Roughly three and a half years after St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Joplin was destroyed by a devastating tornado, the parish celebrated the first mass in their new spiritual home.

Working closely with parish members and leaders, the RDG team worked to develop a design for the new church and campus evocative of Roman Catholic tradition. The result is a sacred place of permanence and peace, warmly welcoming parishioners today and for generations to come.

Larger than the previous church, the new St. Mary’s holds approximately 750 worshippers. It also has a reflecting pool and retention pond, as well as a large cross similar to the iron cross that survived the May, 2011 storm. Additionally, the campus includes an elementary school, offices, and parish center. The school houses children in pre-school through fifth grade and was designed with the option to expand.

Read the story and see video of the event on fourstateshomepage.com