Fr. Schilling engaged the well-known architect, Aristide Leonori (1856-1928), who would later design the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis, to design and supervise the construction of the church and monastery. Leonori visited the Holy Land and took accurate measurements and photographs of the holy sites that were to be reproduced. A huge wooden cross was erected on the hilltop, which is today the site of the Friars’ Cemetery, behind the monastery. In February 1898, ground was broken for a new building, and the cornerstone was laid on the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph. To fund the construction, Fr. Godfrey sold paper bricks, called “building bricks,” which were 2.5 x .5 inches and contained a medal of St. Anthony of Padua. The building bricks were sold for 10 cents each. When the church was completed, a year later, it was nearly free of debt.