We've had a very busy Easter season, so this update is later than I had hoped, but I'm happy to share some additional photos and news with you about our church renovation project.

The artists from Conrad Schmitt Studios have installed almost all of the new paintings we commissioned. In the photo below, you can see the reredos with the images of Jesus on the Cross, Mary, and John. Above them, you can see a portion of the dome with Christ represented as the Victorious Lamb and a portion of the Scripture text from Revelation Chapter 5. The dome lighting is not turned on in this photo, and the full lighting package in the sanctuary has not yet been installed.

In the sanctuary, you can see the plywood mockups of the altar, ambo, and tabernacle pedestal in place, which are helping us with placement and layout. You can also see that the beautiful marble tile, quarried and cut in Italy, has now been installed in the sanctuary floor.

In the second photo below, you can see more detail on the image of the Lamb in the dome. And in the third photo, you see the painstaking work involved in installing the new marble tile in the sanctuary.

The new altar, ambo, and tabernacle pedestal will be installed and set in place in the coming weeks.

Crews have begun grinding down and polishing the original terrazzo flooring in the three transepts of the church. With years of wax, wear, and tear removed, you can see the beautiful shine of the stone once again. 

I am excited to share the good news that our renovation project is coming in under budget. I'm so grateful to the team from A.R. Marani, our general contractor, for managing the project so well!

We decided to use the savings to fund the cost of installing a new ADA Family Restroom and renovating our current men's and women's restrooms. While we wait for the newly renovated restrooms to open later this summer, we have a temporary port-a-pot in place for parishioners to use in an emergency.

In preparation for our move back into the renovated church, we have sent the original wood statue of our Blessed Mother to be cleaned and refinished. In the meantime, you see the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in place at the Blessed Mother's altar in the PAC. 

The refinishing work on the statue includes cleaning the wood (from candle soot and dirt over the years) and restoring the wood stains to their original brighter colors. Faint gold trim on the statue that had faded over the years will also be reapplied. 

There is still much work to be done before our August 20 Dedication Mass, so please keep praying! From the new pews to the side shrines to additional painting and lighting, there is still a lot to do. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Stay tuned for more updates and photos as work progresses. 

Sincerely in Christ,