A New Golden Age? 8 Traditional Catholic Churches Being Built Today

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Something big is happening with new Catholic architecture around the United States. For decades, starting in the 1950s, it seemed like every Catholic church was either a brutalist bunker or a plain functional community center. The sacred beauty of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque churches was essentially a thing of the past. But at the turn of the new millennium, something changed. Classic sacred architecture started cropping up again.

[00:00:22]>> [music] >> So, in this video, I'm looking at Catholic churches in the USA that are either under construction or are on their way to breaking ground. These eight parishes prove that beauty is a priority church once again. Number eight, St. [music] Andrew Catholic Parish in Riverton, Utah. So, this parish has been operating out of a gymnasium since 2008, saving funds until the time was right. And [music] now they've officially begun the process of building a $35 million permanent structure. The new church is designed by MHTN Architects in a Basilica Cruciform style. The building will feature a striking eight-sided Byzantine style dome, a Roman style portico, and a celestial blue interior. Pastor Joseph Del Bianco the vision for the church as a place of sacred beauty meant to draw hearts toward Christ, prominently situated to invite the public to come and see. The 10-acre campus is planned to include an adoration chapel, a social hall and community space, and an expanded food pantry. Parish leadership have described St. Andrews as an oasis in the desert for a Catholic living in a predominantly Mormon area.

[00:01:21]Number seven, St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Irvine, California. So, this new project, titled the Believe and Build Campaign, is estimated to cost approximately $30 million.

[00:01:31]>> [music] >> After roughly 30 years of planning and fundraising, the parish held its official groundbreaking ceremony on April 25th, 2026. [music] The exterior is designed in a Tuscany-inspired architecture that will follow a traditional cruciform layout spanning about 20,000 square feet. The nave should seat about 950 people, and the design includes a coffered ceiling and a shrine to the Blessed Mother.

[00:01:51]Decades ago, this parish started off in a middle school, then eventually moved into a warehouse-type space. After years of raising money and saving, this parish will now be able to house the real presence of Christ in something that is truly worthy as a gift to God.

[00:02:04]Construction is expected to take about 18 months with a target completion date in late 2027. [music] Number six, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne Parish in Anthem, Arizona. The Phoenix area has been rapidly growing over the years and Saint Rose is one of over 100 active construction projects in the Diocese of Phoenix at the moment as all these new parishioners are accommodated. And this is a new Catholic church that is well underway. As of early May 2026, the building has transitioned from a structural shell to the space that is beginning to look like a finished sanctuary.

[00:02:34]Drywall installation was nearly complete as of March. Additional decorative beams have been installed in the ceiling and much of the donated stained glass has already been installed. The design includes a separate but connected daily chapel. This is intended to be used for smaller daily masses, which is expected to save the parish roughly 80% in energy costs compared to heating or cooling the entire main sanctuary. [music] This has to be a serious consideration in an area like Phoenix where extreme temperatures can be the norm. When completed, Saint Rose will serve as a beautiful example of a mission revival style Catholic church. The iconic curved step gables, the white stucco walls, and the terracotta rooftop. Truly an inspired design.

[00:03:12]Number five, Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

[00:03:15]Saint Joseph has become one of the most vibrant parishes in the Diocese of Little Rock and [music] masses are often standing room only. So, the parish decided it was time to level up. They hired WD R Architects to build become the favorite style of new Catholic church in the USA, Romanesque Revival.

[00:03:31]You see the heavy substantial walls, the clear use of rounded arches, the tall square bell tower, and a cruciform layout. I think this is generally been preferred over Gothic architecture because it's a bit more functional but still provides that classic Catholic beauty.

[00:03:44]Saint Joseph's is expected to break ground this summer. They raised over 7.2 million for the new facility surpassing its original goal of 5.5 million.

[00:03:52]>> [music] >> Another fine example of how the American South is becoming more Catholic and embracing sacred architecture. [music] Before we get into the top four new beautiful Catholic churches in the USA, >> [music] >> I want to talk about Advaticanum. This is a brand new Catholic news site that is going to give you all the information you need when it comes to current events in the Vatican and around [music] the world. So, head over to advaticanum.com and make your free account today. Plus, if you go and follow their YouTube account, you'll get exclusive purely Catholic content that I'll only have available over there.

