Bp. Slattery thanks Manhattan Constr. for their part of the Renovation

In a recent Eastern Oklahoma Catholic article, Bishop Slattery thanked Manhattan Construction for doing their part in the renovation.

There are a few remaining projects, but they will have to wait for donations beyond the scope of the current pledge drive:

• We will replace the temporary white carpet in sanctuary with marble that matches the rest of the sanctuary marble. The green carpet under the Bishop's cathedra will likely be replaced with green marble.
• The frieze stencil that will run around the perimeter of the interior has yet to be painted.
• The clock mechanism is largely intact, but it needs a variety of smaller machined parts to resume operation.
• The electromagnetic strikers which sound the bronze chimes in the tower need to be replaced.
• We need to install new protective shields over the stained glass windows.
• We want to resurface and landscape the parking lot area across the street from the school. [The lot purchased as part of Fund for the Future has already been resurfaced and landscaped by the Diocese.]

New Sidewalk Poured

The new sidewalk on the north side of the Rectory is drying.

Sidewalk repairs underway

Our painting crews used a tremendously heavy crane to reach the spires of the Cathedral. The wheels of the crane pushed through our sidewalks into cavities in the soil below. It was a very minor version of the infamous 8th street hole.

They removed the crumbled concrete yesterday. We should see new concrete soon.

The Rectory

For a short time from 1914 to 1919, Holy Family Parish and School operated on two campuses. The new Holy Family Church at 8th & Boulder was dedicated on April 1, 1914 (photo: right) and was used for Masses on Sundays and feast days. The School at 3rd & Elgin waited five years for the new school in its present location to be completed. The pastor, Father John Heiring, lived in a temporary wood frame rectory near the new church. He occasionally said daily Mass at the old Holy Family church.

In his diary, Father Heiring wrote that in 1919, "work was begun on moving the frame rectory to be replaced by a brick structure in keeping with the church and providing for the priest in charge a residence comfortable but not extravagant. On June 13, excavation work was begun and foundation completed by July 26th."

Soon afterwards, Father Heiring sold the old lot and used the proceeds to speed the construction of Holy Family School. It was completed in 1919.





In the same year, Father Heiring completed his "comfortable but not extravagant" rectory.

Recently, Monsignor Gier repaired the leaky roof and replaced the rotten hand rails on the west side of the rectory.

[You may click on the photo to the left to see the details of the carved wood that makes up the hand rails.]

Eighth Street reopens

The saga of the Eighth Street hole is complete. The men who repaired the hole decided that the new patch of asphalt is ready for traffic and removed the cones and signs that protected it.