By Amerigo Allegretto

Eagle Staff Writer

CRANBERRY TWP — “We’re home.”

That’s how Adams Township resident Jean Boyle described her feelings about her new church for the St. Kilian parish.

The congregation has been holding services at the Franklin Road church for about a month. It was dedicated in late September by Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The opening came after 11 years of planning and work.

The church seats about 1,200 people and was built to accommodate the parish’s growth over the years.

“We have about 11,700 parishioners registered,” said church priest Charles Bober.

Bober said the church has been averaging about 600 to 700 parishioners for each of the six weekly masses since the church’s opening.

“It feels very much like home,” he said. “It’s a beautiful space.”

The budget for the project was nearly $11 million, which includes parking, infrastructure, utilities and the building. The church also has a basement hall with 350 seats, a full-size commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, a bell tower and offices.

Video screens are embedded into walls on the left and right sides of the church’s sanctuary. Bober said video has not been made available yet to accompany masses.

The parish held a financial campaign last year in conjunction with the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s “The Church Alive” campaign, which raised $22 million for the whole campaign.

The parish had to pay off its $10 million debt from its parish center before raising money for the new church.

Marketing Director Stayce DeJulius said the parish has a debt of about $2 million from construction and interest costs. The church will host fundraisers to pay off this debt.

“We do a lot through our fish fries and the weekly offertory collections,” DeJulius said.

One of the church’s features Bober said has significance is the stained glass windows.

Most of the windows were made in Munich, Germany, while some were made in Austria dating back more than 100 years.

Some of them were acquired from Pittsburgh’s South Side area. They were previously out of use.

“The colors are amazingly bright,” Bober said. “They were really vibrant for that age.”

“It’s blending in the old with the new,” DeJulius said.

Bober said he wanted the church to have a “warm” and “welcoming” atmosphere.

The pews are made of light beech wood and the windows allow for an optimal amount of light to enter the church.

“It’s not overdone,” Boyle said. “It’s simple, but beautiful.”

Since parish boundaries with St. Ferdinand were reshaped about 15 years ago, St. Kilian parishioners have had services in multiple venues before this year.

These included the original St. Kilian church in Mars, Mars High School, the St. Kilian Parish School gymnasium and the auditorium at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School.

The church in Mars is still in use for smaller gatherings such as weddings and funerals. It can seat about 260 people.

The parish has experienced a “400-percent” growth during the past 10 years, Bober said.

He said the growth can be attributed to the growth the township has seen over the years.

“The growth of the Catholic Church parallels the growth of the region,” he said.

The parish’s centennial year is 2017.

“It does enhance our worship,” Boyle said of the new church. “You just walk in and it hits you. I hope we’re home forever.”