St. Basil’s Parish Council Contracts to Purchase New Church Property

With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Peter, and under the steady guidance of Archpriest Martin Swanson, the parish council of St. Basil’s Church has executed a contract to purchase 4.27 acres of prime real estate in St. Louis County. This property will be the future location of a new church and parish center.

Fr. Martin commented that, “The property is a blessing as the new church built there will be both visible and accessible  to literally thousands of people every day, and will serve as a beacon attracting people to Orthodoxy.”  Father said, “This is a historical moment for the parish, as it is more than just the groundwork for a new building. It is an opportunity for St. Basil’s Church to more assertively fulfill the Great Commission given to us by our Lord, Himself .”(Mt. 28:19)

The property is located just west of the intersection of Interstate 270 (the outer beltway around St. Louis) and Dougherty Ferry Road, in the city of Des Peres. This parcel of land, which is part of a larger 11 acre tract, offers easy access from virtually any location in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  Mr. John Surgant, who was instrumental in helping to identify and secure this location said “It really gives parishioners and visitors about a 20 minute commute from almost anywhere in the metroplex. Even our parishioners from Illinois can enjoy the convenience of using the east/west Interstates 64 (to the north of the property), or 44 (to the south), exiting at Dougherty Ferry Road from either direction.” 

Mr. Mike Orlando, President of the parish council, indicated that this contract launches several due diligence activities including property survey, title insurance review, and environmental analysis. “While several months are allocated by contract for these activities, we are optomistic that we will not need that much time. We will also need to secure approval of a site plan and architectural drawings from the city of Des Peres, but we are not expecting any surprises there.”

Stay tuned for future announcements on the web site, and articles in the monthly newsletter with property photos and descriptions.