Steel!

In case you have not been by the site since Christmas, the steel has finally arrived! Monday, all day, there was a large crane (did not have my camera with me!) unloading, lifting and placing the steel beams for the infrastructure of the addition to the Church. The steel beams are the main support structure for the new gathering area on the first floor as well as the meeting space on the second floor. It also is the main support for the new steeple which should soon be appearing. Somewhere in the slide show is the artists concept for what the Church could look like. The beams in place now let concrete and block work continue. Thanks for following along!

Ps. 66:20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayers, nor his loving kindness from me.

Working Indoors

The first storm of the winter season will slow things down a bit on the outside. As we see on the inside, though, things are moving along at a good pace. In this photo, you can see workers making progress on the reredos on either side of the Crucifix. Color 'swatches' can be seen on the right side. The wood on the east and west walls is complete, though there is some finish work to do for trimming out the stained glass windows. Duct work is still a work in progress. Thanks for following along. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whomever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Merry Christmas!

Obscured From View

As work continues into December, we see a new face taking shape on the front of our Church. While early estimates were to have the project done by Christmas, we remain hopeful the later estimate of Easter will hold true. With the foundation complete, backfilling has been done and the large mound of dirt in the parking lot is shrinking. You can begin to get a feel for how the entrance will look. On the inside, the fresh smell of hardwood is in the air as work continues on the walls as new wood is added to reach up to the stained glass windows and new details can be seen at the base of the support arches that reach across the ceiling. Also inside, the sprinklers are being boxed in and the reredos (rear walls behind the altar) are being started. New photo's continue to be added to the slideshow, so spend a few moments to see what's happening! Thanks for following along. Ps 63:4 So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name.

Manhattan Declaration

While this blog is not intended for editorial purposes, I would ask those of you who are following along to please read the Manhatten Declaration, a call of Christian Conscience at the link below.

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.
We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1.the sanctity of human life
2.the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3.the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

http://manhattandeclaration.org

Work continues on the interior, with multiple levels now in place for the framing of the Altar risers. The new layout will have the altar one step lower than the previous layout and it will be situated closer to the pews. This will leave room to the front (below the Crucifix) for the repostitioning of the Tabernacle. It will stand atop the highest step at the base of the Crucufix. Other work moving along inside is the ductwork for the new air conditioning and heating system as can be seen in the new pictures in the slideshow. Thanks for following along.

Sanctuary Platform

The inside of the Church is undergoing many changes that are unseen by most of us. Clearly this will be a very different look once we get to worship inside our 'not so usual' space. As we can see from the outside (new photos in slideshow), much progress is being made to add on to the building and create new space. On the inside, walls are now in place and sanded, awaiting final finishing. And speaking of finishing, the ceiling has been sanded and re-coated and looks just great. The plumbing has still to be boxed in, but the ceiling and support beams have a fresh new coat of urethane on them. As you can see from this photo, the main Sanctuary is now the focus of attention as the new altar platform is being constructed. Leveling such a large area is painstaking work, but the crew was working to get it just right! Thanks for following along. Ps 62:1 My soul rests in the Lord.

Stained Glass

After the stained glass had been removed from all the windows, (recall an earlier post describing numbering and marking all the pieces and boxes) they were shipped to a company in Manhattan for refitting and restoration. There the pieces are cleaned are reassembled with new lead taking up the spaces between the pieces of glass.

Pew Refinishing

Refinishing continues at one of the warehouse locations of Milan Restorations. They have taken the pews, serialized to mark their location in the Church, and stripped off fifty years of wear and tear. Chemical stripping to remove the existing finish, the pews are then washed and prepped for sanding. This sanding operation will remove any residual finish not removed by the chemical process. It also puts a smooth surface back on the wood to prepare it for staining and finishing. It's as if they were made from scratch! Hard to believe these are fifty years old. In this picture, you can see some of the pews that have not been stripped in the background, showing us the original color, with those in the foreground going through the chemical process. More of the cleaned and sanded ones can be seen in the slideshow. Thanks for following along! Ps 56:4 In God I put my trust.

