By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

When his father asked if the new church in Hays might be able to use a baby grand piano, Father Fred Gatschet made a phone call to fellow priest Kevin Weber across town at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.

The question was music to the ears of Billie Jacobs, music coordinator at IHM.

"I used to jokingly say that there was a grand piano drawn on the blueprints, and wouldn't it be nice to have one there for real someday," Jacobs said. "I started dreaming, praying. I didn't ever imagine those prayers would be answered so soon."

It's been that same kind of generosity such as that of Frank Gatschet from Manhattan that has helped make the new Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church what it is, Weber said.

Built at 500 E. 19th, adjacent to the old worship space, the new church -- which was dedicated a week ago -- still has a ways to go for completion.

Cement for a new parking was poured just last week.

Columns are to be installed around support beams in the church and around the large, long speakers at the front of the sanctuary.

Stained glass windows from the old church will be installed, hopefully by Easter, on both sides of the church.

The IHM Knights of Columbus is holding a fundraiser next month to help kick start a campaign to complete the basement, which at this time is a large open space of cement walls and floor and support beams.

"Definitely, it's the people that make the church," said Weber, who said he thinks working toward funding smaller projects a little at a time helps give the parishioners more ownership.

Donations have ranged from $10 to $100,000, and everywhere in between.

And, Weber said, "every bit, little or big, helps."

Like in so many years gone by, IHM is making good use of what it already has.

Wood from pews from the old church was used to build the large cross for the crucifix that hangs over the tabernacle, for stands for various statues, for frames to dress up the Stations of the Cross and for small crosses that hang at various places throughout the church.

Building a new home

A booklet prepared for the March 14 Mass of Dedication has nine pages of lists of people who donated in one way or another to the new church.

There were monetary gifts toward individual items such as the large Holy Water font that doubles as a baptismal font; to entire rooms such as a kitchenette and music room; to the sound system, stained glass windows and church pews.

"Some of things were already (designated) before I got here," said Weber, in his eighth year as pastor at IHM. "They had asked people if they wanted to donate to the crucifix, the altar, different things."

From there, it just kind of snowballed, Weber added.

So, too, did a suggestion that came from the "Forward in Faith" building committee.

At one of their meetings, Weber said, someone came up with the idea to ask for donations during weekend Masses.

So once ground was broken for the new building, around the first of year in 2008, a separate collection was taken at the end of each Mass. Weber and associate pastor Joshua Werth would give updates on the progress of the new church.

"We really enjoyed how things were going," admitted Wilma Braun, a longtime parishioner of IHM.

Braun and her husband, Gerald, joined the fledging church when they married in 1954.

Immaculate Heart of Mary had been started to help ease the overflow of parishioners at St. Joseph Parish, then the only Catholic parish in Hays.

Worshippers started meeting for Mass in a building on the west end of what was then Jefferson East School, in a space that originally was built for an auditorium/gymnasium.

"We thought we'd eventually get a new church building," Braun said.

But years went by, and improvements were made to the gymnasium along the way, including installing stained glass windows.

IHM officially became a parish in 1967, and after a while that gym began to feel a lot like home.

Father Don Zimmerman became pastor of IHM in 2000 and soon thereafter formed a building committee, of which the Brauns were members from the beginning.

And plans were begun to make a new home for the growing IHM parish.

In memory of ...

Numerous gifts for the new church have been given in memory of deceased loved ones.

One of those is the baby grand piano that looks like it was made for its spot in the choir area near the front of church.

"It's kind of like it was meant to be; after all, it was on the blueprints," Jacobs said with a laugh.

Amy Gatschet -- mother of Father Fred Gatschet, the owner of that slick black baby grand -- died from injuries she suffered in an automobile accident in December 2008.

Frank Gatschet no longer had any use for the piano.

Instead of selling it, he thought it would be nice to donate it to a church and started calling around to different parishes.

Frank Gatschet thought of IHM in Hays, home of his son, Father Fred.

"Dad called one day and asked, 'Do you think that new church out there could use a piano?' " said Father Fred, pastor of Fort Hays State University's Catholic Campus Center who also teaches at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School.

"They seemed delighted to get it, and Dad got rid of a piano that took up a whole room," Father Fred said. "Everyone was happy."

Especially Jacobs.

"Electronic keyboards are nice, all the different things they can do. But there's no real true substitute for that acoustic sound," said Jacobs, who added having an organ, an acoustic piano and an electronic keyboard adds great variety to the congregation.

"All our music ministers are excited about having (the baby grand) here," Jacobs added. "This opens up so many more options. It's a real blessing to have all three of them."