenge the K-12 Catholic academy outgrew its chapel. The new chapel is more than double the size of the previous chapel and is located front and center of the school, making the focus on our faith impossible to miss. The larger chapel allows the entire student body to attend Mass each week. Previously, school Masses were limited to grades 7-12. The students and staff continue to begin their day with prayer and are thankful that they can now move daily prayer to the new chapel.
The “Back the Bosco Build” capital campaign was launched in August. The campaign allowed St. John Bosco Academy to begin construction on the long-awaited classroom wing. In addition to the chapel, the wing includes three new classrooms for pre-school, kindergarten and first grade.
Each of these classrooms follows the model of the school’s original construction, with priority given for natural lighting. The expansion allowed students in the upper grades to move out of small, temporary classrooms into the newly vacated classrooms created when the three lower grades moved into the new classrooms. The new space for the daycare is double the size of the previous space. The daycare is open to not only parish families but the community at-large.
St. John Bosco Academy invites all those who would like to support continued needs to donate or pledge at johnbosco.org/build. The board, students and staff at St. John Bosco Academy expressed appreciated for all who donated their time, skills and finances to assist in the completion of this much needed project.
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