Sacred Places Honored: Church of the Immaculate Conception Receives Grant for Fire Suppression System

In October, the Church of Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods was one of 17 Indiana churches awarded grant funding by the Indiana Landmark’s Sacred Places Fund. A $150,000 award will provide funding to help replace the fire suppression system in the church.

All Are Welcome

While Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has many designated sacred places, The Church of the Immaculate Conception is our hub. When visiting the Woods, you’ve likely noticed the banner in front of the church announcing “All Are Welcome” and through our programs and outreach, we reinforce our commitment to this sentiment. In the Church, daily Mass is open to everyone, including the college students, individuals living in affordable housing apartments on campus and healthcare residents living on our campus. Community members from the Terre Haute area attend, as well. Additionally, the Church hosts monthly Taizé ecumenical prayer services, weddings, funerals and community events like class ring ceremonies, Baccalaureate liturgies and commitment ceremonies.

Preserving the Spirit of the Woods

From its consecration in 1907 to today, how the Church of the Immaculate Conception is utilized and by whom has expanded; the Sisters of Providence have always been outward-facing and in the community, ministering to people. Because of this, it’s important for our buildings to also be properly maintained and safe for to those who choose to celebrate, gather, and/or worship with us. This grant to replace the current fire suppression system (both sprinkler and control systems) from Sacred Places Indiana ensures that we can continue to provide a welcoming and safe environment to both our community and our congregation. Preserving the building is vital to preserving the spirit of the Woods; the Church of the Immaculate Conception is not only a nationally recognized historic building, but it continues to be an important community and faith-building space.

Preserving Beauty to Safeguard a Historic Legacy

Recognition from Indiana Landmarks Sacred Places, funded by the Lilly Endowment, indicates the confidence that Hoosiers have in the importance of the Church and its sacredness to the State of Indiana. Indiana Landmark Associate Director, Mary Scharnberg, remarked on our award: “Selected congregations must exhibit a commitment to their community, have demonstrated good stewardship of their architecturally significant building and have clearly defined historic preservation projects. Addressing the life safety needs of the 1907 Italian Renaissance Style structure, and preserving the beauty contained within will help safeguard this important historic structure for future generations.”

Originally published in the Winter 2025 issue of HOPE magazine.