Installation of the reredos painting above the altar at Holy Cross has begun. It should be securely affixed by later this afternoon and ready for unveiling by the students at tomorrow morning's mass with the school children and parishioners of Holy Cross. The painting will be formally blessed at the Sunday 10:30 AM mass.
The newly modified lights are really burning brightly!
The two stairway lanterns have been modified from their candelabra configuration to a regular bulb base and now can accommodate many different kinds of bulbs with much higher lumen output and much longer life.
The addition of the suspended lantern light above the door, not only makes the door visible (which had been hidden in the dark) but throws extra illumination on the top steps and landing - a much needed improvement.
These LED bulbs can still be adjusted upward for greater lumen output if necessary. We might work on the temperature of the bulbs to get a more natural look, but the lighting bollards for the landscape are the same white temperature, so for now we'll see how they work. As of now, only the 7 PM Latin Mass goers have to cope with any darkness.
Thanks for your patience while we tried other solutions until this could finally be accomplished.
Nearly all the lighting modifications to the church have been finished this week. The newest spotlight is the one of the Sacred Heart Statue in the narthex, which now beams a radiant welcome to all who enter.
Lighting modifications have been done to the two pole fixtures on the main stairway, replacing the small candelabra fixtures with a single, standard size which will allow us great flexibility in choosing a bulb which emits adequate lumens. In addition, a hanging lantern fixture has been added to the vestibule under our heralding angel on the outside steps to shine more light on the dark entry alcove and the upper stairway and steps. Lavish Lighting in Shrewsbury did such a great job refitting our fixtures!
The installation of the additional ambo handrail into the sanctuary and the guard rails on each of our stained glass windows has been completed. The hand railing is to help those who have difficulty getting into the sanctuary with an extra boost. No longer will you need to use the column (often partially blocked by planters.)
I overheard someone ask "Are people trying to get out?" when they saw the new window guards. Actually, they are a discouragement for those who find the need to sit on the window sills or boost their children to stand on them in order to see the windows. Please do not do either. The windows are vulnerable on the inside, since they are not protected by interior glass. The window sills themselves have also been broken.
The reconfigured round window was delivered and installed today and looks terrific. It is not visible from the interior of the church, but will be illuminated at night and visible from outside the church. Besides preventing an unhindered view of the church attic, it will shine a beautiful harmony of light from the church steeple.
Workers will be on hand this Thursday to repair the two lighting bollards which were mowed down during snow plowing, adjust the lights on St. Joseph and St. Mary and add a dimmer, install a light on the Sacred Heart Statue in the narthex and hang an additional lantern lamp under our angel statue at the main entrance. This lamp will provide greater illumination for the vestibule and upper church stairway. The pole lanterns on the church steps will also be reconfigured for brighter lamps and safer night time visibility.
We have been informed there is a delay in fabricating the organ pipes for the choir loft, though the cabinet is painted and ready to be installed. No date for installation of the ambo handrail and protective rails for the aisle windows.
On Wednesday, artisans from Beyer Studio will be at Holy Cross to install the new stained glass window in the oculus on Ward Avenue.
The original, small round window was fractured in many places and had a hornets nest in between the panes of glass. Its wooden frame was rotted. Some of the glass was preserved and included in the new, larger window design.
It should lend a more beautiful, finished appearance to the illuminated church facade on Ward Avenue.
It was good news to hear that the blue stone steps should be finished by tomorrow afternoon. The weather surely has been cooperating this week!
Here is a screenshot of the work from the new security camera on the school across the parking lot.
Crafted by Beyer Studios, this will be the design for the small rose window at the peak of the steeple on Ward Avenue.
Workmen seemed to have installed most or all of the risers for the steps. The weather cooperated perfectly.
Beautiful weather helped workers install the new snow melt cable, which is now ready for testing before the mortar and bluestone steps are reapplied.
Weather permitting, work will begin on installation of the snow melt cable on Monday. Once the heater cables have been installed, which should take a day or two, new bluestone stair pavers will be applied. We don't yet have a definitive timetable for the completion of the work.
Thank you for your patience.
Bluestone be gone. We're ready for the replacement snow melt cables.
Workers began pulling up the stairway to expose and replace the heating cables buried within. The Center stairs of the southwest entryway are closed until work is complete. Please use the stairs to the former Holy Door, or the east staircase for access to the church.
We've approved two additions by Two Brothers Iron Works who fabricated the beautiful railing for our ambo: a hand rail into the north end of the sanctuary near the ambo and brass window rails along the main aisle and transept windows.
People have occasionally been sitting on the window sills (and breaking them, oddly) and leaning against the stained glass, neither of which is good for the long term health of our valuable heritage.
They not in our budget, so the church would gladly accept contributions to help defray the installation costs! Thank you.
Please be attentive to our contractors as they begin remediation of our stairway this Friday and Saturday. Use the east stairs at the Jesus statue.
As you may recall, the snow melt cables laid under the blue stone stairs on our south west main entry staircase and into the basement were inadvertently cut during changes to the hazardous diagonal cut stair patterns in the upper landing. Neither the architect nor the construction supervisor were aware of the damage and we only discovered it during a few snow flurries and freezing morning dew cycles before the big blizzard. (after being reassured it was on "automatic")
In a similar "you can't make this stuff up" category, the snow melt cables on the handicapped accessible ramp on the north side of the church were also cut when the handrails and wheelchair barriers were installed. Repairing this snow melt would require demolition of the concrete ramp and reinstalling it - too costly to contemplate.
Renovations to the south staircase will begin next week. All the blue stone will be removed from the stairs to expose the heat melt cable, which will then be entirely replaced. New blue stone paving will then be installed and hopefully, we will have fully functional heat cable. The costs of replacing this system are being paid from settlement amounts we reached with the construction manager, though before we knew the full scope of the necessary repair.
The contractors on our job site had nothing to do with the original problem, so be nice to them, please!
Main entry will be through the southeast transept on the double stairs by our Jesus Calming the Storm statue until the repairs are completed.
Thank you for your patience.
Work began today on installing additional lighting in and around the church. Individual spotlights will be focused on the marble statues of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and the Sacred Heart. Two lighting bollards will be installed at the stairways on the southwest entry to illuminate the steps more clearly. A light will be installed at the main entryway just above the door to not only illuminate the portal but also the upper stairs leading to the door. Two additional lights will be installed on the exterior stairway to the basement.
We're very glad to begin this necessary work and anticipate that it will be completed shortly.
Fiat lux!
Work on the two new stained glass windows is proceeding and the maker hopes to have them installed in the two clear windows in the North transept by Christmas.
Additional acoustical sound panels are scheduled to be installed this Friday. They should clarify the sound in the transepts as well as the already installed panels have improved the sound in the nave.
Very preliminary planning is being done for the artwork to be installed on the reredos above the Tabernacle. Watch for more information on this over the coming months.
Workers have begun cutting the cracked concrete away from walkways in preparation for its removal. Unfortunately, this includes several sections of sidewalks and driveway, which were driven over before they were fully cured by heavy construction vehicles (not ours) making K turns and maneuvering for deliveries.
Depending on the weather, it may be necessary to close the driveway Wednesday through Friday. The contractor may be able to provide a plywood ramp over which vehicles can drive, in which case please exercise caution.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but want to accomplish the repairs before the freeze-thaw cycles of winter set in.