St. Thomas Parish celebrates renovation and reopening of Providence Center
Staff Report
St. Thomas Parish, Ft. Thomas, celebrated a significant milestone with the reopening of the newly renovated Providence Center, transforming a historic former convent into new spaces for education, prayer and parish life.
The Oct. 24–25 celebration welcomed parishioners, school families, alumni and members of the community for an open house showcasing the building’s transformation. Among the special guests were the Sisters of Divine Providence, whose connection to St. Thomas dates back to 1902, when the sisters helped establish St. Thomas School.
Originally constructed in the 1960s to serve as a convent for the sisters, the building had remained largely underutilized since the early 2000s. The extensive renovation, which cost approximately $1.5 million, has given the building new life, creating preschool classrooms, a music classroom, a library, gathering and meeting spaces, and a new Eucharistic Adoration Chapel.
The project was far more than a cosmetic update. “It was everything,” said Father Ross Kelsch, pastor, St. Thomas Parish. “At the lower level, the concrete had to be jackhammered out so that we could put in all new sewer lines. All new windows, all new electric, all new plumbing, all new walls and lighting. Essentially, it was a shell, and from there we replaced everything.”
New flooring was installed throughout, and the former convent’s shared bathing facilities were removed and replaced with six new restrooms, including accessible restrooms, restrooms designed specifically for preschoolers and a dedicated restroom for the Adoration Chapel.
Level 4 Construction, Ft. Mitchell, served as the primary contractor, working with CDI Electric and Dupont Plumbing, along with other subcontractors. Construction began in May, and the building was ready for use in about four months. Preschool classes began meeting in the building at the beginning of October, and work on the lower-level library was recently completed.
The project comes during a period of growth for St. Thomas School. Enrollment has increased from 222 students last school year to 319 students this year. Among those welcomed were 44 students from nearby St. Catherine of Siena School, which closed at the end of the previous school year. Father Kelsch noted that the growth is not due only to the closure.
“We’ve grown 44 percent year over year, so that’s a huge jump,” he said. “I don’t know what you could attribute that to other than people belong here and they feel that.”
The timeline for the project was swift. After a March 23 parish meeting to discuss how the parish could welcome families from St. Catherine, a plan for the Providence Center was proposed, and by April most of the funding had been committed. Father Kelsch said the idea was not new.
“We had always been toying with the idea of doing something with the Providence Center,” he said.
Accommodating the growth required creative use of the parish’s existing facilities. By relocating the preschool, library and music classroom from the main school building to the renovated Providence Center, St. Thomas was able to create additional homerooms in the main building. The school went from one homeroom per grade last year to two homerooms in every grade except seventh and eighth.
The project also created new opportunities for prayer, faith formation and community gatherings. The new Adoration Chapel has its own entrance and restrooms, allowing school activities and adoration to continue without disrupting one another. The chapel had been temporarily housed for about six months in a room off the church undercroft while the former chapel was converted into the music room. Adoration, which is available 24 hours a day by code, returned to its permanent home with a Eucharistic procession, Nov. 2. The multipurpose library space will also be used for OCIA meetings and for faith formation groups for adults and public school students.
“There’s something beautiful about seeing a building with so much history given new life,” said Father Kelsch. “For generations, the Sisters of Divine Providence helped shape the faith and education of our community. Now, the very building they once called home will continue that mission for generations to come.”
The renovation was made possible through the generosity of parishioners, school families, alumni and other supporters. Father Kelsch said the major donors were all parishioners of St. Thomas.
“I’m incredibly grateful to our parishioners who stepped up to the plate and helped make this project a reality in such a short period of time,” Father Kelsch said. “When we realized how quickly our school was growing and what needed to be done, our parish community responded with tremendous generosity. This project is a testament to their faith, commitment and belief in the future of St. Thomas.”
More work may lie ahead. Father Kelsch said the school will need to find space for another homeroom or two next year. “There’s only so much space to exploit, but there will be continual projects,” he said.
“This renovation is about more than a building,” said Father Kelsch. “It’s about investing in Catholic education, welcoming new families, and creating spaces that will serve our parish community for generations to come.”
