Indiana’s ‘Extreme Makeover’: St. Meinrad comes together to help build new home for family

Photo caption: Workers help the new home of Steven and Shawna Farina of St. Meinrad begin to take shape. Volunteers turned out in large numbers to assist with the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project.

By Katie Berger

Special to The Criterion

ST. MEINRAD—The welcome sign for the town of St. Meinrad reads “Population: 840.”

But during the last week of September, that number changed as thousands of people journeyed to the small southern Indiana town when ABC’s hit television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” rolled in to work on the home of Steven and Shawna Farina of St. Meinrad. The effort brought a community together to support a family of its own.

The Farina’s home, located just two doors down from St. Meinrad Church and at the base of the hill of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, was demolished to begin the construction of a new home at the same location.

Shawna Farina, 27, a breast cancer

survivor, is very active in the Spencer County Relay for Life and is also well-known in the community as a Girl Scout troop leader. She and her husband, Steven, have three children: Lacey, 7, Summer, 6, and Bryan, 4.

Ty Pennington, star carpenter of the ABC show, knocked on the Farina’s door on Sept. 25, and the production soon got under way. As a result of Shawna’s involvement in the Relay for Life, an “extreme” Relay for Life was hosted on the Archabbey grounds for five days in conjunction with the show.

Within days of Pennington’s knock, the Farina’s home was leveled and local construction crews worked around the clock to complete the effort in five days. Hundreds of local volunteers worked day and night to finish the new home.

Faith Schaefer, youth minister at the tri-parish cluster of St. Meinrad in St. Meinrad, St. Boniface in Fulda and St. Martin of Tours in Siberia, said she was not surprised by the support from the parish and community.

“The parish, with outstretched arms, welcomed the crew on their property, accepted the inconvenience of having to move events to another location and

[provided] whatever they needed,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer, who knows Shawna Farina through her team’s participation in the Relay for Life, said she admired Shawna for her dedication, even through her treatment.

“She is a remarkable person,” Schaefer said. “She does not dwell on her illness. She is always willing to help someone else.”

Farina’s positive outlook and contributions to area organizations have inspired many, who in turn, came out to give back to her.

Kathy Seckinger, a member of St. Boniface Parish in Fulda and Girl Scout troop service director, worked with Shawna through the Girls Scouts.

“It is nice to see that people can still pull together to help one another,” Seckinger said. “She does an outstanding job with our young girls. Shawna has helped our girls to understand about cancer.”

Saint Meinrad Archabbey played a large role in assisting the production, according to Benedictine Father Jeremy King, director of community outreach for the Archabbey and its representative to the show.

In addition to serving as relay host, the Archabbey provided pastries each morning and a few meals to volunteers.

Additionally, seminarians and monks were given a “sneak peek” of the home since they were asked to move the new furniture inside it.

The show’s effect was felt on the local parish as well.

Benedictine Father Adrian Burke, pastor of the tri-parish cluster of St. Meinrad, St. Boniface and St. Martin of Tours, was approached weeks ago by producers for logistical help with the show’s production.

The parish grounds housed much of the production.

“It’s affected the parish tremendously,” Father Adrian said. “We have had to literally close the parish down.” The parish’s weekday and weekend Masses were moved to neighboring St. Boniface Parish for the duration of the makeover.

“Because of the excitement of the town and the fact [that] many of our parishioners are contractors and have been involved directly with the project, this is not an issue. It’s so much excitement in the area that they are thrilled that it’s happening,” Father Adrian said.

St. Meinrad parishioner Susan Ippolito, who is also an employee at the Archabbey Health Services, said the atmosphere was very positive. “We were excited about it because this is the one television show that my family watches.”

Ippoliti’s home is just doors away from the Farina’s home and the parish grounds. “We haven’t had too much inconvenience or noise really. We have slept well at night even,” she said.

Only a week after the knock on their door, the Farina family returned to their neighborhood in a stretch limousine to see their new home.

Thousands lined the street. As is the routine for the show, the family stood behind a large bus, which blocked the view of their home. After chants of “move that bus,” the community watched as the family reacted to the sight of their new home.

Due to an agreement with producers, the Farina family is unable to talk about the experience until the show is aired on ABC. The air date of the episode that will feature the Farina’s “Extreme Home Makeover” has not been officially released.

Still, one resident noted that she was not surprised by how the community came together to help.

“They [the residents] showed nationally what ‘hometown’ is all about,” Schaefer said. “I would hope that if I ever had to go through what she [Shawna] goes through, God would give me the strength to endure it as well as she has.” †