The Corner Stone

The Corner Stone! October 14th... as I described in an earlier post, the 1962 cornerstone was removed from the front exterior wall to the right of doors at the main entrance. The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or replica, set in a prominent location on the outside of a building, with an inscription on the stone indicating the construction dates of the building and perhaps the names of the architect, builder and other significant individuals. The rite of laying a cornerstone is an important cultural component of western architecture and metaphorically in sacred architecture generally. (Wikipedia) hhmm.
Some cornerstones include time capsules from the time a particular building was built. The origins of this tradition are vague but its presence in Judeo - Christian countries can be associated with one quotation from the Old Testament, in Psalm 118, verse 22, 23; The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is Yahweh’s doing.
It is marvelous in our eyes.
Behind our cornerstone was in fact a time capsule or archive with artifacts from the time of the original building in August 1962! I got a chance to review the contents and some of the photo's should appear in the slideshow. Inside was a letter, written in Latin, more as a prayer, signifying the Pope (John XXIII), Bishop (George G. Ahr S.T.D.), President of the United States (John F. Kennedy), Governor of NJ (Richard Hughes) and other notable persons. The date was August 19, 1962! (I was five, then) As I recall, (and as his signature attests) his middle initial was 'W', not 'G' as typewritten in the document. In any event, it was signed by a number of people we assume were parishioners and were involved in the early formation of the parish. Also in the archive vessel, a newspaper from the 'Newark Evening News' from August 18, 1962; a copy of 'The Monitor' from August 17, 1962 and a series of 1962 coins (Dollar to Penny) with several denominations still in silver! We'll have to give some thought to what to include in the capsule as we seal it up for 2010!
Thanks for following along. This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad! Ps.118:24

Sheet Rock!

October 13th... and boy does this look different! I've been away a couple weeks and look what has happened! We've gone from a darkened room full of wood to much more light coloring. Of course some of that is due to the stained glass being gone too! And speaking of light, LOOK, all the chandeliers have been removed for restoration! There are some temporary lights in place for the crew, but there is a lot of natural light coming through and bouncing off those walls. I've heard stories of the carpenters walking around on stilts while doing their work on the walls, but have not been there to capture them digitally (photo's). The final pieces of the organ sound system have been removed and I got a chance to get up in the 'attic' area above the sacristy. They are making room for new HVAC venting and I took a few shots from up there in the 'hole' in the front wall of this photo. See the slide show for some of those photos. Thanks for following along! God is our refuge and our strength. Ps. 46:1

foundation, framing, pew finishing

September 25 has continuing work on the foundation out front. Included in that is some demolition of the front walls to make way for the new construction. The cornerstone to the right of the main entrance was removed and stored for re-use when construction is near completion. More on that in another post. In the meantime, wood is being added to the interior framing to be used as nailing surfaces for the sheet rock, wainscoting and other wood trim work. As can be seen from this picture, the front walls on the reredos behind the altar area have had the wood facing removed. These will be re-finished with stonework in the near future. Milan Restorations is moving ahead with this interior work with good speed and Marko tells me they are within two weeks of completing the stripping and sanding of the pews to prepare them for final finishing. More on that in later posts, too.

Thanks for following along!

Foundation in Progress

Sept. 18th and after the first pour (0r pumping) of concrete the forms need to be broken down and prep work for the next section to be poured. Before that work can happen though, there needs to be some wiring demolition completed. The electric and gas lines (old ones) have been cut already, but today, Verizon was on site to demo the final phone wiring leading from the rectory to the church. Parishoner Jim L. was on the crew assigned to do the demo work, so a shout out to Jim and his crew! On the inside, the framing is complete as is the insulation and the electricians were in to do their final work on the new wiring before the walls can be covered up! Should get to see some of that next week. Thanks for following along.

