The yarrow is spreading and holds its own with weeds.
The ornamental grasses also survived and are spreading.
Primrose, blanket flowers, nepeta, lavender, Russian sage, verbascum, cosmos, cone flowers are in view.
The second year for the hops; they're more vigorous than last year.
View from the choir loft of today's progress.
The new organ is up in the loft...
and the foot pedals are down in the stairwell.
More of the ceiling ductwork is sealed and begins to look finished.
Slow metamorphosis of the stairs.
Progress wasn't as rapid as expected and no work crews were here over the weekend to catch up on the tile installation. Here's the progress in the north nave as of this morning.
Our new organ should be delivered and put in the choir loft today.
The interior marble statues and their pedestals have been positioned to prepare for the arrival of the stone masons (when the fountain base and exterior statue pedestal are ready) and to clear the south nave for the installation of the floor tiles.
Yesterday workers installed the conduits for the sprinkler system pipes under the areas where concrete walkways will be poured.
There are likely to be a great many questions this weekend about the nature and meaning of marriage and the Catholic Church's teachings. It is a great opportunity to shed informed, gospel light on an otherwise dark and confusing morass of politics and media hype.
There is a great resource at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's webpage.
To see it, click here.
The pulpit is finally right side up and in place.
The view from the pulpit
It is fitting that the US Bishops fortnight for freedom prayer for Religious Liberty will be prayed at all the masses this weekend, especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision affirming the right of gay couples to marry in all 50 states. Whether or not the decision will be as controversial and divisive as another 5-4 ruling, the Roe v. Wade decision which paved the way for legalized abortion in the United States, remains to be seen.
Almost that same day, in a surreal coincidence, Pope Francis appeared to endorse divorce in certain circumstances.
No doubt the law suits will begin against those who deny such couples their rights under the 14th amendment and they will surely not be limited to Christian bakers who refuse to decorate wedding cakes with same-sex wedding themes. The battle to not only permit, but to force individuals and institutions to sanction same-sex marriage will intensify. Loss of tax exempt status , loss of authority to perform civil marriages for certain ministers and priests, and prosecution of preaching as hate speech are some of the problems experts identify for church based groups which oppose same-sex marriage.
Pray with us this Sunday to preserve the rights and freedoms of all.
The stone tile down the main aisle was laid today. Plans are to complete the left side of the nave first, then the right, even allowing for delivery and installation of the pews which should start the first week in July.
We are approximately one month away from fabrication of the hand rails for the entry steps, now that their exact measurements have been determined and a similar waiting period for the bluestone caps for the concrete stairwalls.
This is a bronze fiber printing of a photogrammetric model of the head of Jesus, a copy from the crucifixion scene which is our Holy Cross crucifix for the main church.
The image was created by computer images of a series of photographs taken in a 360 degree array of the head, edited and then printed on a 3D printer. It can be buffed to a bronze shine when complete. The plastic printing filament (PLA) is enriched with bronze powder, so the resulting print is heavy and has a high content of bronze.
Here's an idea of what the newly configured stairways will look like once cedar shingles have been applied to the firring strips.
Though the shingles were present on the original design, they were eliminated in the first round of "value engineering" to save money. Since the stairways constitute such an important part of the building's southern facade, it seemed to me we had to restore them, even though we don't yet have the funds.
If you can help out with the entire gift for this upgrade, or a portion of it, please call the Parish Office. Thank you!
The lower section of the choir loft floor has been laid.
Sacristy hallway
The air duct covers in the side aisles
Sanctuary first step
Old Holy Cross Window
Many of you know the 3d printing collection of our statues and original windows I'm working on and the latex molds of our crucifixion scene.
This the Sedes Sapientiae, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom in the Sulpician tradition. There is a small replica of this work in our chapel at the present time.
The white version is very striking, but I thought the pale blue might be good looking. Let me know what you think?
Here are the latest photos of the tiles laid today. Just to give you an idea of how the time line of a project goes off, the estimate was that the tile would be completed next week. Instead, nothing in the sanctuary proper, some of the altar stairs and the transept are complete. This will in turn effect the delivery and installation of the pews, etc., etc.
The one bright side of not having air conditioning installed yet is that we can't air-condition the building on days like today, other than propping open the doors.
The first step at the middle of the main aisle
The south transept
The first sanctuary step in front of St. Anne and St. Elizabeth
Most of the firring strips are in place leading up to the main entry
The firring strips were completed today on the south east stairway. This will allow us to shingle the concrete blocks and not stare at painted concrete.
Workers completed part of the steps leading to the sanctuary. This is the left side of the sanctuary in front of St. Michael and The Sacred Heart.
Decorative iron gratings now cover the air returns in the sanctuary.
The sacristy cabinets are being painted.
Concrete forms have been removed from around the fountain foundation.
More firring strips on the concrete wall stairways
Most of the transept has been tiled and grouted. Work in the sanctuary will begin next. The statue bases and marble statues can then be placed.
Another lampost, this one at the entrance to the handicapped parking driveway
The replacement exterior window for the broken St. Patrick window.
More firring strips on the concrete block stairways
Cedar covering the circular elements of the belvedere which will remain exposed. The curved rounds will be shingled with cedar.
The second level of concrete pour for the fountain foundation
The wood flooring for the sacristies
Almost as soon as the last school bus left the parking lot on the last day of school, workers dissembled the chain link construction fence, loaded it onto a flatbed truck and hauled it away. We hope it is in preparation for serious site work and that the weather cooperates.
Base Pour for Statue; it's nice and warm as it sets.
Mold for fountain base pour
Fountain in relation to garden and main entryway.
South transept vestibule floor tiles
Wooden firring strips affixed to concrete block stairwells in preparation for the new cedar shingles to be laid. The shingles will look far superior to the painted concrete and enhance the bluestone stairway.
Foundation for the fountain.
Foundation for the granite base of the bronze sculpture of "Jesus Calming the Storm."
Several of the lamposts purchased when the school addition and parking lot were completed have been stored in the carriage house and are now being installed to complete the driveways and campus lighting.
Paving will begin soon, now that school has ended.
The door frames are receiving their final coats of paint. One of doors will be painted in the proposed color to assess its appearance before the remainder of the white doors are painted. The new doors on Ward Avenue will be painted red.
Several of the cabinets from the old sacristy have been placed in the basement as a workshop.
Lots of activity today everywhere, including almost non-stop traffic down Ward Avenue due to the closing of Rumson Road (not for our project!). School children were bringing home all kinds of stuffed animals on loan to the school for the year to prepare the classrooms for summer cleaning and painting.
Tomorrow is the last day of school commemorated by a mass in the gymatorium.
The school will be far from closed, however, as the Summer Enrichment activities and Sports Camps will be starting up!
Peaceful and blessed Summer everyone!
...so the electricians got a few more of the ground lights installed, along with beginning those around the fountain and the bronze statue of Jesus. More painstaking tile work on the interior and the sound system across the transept got some attention.