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[00:04:48]Number four, St. John Paul the Second Catholic Church in Henderson, Nevada.

[00:04:52]So, this is yet another story of a rapidly growing community building a new building in response to massive regional growth.

[00:04:58]>> [music] >> Currently, the parish is operating out of a high school gym while the church building process is underway. Father Shawn Dresden has emphasized that the parish is focused on building a community rather than just a structure.

[00:05:08]The parish quickly grew to roughly 400 members and it's projected to reach 3,500 families by the time [music] the permanent building opens.

[00:05:15]The parish will take on the Spanish colonial mission revival style, which is very common for this region. This is characterized by the symmetrical facade and white stucco exterior. The design exudes beauty. The twin bell towers, the raised terrace, the simplified rose window are all done traditionally, but with some local flair. All of these churches show us that Catholics are done with community-center-style low-slung buildings for the most part. And that brings us to number three, St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina. So, I wanted to include this despite the fact that it's not being built in the classic Gothic or Romanesque style. This new church will be a big improvement on the existing structure and has some redeeming qualities despite being a more modern design. The new church is being built so as to have a cohesive campus for their parish, school, and administrative offices. Plus they [music] need the extra capacity in the growing Catholic areas of the American South. So while the church doesn't have a lot of the classic architectural elements, they will be incorporating historical stations of the cross carved by the Demetz Art Studios in Italy. They'll be centering the tabernacle in a prominent location and will still incorporate form layout. Plus it appears as if great care is being taken to beautify the grounds surrounding the parish and school. So all in all, it's a step in the right direction and gets each parishioner and child a little closer to the divine.

[00:06:27]Number two, Holy Cross Catholic Church in Fargo, North Dakota.

[00:06:31]I'm including this parish on the list because it was just finished last year and work on the sacred art and detail is ongoing.

[00:06:36]>> [music] >> The building is designed in a traditional Romanesque style which includes a massive 138-foot bell tower.

[00:06:42]The interior includes a celestial blue apps, >> [music] >> exposed timber trusses, and gold sacred art. Many meaningful items from the parish's history such as the original crucifix and a salvaged tabernacle were integrated into the new sanctuary.

[00:06:55]>> [music] >> The church is currently fully operational with plans to add an organ and other details on the horizon. North Dakota is actually a burgeoning Catholic state. I rank Bismarck as one of the best towns to raise [music] a Catholic family in America. Plus the state is littered with hidden gem Catholic churches. From Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Strasburg to Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Hague to Saint Stanislaus in Warsaw, a highly underrated Catholic state.

[00:07:18]>> [music] >> And number one, Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Corcoran, Minnesota.

[00:07:23]So this parish is desperately in need of a new and larger building to house its congregation that has outpaced the capacity of its beloved 1896 white frame sanctuary. They've raised over $6 million of their overall goal of $8 million which will be used to build a 400-seat Romanesque style Catholic Church. The sacred architectural company IO will even be incorporating the 1930 stained glass windows from the old church into the new space. The church pastor, Father Jensen, has said he wants to incorporate more sacred art than was previously used. And IO studio has said they hope to create a catechism in stone. I'm fascinated by the fact that the new church will be built in the Romanesque style. That really seems to be the go-to move when it comes to modern Catholic architecture. It's beautiful, it's functional, and it stands the test of time. [music] What's amazing to me is that this new movement to build classic beautiful Catholic churches is totally organic. There's no memo from the Vatican dictating that it has to go down like this.

[00:08:14]>> [music] >> I think left to our own devices, the Holy Spirit will guide us in the direction of tradition. Regular lay Catholics will always lean in the direction of a stunning [music] church, a reverent liturgy, and a solemn observance of our traditions. I think that as time goes on, we'll look back at the Brutalist architecture and suburban community center-style churches as a small scratch on the tapestry of sacred Catholic beauty. So, let me know in the comments if you have any Catholic parishes in the works near you. And thanks for watching.