Repairs and Keeping our Parishes Safe

Throughout the month of November, the Church prays for all souls to help them be made pure and lift them up to be in God’s loving and merciful presence. The Book of
Remembrance of Names in our parishes is located by the Pascal (Easter) candle if you want to add the names of your own beloved deceased to be included in our prayers.

Turning to more “concrete”, tangible concerns, with gratitude I want to update you on some ways your Parish Grand Annual and Offertory contributions are allowing us to
make necessary repairs for the safety and comfort of all who visit our parishes. The comfort issue is an important one:heat in St. Martha church! For the second year in a row,
leaking pipes in the heating system have needed replacement, which is not an easy fix. Plumbing bills for the heating pipes and repair of two sinks cost us almost $2,000 recently.

Also at St. Martha, we confirmed with the spring rains that the flooding in the basement near the elevator has been successfully resolved. This allowed us to progress on plans for the decades-old seepage problem in the main hall and repairs to the flooring. Before removing any tiles, we tested various tiles and mastic (glue) for asbestos. All mastic
and most tiles are safe; only the dark gold tiles contain asbestos, and that is only a safety concern if they break and become airborne. We have been assured by people familiar
with these hazards that there is no danger while the tiles are whole – it only becomes a risk if the tiles are broken and release asbestos into the air. All appropriate precautions are being taken to prevent this from happening, and recent test of basement air did not find any asbestos concerns. The Parish Finance Council has approved the major expense to achieve a long-term fix of the water and tiles, which will be implemented after the Faith Formation year comes to a close. Meanwhile, there is no need for concern unless you
see a broken tile, which we ask you to report to collaborative staff right away.

At St. Mary, another long-term safety issue was finally resolved by replacing a section of sidewalk on a back corner of the church. Over the years the sidewalk had sunk, leaving a tripping hazard because the curbing stayed higher than the sidewalk. Estimates suggested the repair cost would be prohibitive given the major budget shortfall anticipated at St. Mary last year, but improved finances and a less expensive proposal (under $5,000) finally allowed the work to be completed. We are grateful to parishioner Bruce Simpson
and his colleagues for their beautiful work and making it affordable to St. Mary Parish.

Like the sharing of your time and talent makes it possible to have quality liturgies and parish programs, your faithful support of your parish make the maintenance and
improvement of our beautiful churches and properties possible.  I am honored to be with such dedicated parishioners in both of our collaborative parishes!