PERRYSBURG, OH (WTOL) - While many catholic churches in Toledo have been forced to close their doors, one local parish is expanding. Saint John the XXIII in Perrysburg is preparing to build a new church to make room for their growing number of members.
Groundbreaking on a 26,000 square foot church designed to seat nearly 900 will start Sunday.
"We've outgrown everything we have. This building is good but we just need more," said Father Herb Weber, pastor of Saint John XXIII.
The parish started in 2005 with nothing, not even a place to meet. Eventually parishioners raised enough money for the current life center where they have been meeting but have outgrown it now including a special place of worship.
"We never really had a church although people have grown to love the worship space for mass because it works very well and we have had so many holy things happen there so we are not turning our backs on something that has been good to us but we are expanding. We are going to have a permanent worship space, more meeting rooms, and a larger gathering space," said Weber.
During the ground breaking and blessing, Parishioners will stand on the outline of the church's new footprint. It is a symbol of how far they've come.
"The real church is still the people so we are going to take the entire property where the building will be and outline it with people sort of like the living church."
