Day 49

07-31-2018Church Renovation

New electrical service was installed today. Installation of the heating and air conditioning work continues. The entryway has been finished as far as the final coat of paint and the woodwork is having a new coat of varnish applied.

Day 48

07-30-2018Church Renovation

Furnaces are being installed and painting continues.

Feeding the Five Thousand

07-29-2018Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

Hello this is Fr. Prince Raja, I had a great welcome potluck by St. Lawrence Parish people at Alma Rod and Gun club on 23rd Monday Evening. Thanks for your delicious food and warm welcome. I had an opportunity to see how our VBS happening in Fountain City, appreciation and prayers for all the volunteers who helped VBS. Last weekend I had visiting priests' friends I took them around our parishes, it's a prayerful experience to take them to our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse.

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Day 47

07-27-2018Church Renovation

The painters are still at it. As well as Steve and Liam. Those pews are going to look so nice.

Remember to thank God for these beautiful days that we are having.

Day 46

07-26-2018Church Renovation

While Liam was applying the special odor blocking primer in the crawl space under the sacristy and sanctuary, he found some more hidden treasures. The original stencils that were used when the church was first built. One of the stencils is the exact match to the red stenciling that we found on the sanctuary wall. Also found was a newspaper that was from September 28, 1899. It must have been when the church was built. It looks amazingly clean from being buried in the sand all those years. The surprises that God had in store for us.

One painter is patching, one is priming and the other one is painting. So it is in all 3 stages right now. Moving forward...

Day 45

07-25-2018Church Renovation

The insulation guy was here right way this morning. All the outside walls are sprayed. Even the main floor behind the wainscot. Hansen Hall is starting to look cozy.

The painters fixed up and squared off the 2 side beams that flank the sanctuary. They look really nice.

The second presentation will be tonight at 5:30pm in the Parish Life Center. Hope everyone got a chance to see it and get their questions answered

Day 44

07-24-2018Church Renovation

The painters are patching and working there way into the sanctuary. Some patching, some painting- a little bit of everything going on for Charlie. Hansen Hall has the walls all studded. The foam insulation guys will be here tomorrow to spray. All the electrical under the church is done.

Remember the next Parish Council Presentation is tomorrow, July 25, at 5:30pm. Come and see the slide show that Diane has prepared.

Day 43

07-23-2018Church Renovation

As you can see the before and after pictures of the choir loft after the pipe closet has been removed. Brian is on the lift painting the ceiling. Charlie is taking the scaffolding down in the bell tower stairway. That is all painted with the final color. The beams are getting the first brown color.

In Hansen Hall, more walls are going up. Steve and Liam are getting the sheet rock put up on the ceiling in the furnace room.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

07-22-2018Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

The gospel narration is the continuation of that of last Sunday. So too is our reflection. Last Sunday, we heard how Jesus “summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits” and “to proclaim repentance” (Mk 6: 7, 12). Today, we hear how “the apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught,” and he would take them to “a lonely place where they could be by themselves” (Mk 6:30-32).

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Day 42

07-19-2018Church Renovation

The organ and the pipes were taken out and trucked away yesterday. Next the box/closet that housed the pipes will be taken out. The new pipes will not be enclosed.

Studded walls are starting to go up in Hansen Hall. Can actually imagine a bathroom in there now.

The painters are still patching some but their new project is painting the wood beams. Which is part of the process of making the beams look like they have wood grain.

Don't forget the presentation on Sunday from the Parish Council. The next presentation will be on July 25th at 5:30 pm.

Day 41

07-18-2018Church Renovation

Now that the 2x4 boards are here, the walls are starting to get put together. The painters are priming the main church with Kilz. You can see the difference in color. The sealant is white and the Kilz primer is a tan. They have the walls all done. The ceiling will be next.

Steve is staining and varnishing some more of the pews.

Meet Eileen. She is the wonderful person who is going to design our church back to its original beauty.

Don't forget that this Sunday is a presentation by the Parish Council on the building renovation and maintenance that is needed now.

Day 40

07-17-2018Church Renovation

Winona Heat & Ventilating came today with the crane and fixed the leak in the roof.

The painters have started priming over top the special sealant in the entrance way and stairway. Steve has about 80% of the church sprayed with the special sealant.

Liam crawled in the heat vents to spray the sealant from the basement and from the top. Good thing he is as small as he is.

The Parish Council will be having a presentation this Sunday after Mass to explain some of the upgrade options and some of the things that still need repair.

Day 39

07-16-2018Church Renovation

Happy Monday! The painters are taping off the woodwork so Steve can spray his special primer to seal the walls. The entrance way and up the stairs are all done. They are all one color now. They will be starting on the sanctuary and the side sacristies next as Steve starts priming in the main part of the church.

