More About Our Project
In 1967 work was started for the new Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Benton, Montana. The first Mass was celebrate in November, 1967. At that time, the old Immaculate Conception Church was moth-balled. Today, just over 100 years after it was built, we would like to restore the old church to it's former glory. In the past some plans were developed to preserve the old church. These efforts ran into road blocks because of the inability to get the word out. Today, we have the internet to help us in our efforts. We hope you will hear about our plans and find ways to support our efforts.
The Old Immaculate Conception Church is a part of historic Fort Benton, the "Birthplace of Montana." You can read more about our history and how we fit into Fort Benton by following the Our History link above.
You can find out how to contact us and how to make a donation by clicking on the Contact Us link above.
As we take off on this great adventure, we hope that you will support us with your prayers. Restoring a church that has not been used regularly for almost 40 years is going to be a true challenge. We hope to be able to use it again in the future, not just as a piece of history, but as a place to honor God through the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass.
More About Our Plan
The first step in our efforts to preserve the Old Immaculate Conception Church was to commission an engineering report to determine the structural worthiness of our building. The engineering report came back with rather favorable news as far as the ability to salvage the building. It was also able to give us some cost analysis for most of the structural work that will be required. They did not attempt to estimate the costs involved for the plaster work inside and the replacement of some furnishings that need to be replaced. Our plan is to break the project into Three Phases.
Phase One, to be completed in early spring, if possible, will be to replace the roof and gutters to keep the water away from the building. We are applying for grants for phase one and are also looking for donations. Water damage from the bad roof and water settling next to the building is a major concern to preserve what we have.
Phase Two will be to take care of the grout and cement work and additional landscaping to direct the water away from the building.
Phase Three will be to restore the inside of the church
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| Check out our photo gallery - Old ICC Fort Benton |
Our Work To Make It Happen
Over the winter we will embark on a campaign to raise funds for Phase One of our project. We have submitted one grant application and are looking at several others. We have received a generous donation to give us the seed/matching money we need to get started on our efforts to replace the roof.
During the upcoming summer as part of Phase Two, we hope to be able to accomplish a lot of the grout and cement work with volunteers working under the direction of a former brick layer. We can accomplish a lot of the grout work as it is within easy reach from the ground.
As we accomplish Phases One and Two, we will start to get in contact with professionals get estimates for the cost of restoring the inside of the church. This will be by far the most expensive longest of the phases. We have made a committment to the Diocese that we will continue to support our regular parish activities and obligations during this restoration effort and will rely upon generous additional donations by parishioner, donations we receive from outside sources, and grants.
View of Old ICC from the front.
Over the years little has been done to keep the church safe from the weather. The stained-glass windows have been covered with plexiglass to protect them as well as the statue of Our Blessed Mother over the entry door.Free thermometers
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