Dear friends in Christ,
In these first weeks of the new calendar year, I wanted to give an update on a few aspects of the temporal affairs of our parish. First of all, thank you to all of parishioners as well as visitors and friends of the parish who have been so generous in recent months. These financial contributions help us ensure that our budget is balanced and that we are paying off our significant debt, major priorities of mine.
With regard to our historic church building, many newer parishioners may not be aware of the history of these efforts – we are working on a short synopsis about this to be published in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I wanted to report that the building committee is working on a plan to improve the lighting inside the church, a project which would also involve upgrading our aging electricity infrastructure. This will not be an inexpensive endeavor. However, I believe that many parishioners would appreciate having a brighter church where they can worship each week. I will have more information about this soon.
Many people ask about the scaffolding along the Springfield Avenue entrance to the church. That is there as a safety measure, as our façade is in bad shape after decades of water damage. Thanks to the herculean efforts of the building committee and donors, the water infiltration has stopped because the dome has been repaired. Yet the current estimates are that the repairs on the façade would cost over $1 million. We have a plan and construction documents ready to bid – cost is the only thing stopping us from commencing that work and getting the scaffolding down. When I mention this to people I know, they often tell me, knowing the beauty of our church: “Father, if I had the money, I’d give it to you.” Maybe there’s someone out there who can. If not, we know that what takes place inside the church is what truly matters.
Speaking of which – Forty Hours commences next week! Please join us for evening Benediction services Sunday, Jan. 23rd (5pm), Monday, January 24th (7pm), and Tuesday, January 25th (7pm). Please sign up for an adoration slot on the posterboards in church or at https://sfds.flocknote.com/signup/75045.
May God be Blessed!
-Father Eric Banecker