God is our refuge and our strength. Ps.46:1

Pouring (Pumping) Concrete

Sept. 16th sees new equipment on the construction site. Two concrete trucks and an arial pumper were on hand to begin filling the forms with their mixture of cement, sand and stone. Work began this morning in the southeast corner on a wall that will become part of a hallway, leading from the elevator service area to the cafeteria. I can imagine the children (and perhaps the teachers too) in the classrooms on the south side of the building must be having a difficult time concentrating on their studies with all the activity outside. Thanks for following along.

Footings and Walls

This week sees some signifiant work on the foundation happening as footings are completed and forms are being put in place for pouring the basement walls. In this picture we can clearly see the bottom of the elevator shaft. The trench work across the parking lot is almost complete and we may get to use the entrance again next week. Most of the plumbing work for the fire suppression system is complete, with the last work being done up in the choir loft (should we call that the balconey, since the choir doesn't use it?) The pipes have been run inside the wall framing on the east and west walls and continued up to the roof. Don't worry, we won't have those bright orange pipes to distract us for long, they will be boxed in with wood to match the roof. Framing is being completed on the north end of the Church this week, including the areas where the Tabernacle used to reside and up behind the rear altar area. The east and west framing is insulated and we should see some walls taking shape next week. Thanks for following along.

Ps. 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me, and heard my cry.

Foundation

We can finally see some foundation work being done as this and pictures added to the slide show will attest. The rains have held off and we have footings in place and the beginnings of what will be the new elevator shaft is in the making. Work is going on inside as well, with plumbing work being completed in the cafeteria. It is still ongoing in the church, as is electrical work in the rectory and garage area. Next week, we should start to see the basement walls take shape. Enjoy the slide show, and thanks for following along.

Don’t forsake me, Yahweh. My God, don’t be far from me. Ps.38:21

Summer Continues

Framing work and plumbing can be seen from this photo. The faux windows are framed in and should be a nice balancing addition to the Church. Some of the piping for the sprinkler system is evident and though you can't tell, electrical work and wiring for the sound system are also in process. There has finally been some progress made outside with the footings for the addition being started. Basement walls could be next week. Let's hope we don't get a repeat of July's rains here in the end of August. Thanks for following along.

Commit your way to God, trust in Him. Ps. 37:5

The Dog Days of Summer

That means things move a little more slowly for most of us, and it may seem that way for the restoration project too! Actually a lot of things have been happening, now that the rains of July are past. They really made a mess of things and prevented some important work from getting done, namely footings and foundations for the addition. Anyway, as you can see from this picture, dealing with the weather has been a high priority. Luckily work progresses inside, with plumbing being a priority in the cafeteria. This needs to be done in time for school to open. Thanks for following along.

Digging, Framing, Plumbing

A lot of activity going on inside and outside! I've been away the last couple of weeks on travel for business and then vacation with the Boy Scout Troop in the Florida Keys! So let's get up to speed with what has been going on. As we can see the parking lot has a long trench through it to make way for the new water and electric service to be brought in from the street. This will connect through the back corner of the rectory and garage area and continue on to the Church. Progress is slow in the foundation area of the portion of the building to be added on. The recent rains have made it impossible to create the foundation and complete the pipe work for the water. In the meantime, the sprinkler system piping in the cafeteria is almost complete. Not tested, but at least the work in the ceiling is almost done. Next up for that crew, continue up into the Church. The framing in the old gathering area is complete (including the new accessible restroom and the location for the elevator) as is the choir loft. Framing has been added to the east and west walls as well. Wiring is being pulled through that framing for electric and sound systems. Next up come the plumbers! We'll check in later in the week to see how things are going.

Thanks for following along.

The Fair is Over

Well, we've gotten past the fair and things are settling into the normal summer routine around here. All except for the recent activities, some seen and not seen. We can see the beginnings of site work really happening now, with holes and trenches being excavated for the new manholes and drainage systems. Also going in will be water and electrical services in the near future. On the inside a very noticable absence to be explained, the organ has been removed. Speaking with Gene over the weekend, we have an organ on loan, while our new organ is under construction! We'll gather some of the details of that as we move ahead. Thanks for following along.

