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St. Catherine of Sweden Church   Wildwood, PA

The two story, 28,300 SF Roman Catholic church and parish hall facility for St. Catherine of Sweden Church, located in Hampton Township, was dedicated on October 1, 2004. It was the result of a carefully designed master plan that was begun by RSSC in January 2001.

This building is the first of three phases for the nineteen acre site and it provided for the immediate and basic needs of the Parish which included religious, educational, social and administrative functions. This new site location was purchased by St. Catherine prior to having sold their original buildings and site to a private school.

The two level structure utilized a sloping area on the Eastern side of this wooded site to accommodate accessible entrances at the Lower & Upper Levels. The main approach is at the Upper Level, where one is invited for church and administrative activities under any array of descending sloped roofs, which terminates with the lowest, most projecting, entrance canopy.

The transition through the Narthex, located under the mid-roof portion, is used for greeting and socialization before entering into the Nave.

This final stage of entering brings one into the main vaulted area of the Nave and following the initiation at the Baptismal Font, symbolic of the Catholic tradition, one continues down the center aisle to the circular Sanctuary. Curved pews radiate around the altar, which was custom designed by RSSC along with all other liturgical furnishings.

Both ends of the Nave are terminated in high gabled glass areas that flood light through the vault. Punched out clearstory windows on the side of the vault introduce additional splashes of light into the adjacent Nave areas under the lower ceilings. The use of stained glass around the perimeter of the 600 seat Nave artistically tells the story of creation & the history of the Catholic Church, while the varying times of daylighting adds an ever changing dimension with color to the space.

An operable partition behind one bank of pews can open up a Multi-Purpose area to the body of the Church to introduce an additional two hundred seat area for excess congregational needs.

The Lower Level, accessed from a separate entrance or from the open stairs at the Narthex, contains a Parish Hall that accommodates banquet seating for 200, a commercial type Kitchen, four classrooms and the Religious Education office.

Phase two will provide expanded space for Pre-School, meeting, religious education and pastoral offices.

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