The Polish "immigrant" in it's new home.

Prayer Can Move Mountains. (Not to Mention Churches!)

Location: Lawton, Michigan

The cries of "Hallelujah!" ringing through Lawton, Michigan, weren't part of any religious service, but they were certainly church-related!

It was confirmation that a church "built" in Europe had successfully completed its ocean voyage and seemed to be a perfect fit for the foundation that had already been poured for it in Lawton!

It was the happy climax of a very interesting project handled by CSM Group as part of a larger effort for the Society of St. John Cantius of Chicago, Illinois.

The Society is headquartered in a dense urban setting just northwest of Chicago's downtown. The generous donation of an 85-acre natural setting in Lawton provided it the opportunity to build a beautiful Retreat Center for the seminarians it trains for the priesthood.

Small chapel...big achievement!

The Society's home church, St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago, was founded by Polish immigrants, and has maintained a strong Polish heritage. The Founder and Superior of the Society, the Rev. C. Frank Phillips, C.R., had a unique idea in mind to celebrate that relationship.

It began with a trip to Poland. Fr. Phillips met Michal Batkiewicz, a talented artisan and church builder from Krakow. Together, they designed a rustic log chapel reflecting the design and materials common in Old World Poland, and made plans to bring it to the new Retreat Center campus in Lawton.

Sounds simple, right? It was decidedly NOT simple. After designing the church, Batkiewicz began assembling it in Poland to ensure that it achieved his vision, and to accurately measure the "footprint" for a foundation.

"Long distance" construction management.

Time was precious, however, as winter was approaching. To save time, all the details on the Michigan "end" of this long-distance operation were to be handled by CSM Group, the construction manager for the Retreat Center project.

Translating and converting Batkiewicz's measurements, written in Polish and measured in metrics, CSM Group worked with local authorities to gain municipal approvals and occupancy permits. Familiarity with the local codes and requirements certainly helped. So did the company's reputation-which provided a comfort zone for authorities when the project required a departure from normal construction protocols. Finally, all approvals were obtained and the foundation was poured.

"It was an interesting process," laughed Curt Petersen, CSM Project Director. "We had to do a bit of a soft shoe."

A church comes ashore!

In Poland the church was disassembled and placed in shipping containers for its ocean voyage. Upon arrival in Lawton, tons of logs and lumber were unloaded largely by Society members, friends, and family, and St. John Cantius parishioners (including Tom Dietz, a member of the family that donated the land, and Associate Society member David Carollo). This group had worked extensively to clear the site beforehand, and used some of the cleared timber to construct a beautiful "Stations of the Cross" display on the grounds near the chapel.

Michal Batkiewicz himself offered to reconstruct the building in its new Michigan home, and, with the help of many willing participants, exterior construction was completed. The first Mass was celebrated in it on October 12, 2003.

In the spring of 2004, final touches were completed just in time for the May 29 wedding of David Carollo and his fiancee, Dorothy Crellin, the first Associate Members of the Society and major contributors of "sweat equity" to the project. Who better to be the first couple married in the chapel!

The 1,100-square-foot "St. Anne Chapel" is a beautiful rustic log structure with a timber-beamed roof. In addition to the worship space, it features a vestibule, balcony, small organist's loft, and rest room. The altar provides its own interesting history, recovered from a church that was closing.

A welcome addition to a welcoming place.

The St. Anne Chapel is a very warm and moving component of the new Society of St. John Cantius Retreat Center. The main 11,000-square-foot facility features lodging and dining facilities, meeting rooms, and inviting common areas with fireplaces and other amenities.

The nearly $1 million project is scheduled for completion in late fall. But as Petersen looks back, his most memorable moments were associated with the challenges of "importing" a charming little chapel from Poland to its Michigan home.

"Did I mention that Michal, the artisan, speaks no English?" he asks, with a grin.