Ps 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

Getting Prepped Inside

The stained glass has been removed from the east, west and south windows. This is done to protect them during construction. They have all been crated carefully and they have been numbered, or serialized, to make sure we get them back in the proper location. As you can see from this photo, the plain glass that remains let's in a lot more light! I don't think I've seen the choir loft this bright. In the photo slideshow in the upper right corner of the blog, you can also see evidence of more work happening as we move into Fair Week. More scaffolding has been assembled on the west wall, the parking lot has been ground up for removal (to make digging for the water, electric and foundation easier), and as you will see this weekend as you arrive for Mass, the temporary construction fence has been installed. Myron (the general contractor) has advised that most of the plans are complete, steel is being manufactured, the elevator also is under way. Many of the things we cannot see are moving along and I suspect as we move into July things will get very busy. Thanks for following along.

Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Ps. 57:1

St John Vianney in storage

Wednesday morning and it's time for St. John Vianney to move into storage. He'd be in the way, so better to put him away for safe keeping until his new home is ready. The crew was out there this morning in the mist and drizzle, lifting him off his present home and preparing him for storage. With so much work going on, it's finally starting to seem like we're moving along. On the inside, the old air conditioning and heating systems have been removed and you can see piles of 'stuff' accumulating on the edge of the parking lot. The side road is now closed off to traffic and I suppose it is officially a construction site and will be for the coming months. Thanks for following along.

God will send out his loving kindness and his truth. Ps 57:3

Tree Trimming

More work being done, as we move into the week of June 8-12. The front of the building is looking pretty bare behind the statue of St. John Vianney, with one lone tree in this photo. With the glass doors replaced by simple plywood, the canopy over the steps having been removed and now the trees to the east and west sides of the front have been more than pruned, they're GONE! Making way for construction equiment, the parking lot has shrunk by about a third for now. We'll start to feel a bit inconvenienced at times, but with great anticipation of the finished product, I'm sure we'll all manage. Thanks for following along!

No More Canopy!

As we closed out the week of the 6th of June, anticipating graduating our eigth grade students from the Class of `09, we see that there is work being done outside to remove the covering over the steps leading to the old entrance. The doors have been removed for safekeeping and will be reused during the refurbishing. Many thought this was a rather flimsy structure, though the steel proved to be sturdy in deed, requiring cutting torches to get it apart. Scrap metal is all we can anticipate from this part of the 'old' church. Monsignor tells me there are a lot of angry birds out there, so be on the lookout! Thanks for following along!

Empty Building

Stopped by on Monday to see what has been happening over the last two weeks, while I've been gone. We can see that all the pews (including the choir loft) have been removed for refinishing and there is some scaffolding assembled on the entire length of the east wall. This is in place to begin the work of resurfacing or finishing the wall. Studs will be added and drywall will be applied over the studs, creating one long finished wall. In the meantime, on the outside, markings have appeared all over the parking lot for the new water, electric and drainage lines that will be installed. All that will happen prior to laying the foundation and basement for the addition. More details to come. Thanks for following along.

I have put my trust in God, I will not be afraid. Ps. 56:11

Moving along (slowly)

There have been a few delays with getting a majority of the work started, on the outside at least. We should see some of that change in the very near future. Meetings were to be held this week to work out the last little details. In the meantime, some work has continued with Milan Restorations working on the inside and at their warehouse in Elizabeth. All the pews have been dismantled and serialized and are ready to be removed. The altar area platforms are gone and the confessionals and crying room are too. Marco (from Milan) told me they had to construct a larger paint spray booth in their facility to accomodate our pew length for spraying the new stain and protective coatings. The organ remains behind, but it is well protected having been encased in a large wooden box. It is not in the way, so it was decided to leave it in place. The hope is that the pews would leave the building this week and work might really begin late this week or early next. Stay tuned. See the slide show for some new photos of work being done. I'll rotate out some of the 'before' pictures and start to replace them with 'during' so we can see some progress.

