Following the example of our patron Saint Stephen, we are called to be witnesses of God's love and to be a faith-filled, reconciling parish.
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| Parish Center News - November 19, 2006 |
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It's Awesome! Awesome was the overwhelming response of the school children when they were asked: "What do you think of the new parish center?" What follows are some of their responses after the first time they used the parish center.
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| Parish Center News - November 5, 2006 |
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Some Good News About the Parish Center!
The flooring company was able to correct the installation problem this past Monday and Tuesday, and the basketball court is now 50’ wide! So here is our new timetable: On Wednesday, November 8, the court lines will be repainted and no one can walk on the floor for 5 days. Beginning Tuesday, November 14, even though we are still awaiting the arrival of the wall padding, the parish center will be open for business! Regrettably, by that date I know that the volleyball season will be over for many teams. Even if the season is over, I would still encourage the coaches to schedule a practice game or two sometime between November 14 and 28, since we all have waited so long to use the courts. - Fr. Chuck Barthel P.S. A Commercial: Starting in January at the latest, there will be Open Play / Co-ed/ Intermediate Volleyball on Fridays from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM in the Parish Center. For more information call John Niebling at 353- 6379 or Jane Barber 353-2837. This is a great opportunity to exercise and socialize!. |
| Parish Center News - October 29, 2006 |
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A Nightmare on Wilmington
No, I am not referring to our Halloween decorations at the rectory; rather, I am talking about another obstacle we have encountered in completing the Parish Center project. (Besides that, spell-check doesn’t recognize “#ag*#&@^.”) First, some good news: This past week, the basketball backboards were hung in place and the flooring on the stage, in the foyer and in the hallway has been installed. I also ordered the signage that will be placed on the outside wall facing Wilmington. Now, for the nightmare: One of the parishioners looked through the windows a week ago after the lines had been painted on the court and said, "Did you know the court is only 42' wide? I thought it was supposed to be 50' wide." And so did I! Since I had not measured the length & width of the court as it was being installed, the only way to see that it was 42' wide was after the lines were painted on. So Joe Rusch and I came up to look at it last Sunday and sure enough, it was 42' wide. UUGGHH! We started looking through all of our documentation and minutes from meetings and found where we said that the court was to be 50' wide. And so now the architect, contractor and sub-contractor are working at finding an acceptable solution to someone’s mistake. The "easiest" solution will be to add 2 widths of the maple flooring to both sides of the court. This will require minimal line painting and the shortest amount of time needed to fix the problem. If the color doesn't match well with the maple floor in place, then all of the maple will need to be replaced. Obviously, I will inform you about what is going on as soon as I know what is going on. - Fr. Chuck Barthel P.S. Archbishop Burke will still be here on Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 PM for the blessing of the new Parish Center. |
| Parish Center News - October 15, 2006 |
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Ever So Slowly - Inch by Inch / Step by Step
I have been told, but not promised, that all of the flooring will be completely installed by the end of the work day on Monday, as in tomorrow, if you are reading this on Sunday! On Tuesday & Wednesday of this week, lines will be painted onto the gym floor and then the building will be shut down for 6 days so that the adhesives can properly cure and the lines properly dry. So hopefully, beginning on Monday, October 23, these are the only things left to be done by the contractor and subcontractors: install the backboards / deliver the volleyball equipment, install the bleachers and finish the punch list. There will still be other things that need to be done, but they fall under the category of "owner responsibility." Some of the things on that list are: install stage curtains and window shades, install cabinets, a water heater and a sink in the kitchenette, purchase & install padding on the walls, etc. I still think my November 1 target date is realistic for the Center being open for activity. - Fr. Chuck Barthel P.S. In case you missed the announcement in last week's bulletin, on Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 PM, Archbishop Burke will be here to bless our new Parish Center. Although it is more than 2 months away, I am asking you to put this date on your calendar. |
| Parish Center News - October 8, 2006 |
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On Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 PM, Archbishop
Burke will be here to bless our new Parish Center.
Although it is more than 2 months away, I am asking you
to put this date on your calendar. You will receive more
information about the blessing in future November
bulletins.
Speaking of the Parish Center As I write this bulletin article on Wednesday morning, I have just found out that the concrete floor's humidity rating is at the required level (3%), and so work on installing the floor was scheduled to begin this past Thursday. I am told that it should take about 7 working days to install the 2 floor types. There is the multi-purpose sport floor for the gym area and the vinyl flooring for the stage area, the foyer, and the hallway. The proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" is getting brighter all the time! Besides installing the flooring, the remaining "major" projects are the installation of the basketball backboards and prepping the bleachers for installation. It’s my hope that we will be able to start using the Parish Center on November 1. - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center News - October 1, 2006 |
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It's oh-so close to being finished! The asphalt parking
lot was poured this past week, and the list of projects still
to be done grows smaller each day. The biggest obstacle
to completion that we are waiting on is for the concrete
floor to "dry out." Before the two types of flooring can be
installed, we need to have a humidity reading of 3% or
less in the building and on the floor. Two weeks ago we
were at 5%. Another reading was to be taken this past
Wednesday and hopefully the concrete has cured long
enough so that the floor can be installed.
