Over the past few months, we have been deeply blessed to see some long-discussed Sanctuary restoration projects and Church updates slowly unfolding. During the summer, significant altar tilework restoration was completed - with additional tile repairs planned. More recently, we have completed updates on the choir loft, including replacing decades-old flooring and relocating the organ and piano from the main floor to the space for which they were originally intended (architecturally and acoustically). The reason for these projects is not merely aesthetic; it is to strengthen our worship and invite parishioners to draw more deeply into the mystery of the Sacred Liturgy and beauty of the Sacraments. With that in mind, there are a few other projects that we plan to complete – as time and resources allow. Our goal is always to complete Sanctuary projects with as few disruptions as possible to worship and other church activities.
About a year ago, we acquired a beautiful marble baptismal font from St. Mary of Czestochowa - Our Lady of Divine Providence, which was being closed. Now that the musical instruments have been returned to their place in the loft, we will begin work to create a more permanent baptistry in the space that our current font occupies. As we work to complete the baptistry, we will remove the remaining carpeting surrounding the Sanctuary and restore that tilework.
Additionally, we will be restoring the seating in the East Wing. We will remove the mismatched chairs and re-install the original pews. As our church is built in the cruciform (shape of the church in a cross), it makes sense for the east and west wings to mirror one another.
Finally, the yellow wall behind the tabernacle and angels is in need of a fresh coat of paint. When the crucifix is removed for the painting project, the corpus (body) will be retained, but a new, more substantial cross will replace the existing one. Trustee Jim Gremminger, who serves on the environment committee, is leading this effort.
These projects will not happen overnight, but as time and resources are available – with all that we do glorifying God. Project updates will be shared in the bulletin and on our website as they happen.