Sunday offered up a bittersweet victory for St. Clement Catholic Church. A groundbreaking for the new church building brought both the promise of future growth and the anticipation of sorrow when the current church is torn down.

The Rev. Lowell Will, the church's priest, said St. Clement was established in Boonville 129 years ago. The current 240-seat building on East Sycamore Street is the original church. It features a bell tower, balcony and of course, several stained glass windows.

"It is getting rather old and we need more space," said Will. "It's just old and it's no use putting money into renovations. It's basically, we need a bigger church, more space."

Even so, there are some parishioners who aren't happy about saying goodbye to a church that has been a part of the community for so many years.

"I was baptized in that church in 1948," said Michael Greer, a lifelong member of St. Clement. "So, everything in my life has practically taken place in the building. All of my kids have been baptized there; they've all been married there, as well as my wife and I."

Despite the fond memories, Greer said he understands the need for a new church.

"I know a lot of people are against tearing the old church building down, and I hate to see it go, too," he said. "It's going to be a very sad day. But, in order for us to still have a parish 100 years from now, it needs to be done."

With 525 families being members of the church and such a small seating capacity in comparison, Greer said there have been times when parishioners could expect to stand through the services.

"At one time, if you didn't get to church 20 minutes before (Mass), you would end up standing," he said. "It isn't quite that bad anymore; I'm hoping it will come back."

But, it's unlikely that will be a problem in the new church. With the new construction, Will said the seating capacity will be expanded to 600.

The new building will be constructed of brick and lined in limestone. He said the church will basically be a square with laminated arches and a wood decked ceiling.

But, he said the new church won't be entirely new. The Stations of the Cross, the statues, and the back altar from the current church will all be moved to the new building.

The new church has also been designed to utilize the existing stained glass windows.

"(It's) combining some of the old with the new," said Will. "I think that will be very good, a step-over, almost, in continuation of the old to the new."

It's a possibility the church may be able to save a piece of the current church, as well. If the structure is self-supporting once the church is torn down, Will said the building committee intends to leave the tower standing. In the future, it's possible the church will construct a courtyard between the tower and the new church.

But, for now, Will said he's excited to move forward with the new construction. He said the contracts should be signed between the church and Peyronnin, the project's general contractor, by the end of the week. Building permits are still in the works, but he expects those to be approved by next week.

The ground work should begin once everything is signed and approved. With no delays or snags in the project, the church should be constructed within nine months.

If the old adage "time heals all wounds" is true, that may be enough time for parishioners to accept the inevitable change.

"I think there will be excitement when the new church building starts being built; and the farther along it goes, I believe it will create more excitement," said Greer. "And it's going to be so much better. We are hurting for room. We lose a lot of weddings because the church just isn't big enough."