The Sacred Heart Parish Council has been planning for a long time to do some work on the main floor of the rectory. Many volunteers and some contractors have been working hard on it. So, it’s time for a status report.
It has been disruptive in office work and living but manageable. We still have not been able to move our parish offices back into the rectory from the Mission Center, but we are getting close. The exercise room generously stocked with exercise equipment by Fr. Kopel is now available for use. No excuses anymore. People have done much hard work to keep that equipment available for me and future priests!
We replaced the carpet, linoleum and original tile flooring with modern tile and plank flooring. Much of the floor trim wood work has been refinished or replaced. We repainted almost all of the painted walls and ceilings. A contractor cleaned the central air duct system. The air conditioner and blower still has to be replaced. It is so old, the bearings are gone. Also, the old ceiling speakers need to be replaced with ceiling fans.
We thank our volunteers who have put in many hours up to this point to get us here. We need many volunteers next week to finish painting and to do a thorough cleaning starting at 1:00 p.m. this Monday. The new living room furniture arrives this Tuesday. We bought a couch, sofa, and rocking recliner. (I didn’t get exactly what I wanted!) Msgr. McPhee’s recliner is going downstairs. The built-in heat, massage, and phone don’t work anymore. Does anybody want to sit in the old captain’s chair?
Fr. Kopel previously made the old housekeeper living quarters useable as a priest bedroom and study. (Thank you Fr. Kopel!) We repainted it, replaced the carpet, and bought some bookcases. I am looking forward to having my own, private study that will end up quite messy, I am sure.
Surprisingly, we found all the furniture we were looking for scattered in three different furniture stores. We even found a mule chest to put into the Sacred Heart Parish Hall under the smart TV. With minor modifications, it will be a nice place for computer use in showing videos online and provide storage space for the Altar Society and YFF.
If you have not been involved in helping so far, please consider it. We need your help to finish this project, have an Open House, get me moved back in, and finish the rectory basement.
