Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Allaire.
Hi Alex, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Kentucky and but have lived in Florida since 1985. Graduated from Florida State in 1999. Lived in a monastery in Boston for two years before starting my professional career in business. Got married in 2010 and my wife is now pregnant with our 9th child.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life is never a smooth road but it is the challenges that test you and push you to become the person that God wants you to be. The biggest challenge in my life was developing OCD in high school. I was able to overcome it in my 30’s after years of battling against the disease. This obstacle brought me to faith which is what eventually brought me to be involved in the renewal and renovation of Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church in Springfield.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a sales and business background but my work at Our Lady of Pompeii in Springfield is my volunteer job. Finding this church and then engaging in the restoration of it has been one of the highlights of my life. It is a historically significant Romanesque Revival church that was built over a 100 years ago by Italian immigrants. On the front of the church is a beautiful relief of Our Lady of Pompeii hence the name of the church. The name of the church was originally Our Lady of the Holy Rosary but we felt it fitting to name it after Our Lady of Pompeii because of the relief. The original Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was relocated to a new church several minutes away in the 1980’s.
In the 90’s the church was sold to the Seventh Day Adventist’s but was reclaimed as a Catholic Church in 2022. The church while structurally sound had many issues that needed to be addressed in order to bring it back to it’s former glory. After working with Lane Architects and Auld and White contractors we have now come to the point where the restoration work has started. From repairing the towers to installing a reclaimed altar from a church in the Bronx to an all new HVAC system this project will bring the church into the 21st century while preserving the rich cultural identity of the building. It is a $6.5M restoration that is being paid for through the generosity of donors. With roughly $4M raised to date we are well on our way to finishing out our campaign.
What are your plans for the future?
Our plans for the future of the church include a $4M Hall to accommodate the needs of the church. In addition we would like to start a school so as to support local families.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pompeiirising.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PompeiiRisingJax
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PompeiiRisingJax
- Other: a.allaire@pompeiirising.org
