Repairs Needed: Call to Action

A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR

Dear Parish Family,

You will recall my letter of January 21st in which I described water damage to our choir loft, bell towers, and organ pipes. Since that time we have had mitigation work done to minimize any further moisture from coming in and to prevent further damage. This gave us time to see what the best solution to this overall problem will be.

I’ve also worked closely with Nassar Shabo of the Property Management Office of the Archdiocese in order to get needed work done. After a bidding process Sky High Construction has been selected to seal up the problem areas. You may recall that we were given use of a drone to help us evaluate the problem we faced. This has helped us to observe areas that would otherwise have been difficult to observe. You can view the photos of the needed repair work on our website (www.stachurchbloomfield.org/legacy) After looking at these photos we have discovered that the damage is more extensive than what we first thought.

The work will entail 3 phases:

1) The work by Sky High – multi-month project

2) Work to repair the damaged walls of our choir loft and bell towers and to restore them all.

3) Repair our damaged organ pipes (once we are sure that no more water is coming in) and do some work to further enhance our music system.

The total cost of repairs is estimated to be in excess of $150,000.

In order to help cover the costs of the project we have created a Legacy Fund into which donations can be made to help fund the repairs (100% of the money donated to it will stay in the parish). This fund has been set up to allow parishioners to make donations to help with this specific project as well as other future needs in our parish.

Other fundraising projects will be launched in early June, including a raffle at a cost of $5.00/ticket in which the grand prize is a 4-day trip to Disney World for 4 people, including airfare, hotel, and park passes.

A Spring Concert on June 23rd celebrating our 85th Anniversary will help raise money for our organ pipes restoration and to enhance our music system.

In the future you will hear of other fundraising activities planned to help build the Legacy Fund to help us continue the Legacy. Please check our webpage (www.stachurchbloomfield.org/legacy) created solely to help explain and address the problem.

This year, as you know, we are celebrating our 85th Anniversary as a parish family. Because of the work of past and present generations of parishioners we have a beautiful legacy of working in this part of the Lord’s Vineyard. As we continue to do God’s work with our hands the legacy of our parish which will be found by future generations is now in our hands.

Thank you for your Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure and for all that you do for our parish.

Love,

Fr. Larry