By Dr. Kathleen H. Goeppinger,
Jubilee Chair
The Jubilee Year has been filled with song, prayer, and friendships. It has highlighted that our parishioners care about St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church and each other. Your participation has brought forth new insights and ideas to strengthen our community for many years to come.
When we began planning the Golden Jubilee of St. Elizabeth Seton, we embarked on a journey to honor those who built this community and sustained it for the past 50 years. Part of our plan was the renovation of our church. The collection of suggestions, ideas and dreams felt like we were embarking on a long and winding road and today we have come to the actual starting point. By the time this edition of The Seton Family is published, we will have moved to our Temporary Church in the hall for our worship services. Many of you have asked me about the sequence of the renovation.
The first part of our journey is removing all the artifacts and special religious items in the current church. Once the first week of May arrives, we will have the demolition specialists on site to remove the pews, pull up the old carpeting and remove the top step of the Sanctuary. The restrooms, Confessionals and existing choir area will all be modified during this process. The exterior ramp on the northeast corner of the church will also be improved to be safer and accommodate all our parishioners who wish to exit via these doors.
Once demolition is completed, we will have the sound specialists in to install “white noise” equipment around the Confessionals. The ramp to the sanctuary will be installed and the new choir area will be constructed. The new restrooms will be installed at the same time.
The next phase is the painters! They are scheduled to paint both the interior of the church and the exterior. This is a big process, requiring lifts, heavy equipment, and a large team of professionals. To save money, we are working to get the Crucifix and chandeliers installed while the lift systems are still in the church.
As our journey continues, we will be creating our new interior from the ground up. Our flooring will go in next, wood for the Sanctuary and tile in the Nave. Once the pews and sanctuary furniture are delivered and are installed, the railings, artwork and finishing touches will carry our project into the fall.
What can you do during this time?
- First and foremost, please keep our project and all who are involved in any capacity in your prayers for a safe, timely and on-budget completion. The schedule is tight, and we are dependent on many different professions and trades to help us accomplish our goal.
- Pray also for our parishioners who may feel inconvenienced at our temporary “pilgrimage” to the Hall.
- Acknowledge that this is a construction site and off limits to those who just “want to take a peek.” We will post pictures, keep you informed, and we will remain vigilant about communication and progress. Unfortunately, the church building cannot be accessed during the renovation months, and all activities will be conducted in the Hall.
With your support, help and many contributions to our building fund, we will end our Jubilee Year with great celebration and praise “God for He is Good, All the Time.” St. Elizabeth Seton pray for us.