In the meantime, we will be doing a walk through this coming Tuesday, in order to prepare a punch list. A "punch list" is a list of things that need attention before the project can be designated as "substantially complete." - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center News - September 17, 2006 |
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"Father, I was wondering. Is there going to be anything
on the brick wall that faces Wilmington?"
Lately, that seems to be an often repeated question I am hearing. The simple answer is: "No, not at this time." However, you should know by now that there is never a simple answer! First of all, even though the original artist's sketch shows a cross on the building, that's just what it was -- an artist's sketch. One proposal that was made was to have a brick pattern on the parish center wall match the brick pattern on the walls next to the main entrance of the church, whereby the bricks extend away from the building. (To better understand what I am talking about, take a close look at the brickwork around the entrance of the church.) However, that design cost around $5000, which we felt was not a worthwhile expense at this time. "What about some type of signage or lettering on the wall?" Again, that is a future possibility, but it's not in the plans just yet. We have some additional items to purchase for the parish center that have a higher priority. Other Parish Center News:
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| Soon and Very Soon! - September 3, 2006 |
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Have you ever felt like you are running the 30th mile of
a 26-mile marathon? That's what it feels like as we enter
into the final weeks of construction on the Parish Center!
We are getting closer and closer to sealing up the building completely, which is needed before the floor can be installed. To "seal the building" means not only having all windows and doors installed, but also dehumidifying the building by running the AC. The doors for the main entrance are scheduled to be shipped on September 6. The walls of the parish center and bathrooms are being painted and should be completed sometime this week. The bathroom fixtures and partitions will also be installed this week. Work on the parking lot and sidewalks has begun. There will be a time when the sidewalk in front of the new parish center will be closed for a short while and so we will need to find a different way for the students to walk to and from school. We will have members of the safety patrol directing traffic. We are also going to replace the asphalt in front of the south school door / flagpole area. In case you were wondering where the commemorative bricks were going to be installed, the bricks have become "pavers", which will be installed at the exterior entrance to the parish center. The revised target date for completion is now Friday, September 29. - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| The Domino Effect (AKA An Update on The Parish Center) - August 6, 2006 |
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What you can't see -- the interior: This past week they
were hanging drywall in the bathrooms and in the office
area. The metal stud framing in the stage area and on the
backside of the upper metal panels in the parish center
has been completed. The doorframe to the parish center
has been set in place and so is most of the duct work.
Finally, we are starting to receive bids for the new stage
curtain and the room darkening shades for the windows.
What you can see -- the exterior: Since the masons finished the brick work a week ago, it really is beginning to look like a building, isn't it? Regrettably, due to a mistake by the manufacturer, additional metal panels are still needed for installation on the upper east side of the building. Since they only manufacture the panels on a specific schedule, the replacement panels are tentatively scheduled to be delivered here no later than August 15. Without the panels, the building is not yet sealed, which means that drywall can't be hung, walls painted, the concrete floor prepped for the new flooring, etc., etc. (Hence, the domino effect.) We are now looking at a tentative completion date of September 15. It is our hope that we can start using the Parish Center by October 1. (It looks like the new Schnucks will win the construction completion race after all.) The next major exterior project will be preparing the cut-outs for the 2 new driveways into the parking lot. In addition to a new sidewalk, we will be replacing some of the existing sidewalk in front of the parish center with sod. - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center Progress - July 2, 2006 |
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The parish center is looking more and more like a
building as each week goes by. The masons are close to
completing the west wall of the building--which is also
where the entrance will be located--and they will continue
work on the south wall, which faces Wilmington. Light fixtures
are being hung and the upper panels of the building
are about to be installed. The concrete workers have
poured the sidewalk that connects the east school door
and the asphalt area by the flag pole / south school door.
They have also poured the sidewalk that runs along the
back of the building.
Two of the four heating and cooling units will arrive next week; the other two should arrive around July 15. As soon as the new gas line is in place, the plumbers can finish installing the restroom fixtures and the drywall can be hung. During the campaign, we talked about "buying a brick". The bricks are not bricks on the wall; they actually are pavers that will be in the entranceway of the parish center. This past week all of the names were sent to the company who will be doing the engraving. Half of the wall that will become the new ground level entrance to the school has been torn down; the other half will be taken down once additional support beams are in place. One of the next projects to be worked on is making the two curb cuts for the driveways into and out of the parking lot. Saving the best news for last: I have received a "substantial completion" date of August 18, with a total completion date of August 30. That means we have a little more than two months of work until completion! It looks like it will be down to the wire as to who finishes first--Schnucks or St. Stephen Protomartyr. Put your money on the Martyr! - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center Progress - May 7, 2006 |
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May 15 - 8:00 AM! Mark this date and time in your calendar,
because that's when the steel support frame is
supposed to arrive for the new Parish Center. At least that
is what I was told (promised?) at our bi-weekly construction
meeting this past Tuesday. If it arrives then, they
should be able to begin setting the steel in place and be
finished in about two weeks. So, I would ask that all of you
send up prayers to St. Eligius, the patron saint of steel
builders & steel workers, for the successful completion of
this next phase of the construction project.
