Photos in September Newsletter

The Cathedral News, the monthly parish newsletter, is printing right now.

Msgr. Gier mentioned the renovation in his monthly column:

Our work in the Cathedral has continued at a slow pace due to the high temperatures in the attic of the Cathedral. However the sprinkler system is close to finished and Father La Chance approved the colors for the new restroom today (August 29, 2006).

Page 6 features "Before and After" photos of completed work.

We are starting to gather information on acoustic engineering firms and sound system installers. The goal is to have the Cathedral analyzed for its acoustic properties, and then to have a sound system designed to maximize clarity. Any developments will be posted on this blog.

A Shocking Development

The Cathedral was struck by lightning this week. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. Our 251' tall central tower attracts lightning from time to time.

Last Monday, the lightning strike damaged some computer equipment and the mixer in the Cathedral's sound system. The damage certainly could have been worse. The Cathedral's steel superstructure is helpful in directing the electricity into the ground. Sometimes, we see no damage from lighning strikes. This time lightning may have struck a different part of the building, causing the damage. We will probably never know.

I replaced the Cathedral's burned-out mixer with one that we use for school and RE plays. Although the sound is not ideal - and it never was ideal - , it is better than nothing. This is a temporary fix. I will be replacing the mixer with a permanent one in a few weeks.

While I was working, I rewired the signal path so that I now have much more control over the sound in the transepts. Msgr. Gier commented that he thinks speech is more intelligible in both the nave and the transepts. The true test will come this weekend. Sound behaves differently when the Cathedral is full of people.

Video Update: August 20, 2006

This is the Renovation Update for the week of August 20, 2006.

This update covers the structural repairs up in the towers.

Video Update: August 13, 2006

This is the Renovation Update for the week of August 13, 2006.

Laying the Tiles

Our very talented team of tile-layers are measuring, cutting, and placing the bathroom tiles. Fr. Matt La Chance, associate pastor and former architect, designed the tile pattern.

Video Update: August 6, 2006

Here is a video update of the most recent work in the Cathedral.