One of the furnaces has arrived.

Special Thank you to Theresa McCamley and Peggy Duellman as they took on the challenge of going through all of the choir loft boxes. It is not a clean job.

The New Evangelization

07-15-2018Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

My first weekend in all our three parishes went really well, you all gave me a warm welcome. Special thanks to the PCCW ladies in Waumandee who served a welcome cake and ice cream after Saturday Mass. I really appreciate and thank all the volunteers who cleaned the rectory. Thanks to our office administrator Connie Sweno and Deacon Edward Wendt who walked me to all the new features of our parish administration.

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Day 38

07-13-2018Church Renovation

First thing this morning, the second load of cement arrived. Hansen Hall and the bathrooms will be handicap accessible now. The cement is one of the things that is not covered by insurance that we will have to pay for. But what an improvement it will be.

The painters are still patching and taping off windows and woodwork getting it ready to be sprayed with the special sealer.

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Day 37

07-12-2018Church Renovation

The cement was here first thing this morning. They were busy wheel barreling it in. The wheelchair ramp, the floor between the old Hansen Hall and the furnace room, and the back half of the new bathrooms are done. More cement coming to finish off the hall.

Patching the walls and refinishing of the pews are still going on on the main floor. Keep these men in your prayers while they continue to fix our church in this extreme heat.

Day 36

07-11-2018Church Renovation

Liam was working in the Sanctuary today taking inside trim off to get old wiring out and discovered this written on the top of one of the pillar trims. Looks like 3 paint jobs after the original. We will keep that and have Charlie put his mark up there too. He also found some of the old stenciling under the chipped paint. Exciting to find hidden history like that.

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Day 35

07-10-2018Church Renovation

Some of the pews are getting color. There still is plenty to strip yet also. In Hanson Hall the dirt is getting sloped for the wheelchair ramp. Cement should hopefully be coming soon. The painters are still patching - what a tedious job.

Day 34

07-09-2018Church Renovation

The painters are really coming along with the patching and sponging. Steve has sprayed a sealant on the wood in Hanson Hall to prevent any smell from coming out. The interior walls in Hanson Hall, the main entrance and the walls up the choir loft stairs have also been sprayed with a special paint to lock out any odor.

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A Brief Introduction

07-08-2018Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

Hello to you all! I am Father Prince Amala Jesuraja, (people call me Prince Raja) a Catholic Priest belonging to the Archdiocese of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Southern India. I was ordained as a priest on April 19, 2009. Let me give you a brief explanation about my name: of course some of you know the pop singer Prince from Minnesota; my mom didn't name me after him. 'Amala' means "Immaculate Mary" in my Tamil language, 'Jesuraja' means "Christ the King". In my six years of priestly life in India, I have served in different parishes as an associate pastor and in social service society.

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Day 33

07-06-2018Church Renovation

14 of the 70 pews are stripped ready to be stained. The stairway to the choir loft is getting primed. The entrance steps are taped and ready to prime. The painters are in the front have of the church patching and taping.

Day 32

07-05-2018Church Renovation

Our new priest has arrived today. Meet Father Prince A. Raja.

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Day 31

07-03-2018Church Renovation

Everything is progressing in the church. The painters are still working on the walls and the pews are still getting stripped. Have a safe and Happy 4th!

Day 30

07-02-2018Church Renovation

The painters have finished patching and sponging the back half of the main floor, under the choir loft and the entrance way. That is ready for primer. They will continue with the front half, sanctuary and the 2 side sacristies. Steve and Liam are still repairing and stripping varnish off of the pews.

Thoughts for Now

07-01-2018Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

I have spent some time reflecting back upon these last nineteen years of my life. My ordination anniversary was Tuesday. I continue to be reminded by the Lord about the abundance of graces we have as Catholics; and particularly the graces I have been given through the vocation of the priesthood. Most especially are the Sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Eucharist which are provided through the lives of priests.

Beyond that, I have spent some time reflecting back upon these last seven years of my life. Today (1 July) marks my seven year anniversary as Pastor of the parishes and school in this cluster. Among the countless experiences upon which I could reflect, I continue to return to a grateful disposition. Particularly the gratitude directed to the Staff members over the years who have supported our accomplishments as parish cluster. We always hear about surrounding yourself with good people; well God was instrumental in providing good people. I want to highlight Carrie Adams who is my longest term employee who began as limited DRE, then DRE for the cluster, then DRE and Head Teacher, and currently Head Teacher and Teacher at Saint Boniface Catholic School. I also want to highlight Deacon Wendt who has provided brother clergy support in and around the broad ministry which God has entrusted to us here.

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