St. Michael the Archangel Parish has released architectural renderings of its proposed new church in Streator, with a potential parish leaders say is needed to address long-term structural concerns at their current building.

Ty Hudson, director of Guidance in Giving, the company managing the parish’s “Building Our Future” capital campaign, said the decision to build new follows years of evaluating aging facilities.

“This is the third church they’ve tried over the past 15 years since consolidation,” Hudson said. “Structural issues forced them out of the first one, and size constraints pushed them out of the second.”

According to Hudson, the current church dates back about 140 years and would require significant foundational and structural repairs to remain open long term. Leaders determined that the cost of the repairs would be comparable to the construction of a new building entirely.

“For the corrections and repairs necessary to bring it to a long-term answer, it was going to cost the same as building a new church,” Hudson said. “And then if you did fix it, you still have a fixed 140-year-old building which might see more problems eventually.”

The proposed church would be constructed in the parking lot of the existing St. Mary’s Church site. Once completed, the current church building would be demolished and the space converted into a parking lot.

The new church would have a similar footprint to the existing structure, with 30 additional seats.

The Parish held multiple church receptions over the past month, and Hudson described feedback from attendees as overwhelmingly positive.

“Incredibly positive response and larger numbers than I’ve ever had in a campaign,” he said, noting the turnout exceeded typical participation percentages.

The campaign is currently in its pledge phase, with parishioners asked to consider sacrificial gifts ahead of an upcoming commitment weekend.

If fundraising goals are met, parish leaders would like to begin construction as early as this fall, though Hudson said permitting and approval processes make spring a more realistic timeline.

In addition to the church, the broader project includes plans for a new parish office to consolidate operations currently housed separately. However, Hudson said the primary focus is funding the church itself, with the office portion potentially constructed later if needed.

Hudson said new church construction often brings renewed engagement.

“That almost always happens when you open a new church,” he said. “People come back or travel to something new.”