The history of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstadt, Mississippi dates back more than a century to when the rural parish served a handful of people. For the past 50 years, the congregation used the same building but growth required the church’s current leaders to find a bigger place to fit their needs.

The new church, recently completed, was designed by the late Michael Barranco and his colleague, Scott Carpenter. It reflects the functional elements of a modern urban church design but with a look that harkens back to earlier days—particularly its board and batten siding and standing seam metal roof.

“We tried to nail together a church layout with all the characteristics of modern day worship but still reflect its origins as a rural type of church,” notes Carpenter. The result is a traditional look that pays homage to its origins but also incorporates elements of modern worship including lots of green space and courtyards and a large gathering space within the building. Today the complex houses a sanctuary, a family life facility and classrooms. Sustainability was also an issue, notes Carpenter, pointing to the use of Hardyboard for the walls and standing seam metal panels for the roof.

For the roof the architect chose 21,500 square feet of Englert 2000 Series profile roofing, fabricated and installed by Mid-State Roofing Company, Pearl, MS. The roof panel are 18” wide. The roof color is Slate Gray.

Malouf Construction of Greenwood, Mississippi was the general contractor.