3.7 Designs Helps Church Start 900-mile Pilgrimage
3.7 Designs has announced the launch of an online catalog created to collect donations for a project of historical significance being undertaken on behalf of St. Girard's Church in Buffalo, N.Y.
Plans are under way to help St. Girard's Church begin a unique pilgrimage from New Buffalo to the Peachtree Corners area of Norcross, Ga. More information about the project can be viewed at http://movedbygrace.com.
The plan calls for St. Girard's Church to be moved piece by piece to its new home in Georgia. The Stone by Stone Campaign is being conducted through Saved by Grace to help raise the needed funds to relocate the church. The fundraising campaign is offering individuals, groups and organizations the opportunity to help by sponsoring naming a part of the church or an individual stone.
The catalog features more than 5,000 opportunities to name a historic piece of the church or one of the stones from the church structure. Gift levels range from $250 to $3 million. Donors at every level will be recognized for their contribution on the campaign Web site and the shrine that will be dedicated when the church relocation is completed.
St. Girard's Church was completed in 1911. The structure is a Gilded Age, one-third scale approximation of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four major basilicas of Rome. A lack of parishioners forced the Diocese of Buffalo to close St. Girard's in 2008.
While St. Girard was battling the effects of violent extremes in weather common to the Lake Erie area, miles away in Norcross, Ga., the parish of Mary Our Queen had raised enough money to hire Bill Harrison of the internationally known firm of Harrison Design Associates. The firm was retained to begin work on a church to replace the temporary structure in which the congregation was holding services. The building originally opened in 1994 as a mission for the All Saints Catholic Church.
Instead of constructing a church from the ground up, Father David M. Dye suggested the parish purchase a classic church of significance and move it to Norcross. An older church would offer a place of worship beyond what the parish could afford on its own, provide more solid construction, and preserve a piece of history.
The overall style and floor plan of St. Girard's was close to what had been envisioned for the new church at Norcross. Plans were made to move St. Girard's Church to the Georgia parish, block by block.
The church encompasses a number of unique and historical aspects. The interior is a mix of neoclassic and baroque architecture with hints of a more modern design. The church contains travertine marble, luminous stained glass windows and Corinthian columns of granite, along with sculptures and murals.
The church represented a unique opportunity, and funds raised to build the new church in Georgia were committed to moving St. Girard's. An estimated $15 million is needed, and more than $3 million has been raised. In addition to the stones project, additional opportunities for financial support are also available.
Located in Ann Arbor, the 3.7 Designs team created the St. Girard's Web site and have now built a catalog of naming opportunities for the project. Users can browse opportunities to name a part of the church by category, location or price range. The site is built on a flexible content management system which allows the church to update quantities, pricing and add additional opportunities as they arise.
3.7 is comprised of certified Google professionals who offer Web site design, creation and launch, establishing an online identity, branding, logo design, and content management. They offer e-commerce, WordPress, and drag and drop systems that are user-friendly and place the client firmly in control.
For more information about the St. Girard's Church project, visit http://movedbygrace.com. For more information about 3.7 Designs, visit www.3point7designs.com.
