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Campaign Progress$177,665 of $735,000 Funded 24% of Goal
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Please Consider Donating for Sanctuary RepairsIncluding HVAC Replacement, Cupola Repairs and Roof Replacement
Please read the following letter from Fr. Pat and kindly consider donating. Our goal is to raise $735,000 to fund necessary sanctuary repairs. Thank you for you for your prayerful consideration to give financial support to the final repairs of our beloved sanctuary.My Dear Parishioners:
I am asking for your help on behalf of the community of St. Catherine.
It has been twenty-two years since I came to St. Catherine as an Associate Priest and seventeen years since I became your Pastor. Serving you has been the pinnacle of my priestly career. I am proud to serve a parish whose vibrancy and spirit is the model for the rest of the Diocese. I sincerely appreciate each of you who give of your time, talent and treasure. We are truly blessed.
Yet even as St. Catherine flourishes, we face new challenges. It has been over six years since we built our new beloved Parish Center. It has greatly served our Parish ministries. But once again we face another hurdle that must be conquered. About three years ago, we launched the Renew in Your Spirit capital campaign. This campaign was initiated by the Diocese to serve Diocesan needs. We expected to share in the proceeds of this campaign on a fifty-fifty basis. We raised over $3 million with this campaign. Our proceeds from this campaign are expected to be at least $1.5 million.
To date, we have expended approximately $450,000 to refurbish the sacristy corridor, including new bathrooms and flooring. We have expended about $150,000 on the refurbishment of our pews and $80,000 on all the new front doors and glass. These amounts total $680,000, which leaves about $820,000 to be paid out from the campaign.
Our next project is to replace the existing HVAC system entirely. Part of this change will entail building a platform over the current mechanical room for the new air handlers. The original architect for the building never took into consideration the fact that the system would someday need to be replaced, so he did not include entries large enough to remove and install equipment. So our engineers have recommended that we move the new equipment to the roof top.
We also intend to change the design for the distribution of air within the sanctuary. Unfortunately, the original design for the Church was severely lacking. It left at least 50 percent of the space without adequate air circulation and cooling. It is not uncommon to see parishioners in the pews fanning themselves. Those of us on the altar suffer even more greatly, as there is absolutely no air or cooling on the altar. The heat of the altar is exasperated by the Cupola. The Cupola was not built with any insulating glass, so the sun beats down brutally on everyone below it.
I believe I estimated that all of this intended work would cost about $500,000. My estimate was quite off. We expect this work to cost approximately $1.2 million. This means that the amount remaining to be paid out in the existing campaign will prove insufficient for this work.
Another component of our final project is the repair of the Cupola. The Cupola was built without any insulation on the metal framing. So when the temperatures reach the 30s or below, the Cupola will sweat and sometimes drip to the floor. Also, if you look up at the Cupola you will see quite a bit of water damage to the glulam on its underside. This area will also need to be repaired. We have contracted with a company with this level of expertise and they have estimated that the cost of repair will be $135,000. This repair will include a new insulating cover on the exterior metal and replacement of all the glass with low e-glass that will block UV and heat exposure.
Finally, we desperately need to replace the flat roof, which leaks in quite a few places. We estimate the cost of a new roof will be $200,000.
So, the total for all this remaining work is about $1,535,000 of which only $800,000 will be covered by the remaining campaign. This leaves a negative of about $735,000. Also, we would like to undertake this project early next year while the campaign is still in a payout mode. Since the bills need to be paid in real time, we will need all of that money in hand when we begin.
I am asking everyone to look into your hearts and consider making a substantial contribution to this effort. Monies contributed for this purpose should be clearly identified as we intend to segregate these funds for this project only. I ask that you all give prayerful consideration to the idea of giving financial support to the final repairs of our beloved sanctuary.With Love,Fr. Pat