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Pastor's Letter-- November 1, 2020
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Happy feast of All Saints' Day! This Solemnity actually replaces the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is an occurrence for Catholics that comes around every couple years or so with different solemnities and feasts. It is a joy to glance towards heaven and consider all the faces that are there which we do not know of here on earth. Not only will we meet the canonized saints, but so many others - a "great multitude," Revelation tells us!
Our parish church’s renovations will hopefully begin soon, as I anticipate the final documents for the project to be arriving this week. I want to thank the parishioners (parish council, art & environment, staff members) who have been part of the process of modifying and finalizing the designs that Fr. Tom Shoemaker started some four years ago when he was pastor. Your feedback and advice have been really helpful in us making the best decisions we could for the parish while balancing space limitations, cost considerations, and aesthetic recommendations. It is my hope that we will have some pictures and samples for display before Thanksgiving, with the project work probably beginning around that time. We will still be able to have weekend Masses in the church, which will allow for larger groups than the parish center would.
The work in the sanctuary will be the first part of the project, including the new hard flooring that is from the same rock quarry in upstate New York that is found in our baptismal area (Sheldon Slate).
Refurbishing the pews and staining them to match the support beams in church will hopefully be done in two stages. Since we are only using half of our pews for the foreseeable future, this should make it a pretty easy transition time: when the first half are done and returned, the second half will be taken away for work. We are also having frontals built for the first row, so they have a place to kneel as well.
The flooring for the remainder of church will be the last part, which will be done mostly during Lent of 2021. This is mainly replacing our carpet with new, but we will also install the same slate tile as baptistry and sanctuary in the main aisle and in front of the first pews. I am not sure exactly when the lights will be shipped and installed at this point, but the plan is to have it in before the flooring so as not to damage/wear out the new surfaces with the boom lift. The glass divider and door for the chapel, which also allows it to serve as a "calming room," is another part of the project to be completed before Easter (God willing!).
After exploring the audio loop system that works with hearing aids built into the floor, we ultimately decided on an alternative route that would work for individuals, which will be much more cost effective. I never heard back from that contractor so I’ll need to reach out again. This and the pews we are taking care of as separate from the renovation project itself. Another part that is outside the renovation project that needs attention is the bell tower, which shows some cracking on the face of the brickwork. Tuck-pointing will need to be done. Also, the upper bell will need a new base, which will allow it to be run mechanically along with the first bell. It will be beautiful to hear them ring together to call people to Mass and remind us of the hours of the Angelus!
Please pray for the smooth execution of this extensive undertaking, as things have been complicated with the pandemic, sometimes causing delays in projects for multiple reasons. I appreciate your support of the Small Things with Great Love capital campaign that has funded these and other projects, including the warm air we enjoy thanks to the new HV/AC system from last year. That has been working like a charm and we have plans to protect our investment in this equipment during the dusty work of renovation, utilizing our old exhaust system. God seems to have a plan for this all to work out well. Praise Him!
Saint Thérèse, Little Flower, pray for us!
