St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church

Name: Grace Design Studios
Price range: $

St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church sought the design and planning guidance of our firm to develop a master plan and program that would meet the active, diverse and fast-growing congregation’s current and future needs.

A four-phase master plan was developed with continuous collaboration and feedback from the parishioners. The designers and stakeholders elected to concentrate Phase I on major renovations to the existing church structure. The design team developed a beautiful, warm and modern worship space that adhere to the congregation’s principles of design:

Create a cohesive plan while maintaining the small campus atmosphere
Improve the existing campus architecture
Enhance the quality and function of the worship space
Create outdoor spaces to facilitate fellowship among parishioners

While embracing the existing church architecture, the design team made significant improvements to the interior and exterior, successfully creating a worship space that maintained the integrity of the original structure while introducing a contemporary architectural vocabulary. The project added a handmade altar and a permanent baptismal font but also dedicated space to the church’s cherished stained-glass windows, statues, Stations of the Cross and crucifix. Rich woods contrast a soft interior color palette while natural light fills the space. The project also made the interior feel more welcoming and accessible via an updated audio system and video projection area.

Project Size: 15,000 SF

Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Four-phase Master Plan

The four-phase master plan focused on renovations to the church, ministry building, parish hall and chapel.

Using Original Structure

Although significant improvements were made to the interior and exterior of the worship space, the integrity of the existing structure – in particular the exposed wood trusses and ceilings – was maintained.

Increased Capacity

Remaining true to the original Latin Cross floor plan, Grace worked with the space to increase seating capacity by 200, bringing the church’s new capacity to 1,000.

The second phase of the St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church master plan focused on the Ministry Building. This phase established a two-story structure nearly four times the size of its predecessor with entry access from the existing church and school campus on the first floor as well as access from Highland Road on the second floor. In order to tie into the recently renovated church plaza and create a more inviting environment, the existing concrete drive and parking lot were replaced with pervious pavers which can also act as a parking lot. The project was completed just before Christmas and served as a wonderful gift to the growing congregation.