Renovation Update, Part 7

Good morning!

Our project has progressed nicely this week, with more plaster repaired, more walls painted, and more stencils stenciled.

Over the years the plaster of the church has received a fair amount of damage, all of which needs to be repair prior to painting. It’s pretty easy to see where repair are underway due to the application of a pink bonding agent which goes on before the plaster. As far as I can tell this serves a function similar to a paint primer, helping the plaster to adhere to whatever is behind it.

Remember that spot at the left side of the arch over the sanctuary which was covered over with cardboard and blue painter’s tape? It’s going to be repaired soon!

As far as painting goes, both the main and side vaults of the ceiling are having different layers of paint applied for all of the new details. Everything is still mostly masked off, but you can get an idea of where things are going. The stencil work for the saint murals, which is a time consuming process, also saw significant progress this week.

Finally, someone last week asked about how the workers (and yours truly to get pictures for these posts) are able to climb up the scaffolding into the ceiling vault. For most areas of the scaffolding it’s a simple matter of climbing a ladder. However for the vault over the main nave, which is the highest portion of the scaffolding, a staircase has been assembled in the center of the church. This gives quick access for the workers, who then use a pulley system to hoist gear up and down. I’ve included a picture of the staircase to give you a sense of what it’s like.

Have a great week!

Peace,

Fr. Brandon

Renovation Update, Part 6

Hello all!

I have some exciting progress for you this week as the church is starting to look very different.

First of all, the painters have been working hard stenciling the details where the saint murals will be placed. The stencil is applied to the wall, paint is rolled on, and then the process is repeated with additional stencils to complete the design. Some hand details finish off the process. I’ve included a number of pictures of the same part of the church showing some of the steps. I also included a picture from the ground giving some perspective on where the saint images will be.

Along with the stenciling, most of the upper portion of the church has now been primed in preparation for the new paint. The scaffolding makes it hard to get a good view, but I’ve tried a few pictures of the primed areas. The painters also added a test swatch on one wall. While the lighting isn’t very good, it’s a preview of the colors we’ll be seeing!

Finally, the saint murals are here! We had a really wonderful evening on Wednesday with our art show, thank you to everyone who was able to make it!

Peace,

Fr. Brandon

Renovation Update, Part 5

Hello all!

This week was again very busy, but a little bit lighter on visually interesting progress to share. The electricians continue running the new wiring for our lighting, and the painters continue preparatory work getting the walls ready for paint.

The masonry crew finished cutting the opening for the new confessional. This wall is in the back corner of the church, with the opening leading into the small sacristy near the main entrance. A box will be built inside the church for the penitent, and the priest hearing confessions will sit in what had been the sacristy. It will be great having this dedicated confessional once it’s finished!

The painters have begun priming the walls in a few areas, and while white paint isn’t the most exciting it does point to good things to come. Also, the windows are now entirely masked off to protect them from overspray. A majority of the last few weeks have involved covering things up or removing items, slowly hiding the church. It will be quite the experience as these coverings are slowly removed, revealing the new church!

Finally, this coming week on Wednesday, Sept. 13 we’re going to be turning the Multipurpose Room into something of an art gallery. The saint murals I’ve been previewing in the bulletin each week are now complete, and we want you to see them! We’ll have them set out for display from 6pm - 8pm, with the artist who painted them on hand to answer questions and describe the process. All are welcome to attend, so please plan on stopping by!

Peace,

Fr. Brandon

Renovation Update, Part 4

Hello!

I’m happy to share what I think will be a more interesting update for you this week. First, the new lights are going in! Many of the new fixtures are now installed in the upper vault and will soon be functional. Also, it’s quite the experience being up at ceiling level on the scaffolding. The boards form a very solid floor, and it’s easy to forget how high up you are!

Another big project this week was opening up the rear wall of the church for the new windows. That wall supports part of the choir loft, so the opening required reinforcement with a steel header. In one picture you can see the temporary wooden beams used to support the weight while the steel and masonry work was being completed.

Finally, there has been considerable drywall repair underway. Many of the light fixtures are in different spots, requiring quite a lot of patches to be installed.

We’re now well into the new work, which is very exciting! It’ll be a few more weeks of repair work and priming in preparation for the new paint.

Peace,

Fr. Brandon