Today the studded walls in the basement were removed. The stairway has been cleaned the best they can. You can see the black marks are still on the walls & ceiling in the entrance way and up the stairs. That will have to be repainted. Toby was cleaning the hanging lights. Part of the wall inside the church was taken out to see where the soot traveled. A couple of feet will be removed from the floor up and replaced. The big statues and the cross have been removed and placed in a room with an air purifier to take any smell out of them.

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Today the main work was downstairs in Hansen Hall/furnace room. The have a machine to clean the air ducts. Which in turn brings the soot and the smell back into the basement. A big air purifier is vented outside to help take the smoke smell out. All the wainscoting in the church is taken off. The second dumpster was filled so now we are on number 3.

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Back to work today. The wainscot has been removed on the street side and coming down on the other side. Cleaning of the confessionals today. You can see on the wall going down the steps to Hansen Hall where they have begun to clean. Also, Cleaning has begun in the sanctuary. Keep praying for the men and women who endured the heat to clean the church.

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I hope each of us takes some moments this weekend to reflect upon the real reason for our Federal observance of Memorial Day. We remember more than all the faithful departed; we remember more specifically those who have lost their lives defending the liberties we so easily take for granted. There are countless resources lost to defend our nation and its principles. The lost human resources are the most valuable. We are pro-life, so any time any life is lost, we mourn in unique ways. Continue to pray for the repose of the souls of our nations heroes, many of them unspoken and unsung.

Week one is complete. The crew started to go home early this afternoon; some to Wausau and some to Green Bay. Cleaning the walls is progressing and they are starting on the choir loft. The crew will return on Tuesday morning. Steve and Father are asking for extra inspiration (Ha Ha)... Let's keep perspective on the real reasons for Memorial Day.

Hanson Hall is all torn out. Kessler was sweeping up the remains of the wall.

Lance showed me all the brick walls that were hiding in the studded walls. Not much left of the bathrooms with all the walls and fixtures removed. Furnace is removed. They cleaned in the crawl space under the sacristy. Poor Liam was the one that got to do that dirty job. Pray for all the crew that is helping restore our church back to it beauty.

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The containers will be used for running the special air purifier to remove the smoke odor. Everything is removed from the main floor for the scissor jacks to move around. Cleaning of the Stations of the Cross has begun. The electrician is here to install new wiring and get the lights back working. Ceiling and walls are coming down in Hanson Hall.

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And the clean up continues. All the carpet has been removed through out the Church. The pews are cleaned and will be removed later today into containers that will have a special air vacuum attached to remove the smoke odor. They are starting to clean the windows and the walls. The tear down of Hanson Hall continues. The pictures from the walls and papers from the case in Hanson Hall were cleaned with special dry sponges. They will also be put into the containers to remove the odor.

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The equipment is starting to arrive. A few of the ServiceMaster crew have begun cleaning pews before they get removed. Pray for all the wonderful people that will help restore our church.

Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are claimed by Christ…forever. No matter how close we grow in relationship with the Trinity, or how much we work to reject God's presence in our lives, baptized people are claimed by Christ. No matter if people choose to believe that fact or not, it does not become less true. Perhaps that reality alone can continue to inspire us to make prayerful concessions for our loved ones. Our prayers for them can invite the Holy Spirit to reignite the gift of faith within them and guide them back to a living relationship with the Trinity.

May 13th is the annual feast of Our Lady of Fatima. You will recall that last year we joined Catholics around the globe in honoring Our Lady of Fatima. Despite the fact that universal attention on Our Lady of Fatima has diminished, we continue to recognize the value of our Blessed Mother's intercession and compassion for each one of us, her children. We also couple the Blessed Mother's care as we join in honoring Mother's Day 2018. So, reflecting upon mothers is a worthwhile exercise today.

Sometimes we, as Catholics, face questions from disgruntled Catholics and non-Catholics alike about the Church's resources and wealth. Usually, somewhere in the conversation, we hear remarks about the Vatican's bank, property and art. Often people quote some value of those resources to be in the millions, or even billions, and how the Church would be so much better off if those resources were sold and the money used for the poor. Then the conversation moves toward the hypocrisy of the Church who says we should care for the poor but have all of these riches stored up. Well…