Case Engineering Providing Structural Engineering for New $8.5 Million Holy Family Catholic Church in Arnold, MO

St. Louis, MO – Construction is underway on a new Catholic church in Arnold, MO for the recently established Holy Family Parish – a blending of Arnold’s former Immaculate Conception and St. David parishes.

Case Engineering, partnered with Chiodini Architects, has provided structural engineering on the $8.5 million structure, which will replace the former Immaculate Conception Church.

A groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction was held on Sept. 12 at 2300 Church Road and attended by Holy Family Pastor Gerald Blessing, Arnold Mayor Bill Moritz, state and local officials, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski and several interested parishioners. The new church is expected to be completed in time for the parish’s December 2027 Christmas Mass.

Founded in 1895, the former Immaculate Conception Church was already in need of repairs when a March 2025 tornado caused additional cracking to the church’s brick bell tower. With all of the repairs needed, the parish decided to demolish the church in October 2025 and build a new one in its place for the newly formed Holy Family parish. Parishioners had been celebrating Mass in the campus’ parish center and chapel since the storm.

The new church will combine elements from the former parishes, including stained glass windows from Immaculate Conception and the Stations of the Cross from St. David, while adding much needed upgrades and a slightly larger footprint to comfortably seat its 400 parishioners. A spacious narthex with restrooms, a tall steeple, and enhanced accessibility are also incorporated in the new design.

The main structure will consist of perimeter steel framing with diagonal braced frames to resist lateral wind and seismic loads. Cold-formed steel roof trusses will span the full 70-foot width of the building.

“Early in the design process, Case Engineering collaborated with a local truss manufacturer to determine the optimal truss spacing and design loading,” said Case Engineering Principal/Sr. Structural Engineer Stephen J. Sacco, P.E. “Structural steel framing with diagonal bracing was also incorporated into the bell tower to provide the necessary structural support and resistance to lateral loads.”

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About Case Engineering, Inc.

Founded in 1995, St. Louis-based Case Engineering has been providing engineering design services nationwide for over 30 years. With a professional staff of over 100 employees and registrations in 49 US states and the District of Columbia, Case Engineering provides exceptional mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural engineering, plus fire protection consulting design and design-build services.

Since its founding, Case Engineering has reached new heights in professional achievements and boasts a varied client base that includes, but is not limited to the following industries: hospitality, restaurants/quick service restaurants, healthcare, retail, workplace, multi-family housing, education, laboratory and industrial. For more information about Case Engineering, visit www.caseengineeringinc.com.