Following is Fr. Jasinski’s “Pastor’s Notes” column from the parish bulletin of January 21, 2024.
Dear Parishioners,
I recently paged through documents in our parish archives and saw the various plans which were proposed in the mid-2000s for new buildings at St. Benedict. Those ideas led to a review of the needs of St. Benedict Parish and the formulation of an overall plan. We have come a long way since then. After over a decade of discussion, planning, fundraising and building, we are just a few months away from moving into our new facility.
With major construction now done, the builders are now attending to a thousand details: the installation of ceiling tiles, interior doors, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, flooring, sound system, and network, telephone and other systems. Once all that work is complete (around the beginning of March), we can begin to move into our new building.
You may have noticed that half of the statues were removed from our church. An artist is repairing chips and cracks, and will freshen them up before they are placed in our new facility. Next week, the sound system will be taken and installed in our new social hall (a temporary speaker system will be used, so I don’t “blow out” my voice). In mid-February, the high altar and main altar will be removed and placed in the new building. I have arranged to borrow an altar, so we can continue to celebrate Mass here. In mid-March, we will move items from the church, sacristy, choir loft, social hall, kitchen, offices, classrooms, storage areas, and garage to our new site.
This past week, I proposed to Bishop Folda that we celebrate our first Mass in the new building on Saturday, March 30, the Easter Vigil. He approved the plan and asked that he be scheduled to come and bless the new facility. So, on your calendar, mark Easter as the date when we will be in our new building.
Update on January 29: Bishop Folda will celebrate Mass and bless the new building on Monday, April 8, the Feast of the Annunciation.
In the meantime, there is a lot for us to do. Stay tuned to learn how you can help.
Fr. Andrew Jasinski