Finishing the Project

The next week or two will probably seem like the whole fourteen month project all over again, as we watch and wait for the finish work in the Church be completed. Woodwork being sanded and nailed, kneelers mounted in the choir loft and center aisle, light fixtures and switches, etc, etc.. In the meantime, the brick was completed today as electricians worked to pull wires for the lamp posts out front. Ground was being leveled to prep the parking lot for paving. Now if we could just get those three new windows in the front facade so it can get its finish coat. As with most projects, a lot of 'little things' remain to be done, and we'll get there, just a little while longer. Come and enjoy it this Sunday though, as we'll be celebrating the Eucharist together in our New Church, right after our 2010 Confirmation class welcomes the Holy Spirit into their lives on Friday and Saturday! Thanks for following along!

Closing the Year For Priests

We were priveledged to host the Diocese of Metuchen in a prayerful and powerful closing to the Year for Priests. The Diocesan Festival and Chamber Choirs led us in prayer in the company of over one hundred priests and seminarians from the Diocese, along with Bishop Bootkoski and Bishop Emeritus Hughes. In this photo, he is thanking the host for the evening, our own Rev. Msgr. Edward M. O'Neill and the homilist for the evening, Rev. Sean A. Broderick, C.S.Sp. from Mary Mother of God Parish in Hillsborough. Father Sean offered his reflections on parish priests, from his very unique perspective of not having been a parish priest for forty of his forty-five ordained years! Bishop Bootkoski then offered his perspective of being a priest in parish life and charged his brother priests to relish their role and SMILE!
I hope the heat of Sunday didn't keep you away on Monday evening, the air conditioning was working just fine by then. Thanks for following along!

It's Ready!

It's Ready!

We arrived this morning to find the cleaning crew readying the sanctuary for use! We assisted Gene with distributing missals throughout the pews and managed to snap a few pictures while we were there too! Gene then gave us a private demonstration of the new organ, and does it sound sweet! Masses will be held in our 'NEW' Church this weekend, including the graduation of our eighth graders from SJV School! Access will be limited to the entrance from the school as the main entrance is not ready for traffic. And no sneaking out the back doors after Communion! It will take at least a week to finish all the details of the front entrance area, but it sure beats the gymnasium for celebrating the Eucharist! Thanks for following along..

Down to the Wire!

June 4th and where to begin? Another very energetic day on the site this morning. Right at the entrance, with earth moving equipment doing what they do to make way for the parking lot. Next up were the guys laying the base for the pavers. As I stepped into the Sanctuary, a lot of the plastic has been removed from items like the Altar and Ambo, so new photos of them... Final pieces of the new windows going in on the west wall. The new organ is installed and unwrapped. Don't know when the sound checks are scheduled for! Woodwork for the trin in the choir loft is going on, with a new railing added to the front of the loft.Tile work in the entrance, stucco work out front and pavers going down. Enjoy the photos. Thanks for following along!

Workers Everywhere!

From the moment I stepped foot onto the site today, it was clear there is a sense of urgency to get this project completed for this weekend. Roadwork being done on the side of the building, finish work on the facade, electricians, masons, painters, craftsmen everywhere today! It's hard to see the work completed day to day now that I have been here each day, just as it was very easy to see from week to week. But if you look, you can see progress. For example, the electricians outside completed their work for the exterior lighting, the stucco siding is progressing on the front of the building and road work is being done to replace the side access road to the back of the building and the middle school. Inside, more tile has been laid on the entrance floor, paint has been applied to walls and so on. In the Sanctuary, the choir loft is now nearly complete, with the refurbished Trinity stained glass re-installed and framed and a new addition to the area, two new chandeliers to match the main Sanctuary area. New (to us) seating for the Priest/Deacons is being refinished to match the new wood tones of the Altar and the area for the new organ was being cleared for its installation today. Are we really going to be able to do sound checks on Friday or Saturday morning? We'll have to see! Thanks for following along.  You are the way, the truth and the life of the world, oh Lord.

Pavers and More

We're at June 2nd and the trim work we saw from yesterday, in the gathering area, has been completed. Each piece measured to fit its precise location. As I recall, the ceiling in this area will be mirrored and the floor will be carpeted. More tile was completed in the gathering area, in the area near the entrance to the sanctuary and the crying room (see caution tape). In the meantime, I can see that the rest of the sound system speakers have been installed. More work is being done in the choir loft, with pews being completed, the crew from Milan Restorations is now working on replacing the large stained glass window... come Holy Spirit! On the outside, electricians and crews are setting locations for exterior lighting on the property and masons are preparing for work on the pavers. As you can see from the picture, there were three patterns to choose from. We'll see tomorrow which one 'won out'. Not sure who was going to make that call. I prefer the pattern on the bias, but that's just me. I'll stop by again tomorrow to see what got done today. Thanks for following along!   Ps 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

We're Getting Closer!

Well here we are at June 1st and it is looking very promising for finishing up this week. Lot's of activity this morning as I visited the site. I hope to be there every morning this week to capture as much of the finishing work as I can. Today, it was obvious there was work going on over the Memorial Day Weekend. Tile has been laid in the gathering area, painting in the new 'upper room' and a glass display case arrived for our Religious Articles Store! In this first picture you can see some wood finishing work going on. The area they are working on is in the main gathering area and each piece is being fitted and cut for it's location. The upper room has been painted with it's foundation coat, then they will go over the area looking for imperfections. Once repairs are made, the final layer of paint will be applied. The glass display case in the bottom picture is being installed in the Religious Articles Store area, now to the right as you enter the gathering area. Also at the end of that hallway is the new elevator. Coming up later in the week; last of the stained glass, final setting of altar items, sound system and the organ installation (Thursday) Thanks for following along! Ps.145:8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.