A Quick Two Weeks

 For the last time this summer, Religious Formation students gathered in the courtyard to prepare for classes.

 The summer session ended with a 

Prayer  Service led by Deacon Thome.

Then it was time for Ice Cream and 

look back on a quick two weeks.

Blessed Kateri and Replanting the Courtyard

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) is honored by the Church as the patroness of ecology, nature, and the environment.  Tekakwitha's baptismal name is Catherine, which in the Iroquois languages is Kateri. Tekakwitha's Iroquois name can be translated as, "One who places things in order." or “To put all into place.”

It seems appropriate to ask the intercession of Blessed Kateri (today is her feast day) as we get ready to replant the courtyard on Monday and Tuesday nights starting at 7:00 p.m.

A great deal of work has gone into

creating areas for plants and flowers.

Sprinklers have also been added to keep plants alive.

Come help Monday or Tuesday night starting

 at 7:00 p.m. as the courtyard is replanted.

Somebody Stole Our Stairs

Fr. Damian joked, "Someone stole our stairs," when

 he first looked over the courtyard renovation.

 

Of course a new set of stairs had already been poured. We expect that a lot of wedding pictures will be taken here once the work is done.

It's been a lot of work as it isn't simply replacing the stairs, but all new landscaping. The retaining walls were put in on the hottest week of the year.

 

This project to replace the steps and landscape was all made possible by Columb's Ceili. Each year the parish's annual dinner designates one "brick and mortar" project to improve the parish. This year the project was named, "Creating Disciples: Step by Step" and is aimed at beatifying the courtyard and west entrance to the church. Everything is progressing well.

Building Disciples Step by Step

Every year at Columb's Ceili, there is one project which we support. This year it was replacing the steps between the west parking lot and the courtyard as well as adding some landscaping.

This week that project has begun.

 

 

In yesterday's heat, concrete was poured.

 

 Everything is proceeding towards our vision of the new courtyard.

Because of a tree...

The tree pictured above was once located on our grounds. It was so nice that eveyone agreed that the church should be built around it.

The original design called for the church to be built east of the tree, a new parish office to be built to the north and a new rectory to be built to the west. Everything would be built around this tree.

As costs and budgets were considered, the idea of building a new parish office and rectory were put off with the idea that they could possibly be added later.

But the church was built to the east of the tree. Grass was left around the tree. Stairs were built between the west parking lot and the church. It was designed to flow to the south of the tree and leave space in case we ever added the rectory later.

A few years later, the tree died.

 

So we built a courtyard and added a bell tower.

The stairs have been patched in the meantime, but they simply need to be replaced.

But now, as we consider the space, wouldn't it make more sense to build the steps in the center of the courtyard and parking lot instead of to the south? After all, we have no plans to build a new rectory on the courtyard.

 At the same time, we can add some more landscaping.

That would include landscaping the south end of the courtyard.

Each year a Helping Hands Project is chosen to be supported at Columb's Ceili. Last year that project was to remodel the bathrooms in the church.

This year that project is entitled "Creating Disciples Step by Step." The plan is to add new steps between the west parking lot and the courtyard and landscape the area. So Saturday night at Columb's Ceili we are asking our guests to contribute to his cause. If you are not attending Ceili but would still like to help, please contact Deacon David.