Dear Parish Family,
Shortly after arriving at Saint
Thomas à Becket, I had the opportunity to meet with the Renovation Committee
who brought me up to date on the plans to renovate the worship area. Since that
initial meeting, the Diocese has given approval to move forward with this
long-awaited project. Our plans were submitted to the Fairfax County officials
on September 25 for their review and approval. The County building permit
process is expected to take several months, with construction targeted to begin
in early 2015.
Based on project review by the
Renovation Committee, the architect, the builder, The Diocesan Finance Office
and the Diocese Office of Planning, Construction & Facilities, it is
estimated that we have almost 2/3 of the funds needed for the church renovation
already on hand.
As you may have already heard,
we have begun a fundraising campaign to raise the remaining funds for these
renovations and for the future needs of our parish, such as the roof, HVAC and
parking lot replacements.
It is my hope that we reach as many parishioners as possible during the
course of this campaign and that this effort becomes a truly parish-wide
endeavor.
In the coming weeks, a fellow
parishioner and member of the campaign committee will contact you by mail or
telephone with an opportunity to support and help with the campaign. When
asked, please be receptive to attending a meeting or visiting with a member of
the committee. We will be contacting all
registered families in our parish, but our new committee is still growing so
reaching out to all will take some time. Please consider being part of this
effort. These volunteers will be prepared to answer whatever campaign related
questions you may have.
For more details about these plans or to provide your input,
please go to the Contact Us page on the renovation website.
With kind regards,
Rev. William B. Schardt
