Hello All
We just returned from Oklahoma & Texas last night after visiting our son Wade & family and daughter Sarah & her husband. We had a good trip doing Dad projects in Oklahoma. There are virtually no crops planted yet in east Nebraska or Kansas because of water. Winter wheat is the only crop growing and only if it isn’t flooded out. I had forewarned Comstock Construction and the engineers & architect so I kept in touch with them by cell phone. Before we left, the roof had been closed with boards & the rubber membrane called ice & water shield installed so the parish center is waterproof. It is just waiting to be shingled. The new truss rafters for the sacristy and the laminated beams for the hip roofs on both sides of the altar were received last week Monday. In the meantime, Comstock Construction re-enforced the rafters above the office, the gathering space and the front entrance, nursery and family room. The ceiling above the office literally had zero insulation in the attic, (see picture) and the gathering space ceiling was a little better. Yesterday, new insulation was blown into the attics. Also last week, the Moorhead Building Codes office approved the methods of eliminating the hazard of the roofs and our structural engineer signed off on the fixes that had been made. The red tag of the building has been removed so the office staff of St Francis is moving back into the office yesterday and today. Parishioners can again feel free to come in through the front doors, come visit all of us in the office and feel safe again. The red tag removal also applies to the Nave or worship space except when the contractor is working on the roof sections above the choir area or the other side of the altar. However, to be safe, I am asking everyone to stay out of the worship space until the contractor is completed with the roof sections above and behind the altar at the end of this week. Simultaneously to the contractors repairing the rafters, we have a contractor replacing all three furnaces and air conditioners that are located in a mechanical room behind the altar. They are used to heat and cool the worship space, both sacristies, choir room, chapel and nursery. They will not be completed until next week. Then we will have a commercial cleaning company do a deep clean of the total worship space. They will be shampooing the carpet, the pew cushions, cleaning all the windows and dusting all the furnishings. Fr Raul will be inviting all of us to come celebrate Mass once again at home on Friday, May 31 which is the Feast Day of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Everyone is welcome to come home on Friday for the feast day Mass and we will continue through the week-end with all regular scheduled Masses on Saturday at 5:00 PM, Sunday at 10:00 AM and 12:00 Noon with Mass in Spanish. The remaining re-enforcement work is in the roof of the education wing south of the kitchen. They will not open that roof until after the projected rain front coming tomorrow moves through the area, hopefully next week. Plans are drawn for the reconstruction of the Parish Center and we will meet to review them next week. After approved, we will put them out to receive bids for all the reconstruction tasks and all the effort will then be placed on that one issue. Have a great week everyone and come, let Fr. Raul welcome everyone back home celebrating the eucharist on Friday night or throughout the weekend.