New Slideshow

I have added a second slideshow to the front page. The upper one is now a 'time lapse' version, from one spot in the church, so you can see how the progress of rebuilding has evolved. The beginning is from Palm Sunday 2009, in the evening, with Mr. Borkas at the organ readying himself for choir rehearsal. The show runs in order succession through (as I write this) a photo from today (4/30/10) with the carpet being added. The bottom slideshow is compiled of a lot of pictures I've taken (but not all) over these 12 plus months. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for following along.

You Want Me to Go Where?

While on the site today, Myron asked me if I would like to go up to the roof and get some pictures. It crossed my mind to mention my fear of heights, but then I thought better of that, and so.. what the heck, I'll probably never get another chance, so... up I went. He didn't tell me "ON" the ROOF! I got some shots of the roof work going on, the air conditioning units and such. Got a great shot of the school too!

What a Difference a Few Days Can Make

If you remember back to one of my last posts, a suggestion was made that the floor was being prepped for carpeting, but that it would be a week or two until after the drywall went up. Well... what a difference a few days makes! Tha carpet is in! The red is the aisle areas and the brown is where the pews will be. Speaking of pews, a couple have been returned and can be seen in the very front of the church, up by the altar area. We're in an un-official countdown at this point as we have the 'end of May' to look forward to. So we have 31 days to go!

New Chandeliers

As we can see from this photo, we have light! The refurbished chandeliers have been installed and they make a big difference in brightening the space. I don't have the details, but I'm told they now operate at a much higher efficiency than the previous version. In addition, you can see they are now suspended by chain rather than a solid rod. An artisitic cross band has been added to each element, as well. Also seen in the upper photo, the floor has all been prepped and leveled in anticipation of carpeting being installed. That will have to wait until the drywalling is completed in the new section of the building first. That way cleanup will be much easier. As you may have heard at Mass over the weekend, Monsignor has been given an estimated completion of the end of May. Just in time to celebrate the closing of the Year of the Priest with the Bishop and his brother priests at the beginning of June! Thanks for following along! Ps. 105:3 Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

The Corner Stone (Part II)

 
The original cornerstone from the Church (1962) has been reset in its new location, on the left side of the entrance. Since the building is having the addition, there will now be two cornerstones, with the new one yet to be placed (2009). This one will coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the parish and the beginning of the remodeling efforts. The new one will have 'access' to the storage vessel from the inside of the building. I say access, but that just means making holes in a drywall layer to get access to it, rather than having to remove the actual stone. The school is working on items to be locked away for another fifty years. The items chosen will be added to the items that were originally found when we opened it late last year (see the previous cornerstone post). I will be adding a digital (if you're reading this, then it's also digital) version of this weblog, along with all the pictures taken, to a DVD that will also be stored in the vessel. Here's hoping those in the future will still be able to access them.

Steeple Work

During the 'after 5k' I managed to snap this off, work going on outside, our new steeple in the works.

Kyle crosses the line!

In his first attempt at a 5k, my son Kyle sets a respectable mark.

My Finish

Had to run back to snap this one after my finish. Better than last year!

The Start

The start of the Chris Jantas Fun Run 2010 at SJV.

The Mud has arrived!

Well, the 'mud' for the walls, that is. Found a stash of the spackle that will be used, once the drywall goes up. This certainly signals we're getting closer. I'll keep an eye out for that drywall delivery. In the meantime, the Church lights have been refurbished and were delivered on Friday. Myron (UDC) tells me they'll be working on re-installing them beginning this weekend.

Bronze Glass

Part of the happenings over the weekend and Monday was the installation of some of the new windows in the new section of the building. Upper level windows can now be seen from the outside, as well as windows in the stairwells and the new Boardroom on the first floor. This is a view of the upper level multi-purpose room in its raw state. The arches are awsome! Finish work is being done on the soffett on the east side of the room. Almost ready for sheet rock! Thanks for following along.

Making Way

With all the activity going on, of late, I felt compelled to drop in again, on Tuesday, to make sure I didn't miss anything. A good deal of the wood and other supplies that had been piling up on the sanctuary floor have been removed, making way for being able to prepare the flooring for the new carpeting. Some filling and gluing and sealing will need to occur to make sure the tiles will stay in place under that carpeting. Most of the ventilation has been installed too.

New Arrival

More supplies arrive each day, to be sure, but Wednesday there was a significant amount of activity for some steel beams and our new elevator. Though from the pictures it's hard to tell that it is, in fact, an elevator, it's nice to see progress being made. Myron (UDC) tells me they expect to install this over the next two weeks. Up in the new section of the building, more box building is going on for the soffets up at the roof line. These will contain lighting, electrical and ventilation. Myron also tells me they expect to start installing some of the glass up there this weekend, so those square sections you can see at the top of the right picture should have some glass in them during next weeks visit. Thanks for following along.

Ps. 96:2 Sing to the Lord and bless His name. Proclaim his salvation from day to day!

More Transformation

While we saw last week that our Jesus had undergone some significant transformation on the Crucifix, Mary too, has undergone some of her own transformation. As we can see in the 'before' photo on the left, Mary had been wearing a pair of shoes, a bit more modern than the women of Jerusalem would have found in their time. The artisans at Milan Restoration had told me they were going to remedy that when I met with them several weeks ago. Here, on the right, is the finished work. Now, she looks more like we would expect her to. Her prominent new location in the Church (where the Tabernacle used to reside) should give all of us a chance to see her up close and offer up our prayers and intentions to her. Thanks for following along.

Stained Glass

The final section of the east wall stained glass went back into place on Friday. Workers lifted the piece depicting the Eucharist into its former location and secured it. They seemed to lift it effortlessly, while I observed from the floor. I then went up to the choir loft to get a closer look as they were fitting the final piece of the frame that holds it in place. Quite a few people on the site today, inside and out. Thanks for following along.

Transformation!

In the week since Good Friday, we can see a transformation has occurred on the inside. Our Jesus on the Crucifix has taken on a new form, shall we say? While not from the same point of view, we can clearly see the artisans from Milan Restorations have given us a 'new' Jesus. The pictures do not do it justice, it is truly stunning to see in person. A lot of work was going on inside Friday, with several men sanding the wood to be used for the altar flooring area, in preparation for final staining. We also have the elevator area being readied, as that is supposed to arrive late next week. Many things will be going on over the next few weeks in anticipation of completion of the project, walls to be finished in the new gathering area and upstairs space, new carpeting, pews being returned, etc... We have a target date for June 7th, to welcome the Bishop and the priests of the Diocese for the close of the Year for Priests. Let's hope we can be completed in time! Thanks for following along. Ps. 89:58 Blessed be God forever!

Letters to God – Christians Should Vote with their Wallets

Letters to God – Christians Should Vote with their Wallets

Posted using ShareThis

Catholics Announce EncouragePriests.org!

Catholics Announce EncouragePriests.org!

Posted using ShareThis

Good Friday Reflections

I took a few moments to go inside today and one of the pictures has jumped out at me, so I thought I would share it and a few others. The rear window (the Holy Spirit behind the choir loft) has some interesting details that have never presented themselves to me. I thought their revalation today was striking, given this Holy Week. See the three crosses in the window? Also, up behind the Altar and Crucifix, Milan Restorations has left their calling card. Perhaps in another fifty years when the next renovation is going on, people will find this mark and look back on our time of restoration. Thanks for following along.

God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for the sake of us all.