Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we move into the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm happy to share a few more updates on our church renovation project.
Wires Everywhere!
In preparation for the new church lighting system, the electricians continue the tedious work of installing new wiring and conduit throughout the church. The upgraded LED lighting will be comfortable and beautiful, providing even coverage throughout the church. The new LED system will be much more energy efficient than the original 1960s lighting and allow complete dimming control that can be adjusted according to the liturgical celebration.
A Shiny New Boiler
It's sixty years newer and so much more efficient! Our new boiler system will provide the hot water needed to warm our church in the colder seasons. It's being installed deep in the basement of the church. Meanwhile, new roof-top insulation will ensure the heat stays in during the winter (and the cool in the summer.)
Ceiling Grid Nearing Completion
This view is from the scaffolding and shows the new ceiling grid that is being installed throughout the church. The finished ceiling will feature large coffers with decorative hand-stenciled beams, as seen in the image below.
A Key Decision on the Ceiling
Our old black asbestos ceiling had some acoustic properties that worked to deaden and minimize any echo in the church. While this brought some benefits, it also resulted in a space that was not very "lively" or "bright" acoustically, which musicians and choirs often prefer.
The ideal is to have a space that is acoustically bright enough to bring voices and instruments to life to aid our worship while not having so much echo that it becomes difficult to hear the spoken word.
Our renovation team (comprised of the architect, engineers, lead contractor, project manager, and parish representatives) spent several weeks researching possible options to achieve that goal. One option is to install an acoustical treatment on the new ceiling to absorb some of the sound in the church and prevent too much echo. A second option is to invest in a digital sound system that can steer or form the direction of the sound beams to minimize the echo that comes from the audio bouncing off hard surfaces.
In the end, the first option (installing an acoustic treatment on the ceiling) proved too costly and would present several ongoing maintenance issues. The initial cost of the acoustic treatment would be close to $300,000, given the size of our church ceiling. Even worse, however, is that any future re-painting of the ceiling (due to dirt, candle smoke, incense, etc.) would require contractors to scrape the ceiling and re-apply the specialized treatment with a custom paint color. The cost and disruption would be too great of an ongoing maintenance issue.
Because of this, we have chosen the second option and have begun working with an experienced A/V company that has successfully installed digital sound systems in both new and historic churches around the Archdiocese. Working with our team they have already begun engineering an ideal solution for our space.
Be Opened!
Finally, the crew has begun opening up the back of the church to expand the area behind the pews. The brick columns (circled in red above) will be removed, and the wooden entrance doors (with the familiar angel handles) will be moved back about six feet.
The additional space will allow for a smoother, less-congested flow of people into and out of the church. It will also create new space for wheelchair-accessible seating and leave room for the new baptismal font to be set in place to serve as our principal holy water font as we enter the church. The new font will rest on hidden casters so that it can easily be wheeled to the front of the church for the celebration of baptisms.
Thank You!
As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude again for your prayers and generosity, which are making our renovation possible. The project remains on schedule and continues to move forward according to the timeline.
Please continue to pray that the Lord will bless our work and that all we do may be for his glory and the good of our parish family.
May you and your families enjoy a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving!
Sincerely in Christ,
