By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper

KEY WEST | On the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Catholic education to South Florida, theBasilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea dedicated a state-of-the-art gymnasium/activity center.

The timing wasn’t exactly planned. But God’s plans usually work better than human ones.

In December 2015, an inspection of the school’s 60-year-old gymnasium found dangerous conditions.

“It was basically a steel building set on concrete piles, and the concrete piles were deteriorated,” said Deacon Peter Batty of the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea. The engineer “recommended we close the building immediately because it was structurally unsound.”

The gymnasium housed a cafeteria, gym and kitchen used daily by the school children, but repairs would have been impractical. “We needed to replace it,” Deacon Batty said.

So while the children ate and played outdoors or in other parish spaces, and archdiocesan officials worked to secure architectural designs, construction bids and a multitude of city and county permits, the basilica parish embarked on a fundraising campaign.

“We had to admit our poverty,” said Father John Baker, rector of the basilica parish. “And God provided.”

A year-and-a-half, $2 million, and one hurricane later, the new 14,300-square-foot facility was dedicated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski. Located on the same spot as the old gym, the Rose Renna Activity Center includes a state-of-the-art kitchen, much-improved lighting, retractable bleacher seating, and air conditioning – which the old building lacked. It also meets all the current wind and water building codes.

“We could build it on ground level because we’re well above the 500-year flood plain,” Deacon Batty said. In fact, all eight acres of parish property sit above that 500-year flood plain.

The new gym “is wonderful for volleyball and basketball and a whole variety of activities. We’re using it more than we ever used the old one,” Deacon Batty said. “It’s just a great blessing to our school but also a great blessing to our parish.”

The Knights of Columbus use it for their monthly breakfasts, every first Sunday in winter. The school uses it for its Beyond the Bell after school program, which offers arts and crafts, athletics, and tutoring and homework help in 2,100-square-feet of classroom space with retractable walls. The gym will accommodate Scouting events, talent shows and science fairs, youth retreats and religion classes, Vacation Bible School and athletic camps in summer, as well as county-wide athletic tournaments.

The name, Rose Renna, honors the mother of a basilica parishioner and part-time Key West resident, Maria Sharpe, who pledged $1 million toward the building’s construction. Renna was present for the dedication Sept. 15, along with her children. During her brief remarks, she spoke of the gift of a Catholic education and her desire to continue to make that possible for the children of the parish.

“David Prada (archdiocesan director of Building and Property) assisted the parish through the entire design and building process, including addressing the damage to the partially built structure hit by Hurricane Irma and the multitude of challenges in finding materials and labor in Key West after the hurricane,” said Sister Elizabeth Worley, archdiocesan chancellor for administration.

The gym is the third capital project the basilica parish has completed in the past five years, Father Baker noted. First they replaced the basilica’s roof, then they renovated the parish center, renaming it the Klaus Murphy Center in honor of two former parishioners whose foundation funds efforts to assist the poor and needy in Key West. Those include the parish’s St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen and its Star of the Sea Outreach Mission in Stock Island.

“Our parish is just so giving,” said Deacon Batty. “We are a parish of great faith as well as very, very generous people.”

Education first arrived in Key West – and by extension all South Florida – in 1868, when five Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary arrived from Montreal, Canada, and established the Convent of Mary Immaculate, a school for girls. A year later they opened a parochial school for white boys, followed by one for black children and another for Cuban girls.

Through name changes and mergers, openings and closings, Catholic education has continued uninterrupted on the island for a century-and-a-half. Current enrollment in the PreK3 through eighth grade Basilica School has grown from about 150 to 300 students in the past five years.

The Basilica School also will be receiving a CARD Award for Outstanding School Partner from the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities Program sponsored by the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. The award will be presented at a luncheon at UM Oct. 4. It recognizes “all that you and the Basilica School have done in working with us for the benefit of individuals with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder).”

In 2010, the basilica launched a “Save our School” campaign. “We did more than save our school,” Father Baker said. “We’re building it forward.”