A few weeks ago, we printed an article about a future renovation project in the church. Starting in June, we will begin that project: drywalling the cinder block walls, painting the church, including the sanctuary area, and painting the curvature ceiling above the altar, behind the crucifix as well as put: God is good all the time… All the time God is Good on the upper walls next to the sanctuary (see picture).
As mentioned in the article, an open meeting took place for feedback. Those who attended the meeting were in full agreement with the design project and the other ideas brought forth. The one area that was deadlocked was whether to use Roman style lettering (block) or Script lettering for God is Good All the Time… It was decided to leave it in the hands of the parishioners. So, sometime at the end of May or beginning of June, we will place in the Gathering Space both images, whichever one receives the most votes will be the one we go with.
I am thankful for the members of the worship committee and those who attended the planning meeting. We have talked about this project for nearly four years, and now it looks like it will be completed by the end of June or early July. Although we budgeted this project in this fiscal year, we have recently received several generous gifts based on the fore- mentioned article. Someone has graciously given money to cover the drywalling of the church, and a large Legacy Gift was given which covers the rest of the project. Several others have made or are planning to make gifts for this project and other initiatives regarding the church building.
There was also discussion at the meeting to make a few additional enhancements – like a statue of Sts. Ann and Joachim on the wall, opposite of the Holy Family Statue. This to give the space a more balanced look, as well as to highlight the importance of parents/grandparents, which Ann and Joachim certainly well represent. Another suggestion, which has been made many times for many years was to replace the existing stain glass windows with stain glass with a more biblical theme. Yet, these items aren’t cheap, and why we thought it would be prudent to wait at least another year. However, if you are interested in giving a gift toward these items, or for the current project or towards The Church Beautification Fund, please contact Tim Clifford at the parish office.
I look back at the past six years and see the various improvements we have made to the church, the grounds, and the parish overall, and have been grateful for the overwhelming support. But to me, the biggest improvement has been the spiritual renewal that has occurred in the parish and in the lives of so many parishioners. It shows in the greater participation in the: liturgies, sacraments, Mass +…, devotions, education, ministries and even with the socials. Because at the heart of everything we try to do here is aimed toward pleasing God – For The Greater Glory and Praise of God.
During the month of June is when this work will take place in the church. Any project like this, especially involving dry walling will be a little messy. Although we have planned that it won’t interfere with the weekend schedule, it will likely impact the daily Mass and confessional schedule and likely involve using the Trinity rooms. If this occurs, we will be sure to announce it ahead of time. Again, I thank everyone involved in this project, especially our generous benefactors. I hope the enhanced beauty will deepen our experience and reveal the true beauty and awesomeness of our faith.
In Christ, Fr. McCarthy