Summer Church Maintenance Update

Dear parishioners and friends,
 
As we approach the halfway point of the upper church maintenance project, I want to again thank you for your flexibility and patience in making Steiner Hall our temporary home for all Masses and liturgies. I appreciate your continued attendance and support.
 
I am pleased to report that we are on schedule with our three-part project involving the pews, floor, and lighting. In late June, the pews were disassembled and shipped to Gunder Church Furniture in Humboldt, Iowa. At that facility, the Gunder craftsmen are stripping, repairing, and re-staining each pew by hand.

At the time of the church construction 80 years ago, all pew sections—seats, backs, and end caps—were hewn from solid red oak with no fillers or veneers. With this underlying fine wood, together with the new book racks and noiseless kneelers, an excellent pew restoration is anticipated and the refurbished pews are scheduled for return and installation in early September.
 
The pew removal created the perfect empty environment for an efficient floor refinishing and installation of lighting upgrades. The lighting upgrades are nearly completed, and include conversion of all high ceiling lights to LCD, retrofitting the chandeliers, adding additional spot lighting, and replacing the antiquated lighting control board. These lighting improvements will not only yield a beautifully-lit worship space, but will generate significant savings in utility and maintenance costs.
 
Finally, the floor stripping and staining will begin next week. Like the pews, the hardwood floor is original to the church and was laid in narrow, individual slats in a fine herringbone pattern, a gothic architectural touch that would be cost-prohibitive today. The stripping, together with the multi-layer application of stain and protective coatings, will restore and protect the beauty of the floor.
 
As previously mentioned, our parish is blessed to have received parishioner donations sufficient to fund both the pew restoration and the floor project. An estate gift from a parishioner will partially fund the lighting upgrades, with an Xcel rebate and electrical and maintenance efficiencies helping to close the gap. I am grateful beyond measure to those who gave over and above their regular offertory to make this upper church maintenance and improvement project a reality.
 
Christ’s blessings on your week,
 
FPH
 
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Updated August 20