Other recent accomplishments: the retaining wall has been bricked, a larger door frame has been cut out for access to the new maintenance room, and one set of steps & the floor of the new maintenance room are ready to be poured. In case you are wondering about the location of this new maintenance room -- it will be located off the alley where the ramp and the old courtyard were. - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center Progress - March 25, 2006 |
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Fr. Chuck, Rory Shelton, and I meet with Bob Palisch, a
project manager from the Archdiocese, Walter Albrecht,
the architect from Chiodini & Associates, and Bob Eich,
the project manager from Hof Construction, every two
weeks to receive an update on the project and to
discuss any issues that need to be addressed.
On March 10th, the concrete sub-floor was poured (click here to see images of the construction)
and that went very well. In case you were wondering,
it took 18 cement trucks (175 yards of concrete)
to complete the task. The steel structures for
the building should arrive at the end of April.
Prior to that time, there is still plenty of
preparation work to do. The installation of
the electric service for the new building will be
done during the week of April 17th. This task will
require turning off the power to the convent. It is
scheduled for the week after Easter when school is not
in session. During that same week, they hope to cut through
the brick wall where a new doorway will be placed. This
doorway will lead to the new bathrooms and to the parish hall.
As of now, it is unlikely that the project will be completed by the school picnic on June 14th. In our contract with Hof, it is written that they need to clean up and leave the premises the Friday prior to the picnic to allow for the appropriate set-up. We will continue to keep the Picnic Committee informed about the status of the project as they make plans for this year's event. A number of rumors and questions accompany any building project. Here are some that we have been hearing:
Floor Layout (Adobe Acrobat PDF File Format; opens in new browser window) - 3.17 MB Floor Layout (JPEG Image File Format) - 130 K Please feel free to contact me regarding any other questions you may have about the Parish Center. You may call me at home (314-351-3474) or contact me via e-mail at joerusch@sbcglobal.net. - Joe Rusch |
| Parish Center Progress - February 2006 |
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The sewer line has been installed - the plumbing for
the bathroom has been roughed in - the future parking lot
has been excavated to sub-grade. As soon as the
geotechnological engineer signs off on the concrete
density test, the alley can be re-opened. The next project
will be to start working on the footings and to do additional
demolition work in what will be the future bathroom area.
A "wow" moment: Seeing 2 x 4's in place that mark
where the corners of the building will be.
- Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center Progress - January 2006 |
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Besides the grading work that you see being done
outside, the basement area of the old convent that once
was home of the picnic closet, the aftercare program, the
nursery program and the janitor supply closet has been
gutted and the walls have been taken down. Chalk lines
have been drawn on the floor and hopefully they were
able to begin work on the plumbing for the restrooms this
past week.
More digging will need to occur where the two-family flat was. All of the fill that was buried in the old basement will need to be removed, along with the foundation walls. This needs to be done so that no settling will occur at a later time after the building has been built. As I did with the renovation of the church, I will keep a photo log of the work progress. I will post those pictures on an easel by the lower gate / door entrance by the east transept of church. Click here to view the photos of the demolition and construction processes. - Fr. Chuck Barthel |
| Parish Center Progress - December 2005 |
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Demolition for the construction of the new Parish Center began in September, 2005.
Click to view photos of the demolition, construction,
and construction site blessing of the building.
The Parish Center is expected to be completed in late Spring or early Summer, 2006. Click these links to see an image of the Parish Center plans and artist's rendering of the finished building. |
| Our Parish Vision - Buildings for Our Future |
Just as the parishioners in the twenties,
the thirties, and the sixties came together
to build three churches, a school and a convent,
we too must come together and help address the
current and future needs of our parish that
were defined during the assessment period. The
capital improvements targeted in this campaign
are furthering the mission of our parish through:
In order to be successful in this endeavor, we will need the participation of the entire parish community, our alumni, and our benefactors. That participation will be expressed in a variety of different ways. Obviously, we need your financial support. We realize that for this campaign to be successful, all of us will be asked to make some financial sacrifice. Whatever amount you are able to pledge to this campaign will be deeply appreciated. Moreover, we also need your prayers. We ask you to pray that the campaign will be both a time of grace and blessing for our parish, as well as a financial success. Please join with us as we respond to both the present and future needs of our parish. - Fr. Charles Barthel |
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Saint Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church 3949 Wilmington Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63116 (314) 481-1133 www.saintstephenstl.org |