Dear St. Thomas à Becket Parish and
Community,
As we celebrate this season of Advent,
we mark a milestone in the planning phase for an updated worship space for
reverential prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist, the liturgies, and the
sacraments. After a year of hard work
and mindful of the unique architectural features of our church, we recently
received approval from the Diocese to proceed with the architect's preparation
of construction documents and drawings necessary for building permits, as well
as to solicit renovation bids through our general contractor. This milestone is the furthest progress that
our Parish has made through the multiple renovation attempts over the past
several years!
The Renovation Committee
is working closely with our Finance Council on how best to finance a project we
can all be proud of. The recent Parish
Financial Statement noted that we have $1,200,000 in a "Temporarily
Restricted Assets" account, which is solely for the renovations. St. Thomas à Becket is in a great position at
this stage of the process, with 75% of the needed funds already on hand.
As we’ve shared with the parish,
renovation accomplishments over the past year include decisions to:
· Permanently
locate the Sanctuary to focus on the Liturgy and Sacraments, including
replacement of the central column with a new bent beam/truss that will peak
directly above the new Sanctuary and open up the full width of the area below,
giving prominence and focus to our sacred liturgies;
· Upgrade
to permanent seating, including a combination of pews and movable chairs;
· Provide
access for our disabled community to the altar;
· Retrofit
the existing Heating, Ventilation and
Air Conditioning (HVAC) system;
· Competitively
select the Architect (Intec) and General Contractor (Whitener & Jackson);
· Display
conceptual graphics and floor plans for the parish to view in the Narthex; and
· Solicit,
consolidate and forward parishioner comments from website and Narthex to the
Committee.
Our current work includes looking at options
for the Sacristy, confessional(s) and Chapel area and continued planning
collaboration with the architect, general contractor and the Diocese.
During this past year, a renovation web
page was built to keep you informed of our progress and to capture your input,
and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) were recently added to address common
questions. Many of you have provided great feedback as we endeavor to fulfill
the St. Thomas à Becket community’s long-standing desire to update the Sanctuary
space. I would personally like to thank
each of you who have taken to the time to share your thoughts in person and
online, as your support has been invaluable.
As always, you can find the latest updates and provide your input via
the Renovation Website: www.stbrenovation.com.
Lastly, please keep the Committee and
myself in your prayers as we continue this important work. My hope is that the work we are undertaking
will serve the St. Thomas à Becket community for decades to come.
May
God Bless You Always,
Father Paul Grankauskas
Father Paul Grankauskas
