Owner: Diocese of London
Location: Lakeshore, Ontario
Size: 25,800 sf

One of the objectives of this project was to unite three separate faith communities under one roof. The faith communities of Annunciation, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joachim were successful brought together to form the new faith community of Paroisse De La Visitation.

The new facility includes a 750 seat nave which is arranged in a semi circular pattern to allow the parishioners to be closer and have a full view of the sanctuary. Also included is a 50 seat day chapel that is used for weekday masses. The church hall is adjacent to the naves and has a manually operated wall. The wall when opened allows seating for an additional 400 parishioners bringing the church seat capacity to 1250 for times when extra seating is needed. Liturgically, this joined space works since it requires parishioners enter from the narthex into the nave of the church so they are part of the celebration. The narthex acts as a gathering place and gives access to the day chapel, Sunday school, sacristy and usher’s room.

The office space includes a general office with a work room and vault, 3 private offices and a larger pastor’s office. Off the hall lobby there is a meeting room for smaller gatherings as well as a kitchenette for use by office staff and smaller groups. The hall can accommodate large groups or can be divided into two smaller halls. The large professional kitchen can be accessed from both halls and service each independently.