St. James Parish, Ogden, plans dedication

Intermountain Catholic

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The new St. James Catholic Church in Ogden is readied for its scheduled dedication June 9, says Pastor Father Erik Richtsteig. Designed by Ogden architect Ray Bertoldi, the new church will seat 700 comfortably. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

OGDEN — The new St. James Church in Ogden reaches up from the center of the parish complex. Its construction has necessitated the leveling of the area, making the church and parking lot completely accessible.

What makes St. James Pastor Father Erik Richtsteig most proud, he told the Intermountain Catholic, is "it looks and feels like a church, a place for the worship of God. It isn’t about us or our needs. It’s about God, all about him."

Even on a rainy day in April, the construction site was busy with builders and finishers, and parishioners engaged in other parts of the parish complex couldn’t help stopping to watch the progress.

The plans for the church include a brick and earth retaining wall on the northeast end of the parking lot. Fr. Richtsteig said initial plans for the church called for its location to be where the retaining wall is now.

"It was Ray Bertoldi who convinced us to approach the location with open minds. He was right. Putting the church in the center of the complex allowed us to increase access to the church and avoid the need for an elevator. Later we found out that a secondary fault line runs near where the retaining wall is, and we wouldn’t have been able to build there anyway."

Fr. Richtsteig’s and his parishioners’ excitement has grown with the progress of the building project. The church facilities the parish has been using have been considered temporary since their construction in 1968. Fr. Richtsteig credits former pastor, Father Donald E. Hope, for laying the initial groundwork for the $2.9 million project.

"Fr. Hope put a lot of work into this, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude."

Fr. Richtsteig’s predecessor, Father Michael Sciumbato, current pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Provo, even did a stint on a television show, "Who Wants To be A Millionaire?" to help raise funds for this church.

Fr. Richtsteig said the timing of the project, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, drove the prices of building material and gasoline up higher than expected, but Bertoldi and the contractors, R & O Construction of Ogden, have made every attempt to keep costs down.

The church design, Fr. Richtsteig said, is wide, rather than long, allowing for a continued sense of intimacy between congregants and the altar, which parishioners had requested.

"We will have a large tabernacle and marble flooring in the sanctuary," he said. "The church also will have a baptismal pool, much like the one in the Cathedral of the Madeleine."

The altar and much of the church furnishings are being designed and constructed by Park City Deacon Tom Tosti. One stained glass window has already been donated, and the parish hopes to see more in-kind donations. Choir chairs and pews are still needed.

"The parish has been very generous," Fr. Richtsteig said. "We’ve also seen generous donations from former parishioners and their families. We will still have debt, but we hope to have the church completely paid for in five years or less."