Bloomfield Hills — A completely remodeled church, brand-new gathering space and soon-to-be-constructed chapel are well worth the sacrifice and wait for St. Regis Parish in Bloomfield Hills, which celebrated the reopening of its new church at a special Mass attended by nearly 1,000 people June 14.

The yearlong restoration was part of a successful Changing Lives Together capital stewardship campaign at the parish, which has raised enough in pledges to cover the $4 million project, with plans for future construction phases in the works.

“I feel blessed by the generosity of our parishioners,” said Msgr. Charles Kosanke, pastor of St. Regis. “Their commitment to our parish is heartwarming and is a testament to the gratitude they feel to God and the Church for the spiritual nourishment they have received at St. Regis.”

St. Regis’ campaign, launched in December 2013, was among the most successful in the Archdiocese of Detroit, far surpassing its goal of $1.25 million and receiving pledges from more than 500 of its 1,345 parishioner families.

Since the church was closed for renovations in June of last year, work has been done to install new pews with kneelers, tile, carpeting, Stations of the Cross, statues and cherry-wood paneling throughout. A new tabernacle was purchased, and a new crucifix to hang above the altar will soon be completed. The church’s 1,900-pipe organ is being restored and moved to a more acoustically fitting location.

Renovations also include a new heating and cooling system, electrical and plumbing upgrades and improvements to the church’s roof and structural supports.

St. Regis, which was founded as a mission of nearby Holy Name Parish in Birmingham in 1959, has not undergone a major overhaul since the church was built in 1968.

“When I arrived as pastor almost four years ago, the church building was literally falling apart. Almost every other month when I went into the church, something was breaking down,” Msgr. Kosanke said. “The Changing Lives Together campaign gave us an immediate occasion to really restore our church.”

During construction, Masses at St. Regis had been held in the parish school’s gym, Brother Rice and Marian high schools and nearby churches.

Besides the remodeled church, renovations also included the construction of a new, 2,137-square-foot gathering space connecting the church to the soon-to-be-built chapel, where daily Masses, baptisms, weddings, funerals and Eucharistic adoration will be held and will seat approximately 100 people. Work on the chapel is expected to begin this summer, after final approval is obtained from the archdiocese.

The chapel is slated to include several items recovered from closed churches, including 10 beautiful stained-glass windows recovered from St. John Cantius Church in Detroit, which closed in 2007.

“Our church’s architecture is fairly modern. Since we wanted a new chapel, I wanted to incorporate sacred art and objects that were available for use,” Msgr. Kosanke said, adding that the altar, crucifix and statues will also come from closed churches in Wisconsin and France. “I was a pastor at three inner-city parishes, so I know the beauty of the city churches and really wanted to be able to utilize this very beautiful sacred art for a new structure.”

A second phase of construction is planned that would add a new parish office center, a family center to accommodate 250-300 people, prayer gardens and an expansion to the newly built gathering space.

While the building projects were ambitious, the spiritual dimension of the campaign was more important, Msgr. Kosanke said, pointing to programs such as Alpha and Called and Gifted hosted at the parish.

“One of the things I’ve emphasized along the way is that for us, Changing Lives Together was never just about bricks and mortar. It included it, obviously, but it was about having facilities to be able to change the lives of people. We have been focusing on spiritual renewal of the parish at the same time.”