May 2, 2018 (Louisville, Ky.) – On Thursday, May 10, 2018, at 4:00 pm, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz will join Father John A. Schwartzlose, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish in blessing the first natural playground at any of the 110 archdiocesan parishes or 49 schools of the Archdiocese and one of the first of its kind in Jefferson County. This event will take place on the St. Gabriel the Archangel campus at 5505 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Ky. Activities include music, food trucks, a petting zoo, face painting and a Gaga ball tournament. The Playpark will be open to the parish and the broader Fern Creek community.
Founded in 1953 and now the largest parish with one of the largest elementary schools in the Archdiocese, St. Gabriel Parish developed a plan for this playground after a parish facilities needs assessment survey identified a playground as the second most important area for growth. The parish decided to create a natural outdoor Playpark, outdoor learning hub, youth activity center and prayer area on the plot behind the parish campus. St. Gabriel worked with Booker Design Collaborative and E-Z Construction, a team of educators from the school and parish staff to design an all-age, environmentally-friendly and aesthetically beautiful Playpark where kids can create, innovate and engage in more than 18 unique natural experiences. For more information about the construction of the Playpark, see www.stgabriel.net/parish/natural-playpark/. A drawing of the Playpark also is attached.
With more than 6,600 parishioners, St. Gabriel Parish is one of 110 parishes in the 24 counties of Central Kentucky that comprise the Archdiocese of Louisville.
For more information contact Amanda Wolz at (502) 239-5481.