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Ps 56:3

Real Work Begins

Monday 4/20 - Wednesday 4/22, I got a chance to see some 'real' work happening, on the inside at least. While it doesn't look like anything is going on from the outside, as we drop our children off for school, Milan Restorations actually has started removing kneelers (we're getting new, lighter 'quieter' ones) and dis-assembling the pews. Milan has a warehouse in Elizabeth where they will be taken for restoration. They will strip and refinish the pews while the inside of the Church is being remodeled. It's tedious work taking the pews apart after fifty years and without doing any damage. More work being done was the removal of the heating system vents, sound system speakers and other woodwork and hardware from the walls. This crew was about five or six, but I expect we'll be seeing a lot more activity and people in the weeks ahead.

God is present as my helper; the Lord sustains my life. Ps 54:6

Let's Get Started!

Today I had the opportunity to meet with the General Contractor and one of the major contractors for the project; Myron Kukuruza, President of United Design and Construction Corp of Clifton, NJ and Marko Golubovic, Co-Owner of Milan Remodeling & Restoration of Woodbridge, NJ. (http://www.milanrestoration.com/) UDC is the general contractor in charge of the entire project and the addition to the Church, and Milan Restoration is responsible for the restoration of the existing Church. While work has not officially begun, Marko was there today taking some rough measurements of the pews and marking them for removal. They need to make sure the pews get back in the same locations, since the first fifty years has already determined their 'character' and they need to make sure they fit back in place after refinishing. We'll also get to meet additional people involved in the construction as work begins, not wanting to leave out the equipment operators, masons, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, steelworkers, glaziers, installers and more.

Myron then gave me a rundown of the site work to be done initially (electrical, water, drainage, etc), affecting the Church, Rectory and School in some ways. Actual work is expected to begin next week, with the removal of the pews as first priority, before tearing up the parking lot, sidewalk and curbing. We should see construction equipment and trailers begin to show up early next week as well as temporary fencing erected to keep our 500+ school children from wandering too close to the site. Next week, we should also have the final schedule available and we'll lay out the highlights for the coming months.

The rough schedule Myron laid out today is an aggressive one, with early estimates having us back in our Church for Christmas! That would certainly be a blessing for all of us, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll have full access to the site during the renovations, to see what's going on "on the inside" and I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of the progress.

Thanks for following along.

Hear my prayer, God. Listen to the words of my mouth (or my hands). Ps. 54:2

Easter Sunday

Well, here we are at Easter Sunday 2009. A significant day in the life of the Catholic Church and Catholics around the world. For us here in Colonia, it also is a day of significance, our last Easter in the 'old' Church. Starting this week, the restoration project begins and continues for the next nine to eleven months! Our hope is that all goes well during this time. We may be inconvenienced a bit, but we have all been preparing for this project and have something wonderful to look forward to upon its completion. A Blessed Easter to all!

A Blessed Easter to all!

As we prepare for the great Easter celebrations of this weekend, take a moment to enjoy the slideshow now posted. Let your memories take you back over the fifty years of the Church's history here in Colonia.

Next week, we'll take a look at the timeline and the people responsible for the construction of the Church and the refurbishing of the sanctuary. It's an exciting time for all!

Welcome to the Restoration of SJV Church in Colonia, NJ

Our mission is to create a permanent record of the process of restoring our beloved Church and to keep the faithful informed as to the progress being made. We hope you enjoy this modern method of following along and will make this a regular stop on your time spent on the web. We hope to show pictures from the inside during all phases of restoration, follow along on the timeline to see how things are progressing, meet with major contractors involved in the process and more. Join us over the next nine to eleven months as we Prepare the Way to our new Saint John Vianney Church in Colonia, NJ.