Replacing shingles

Shingles from our new copper roof have fallen down. This photo shows a missing shingle behind the bright white finial in the foreground. Now is a good time of year to replace the copper and acrylic tiles.

A team is doing some preparation work today. They are running lines from the top of the central tower down to its base. These lines will support a ladder, a roofer, and the equipment to repair the damage.

Here is some video of a brave man rappelling down the side of the tower.

Update: The Shrines

The acoustic tiles that lined the back wall of the Cathedral are gone. The wall are painted to match the yellow elsewhere in the church.

Monsignor Gier announced that two large shrines will be built to house our historic Missionary Crucifix [seen in the above photo] and our Holy Family statue. The shrine around the Holy Family statue will honor the major donors to the Cathedral's Renovation. The shrine around the Crucifix will honor Monsignor James Halpine, former rector, and all other priests who have died since the 1974 creation of the Diocese of Tulsa.

Updates will come as soon as work begins in the Cathedral. The estimate for the project's completion is December.

Work in the back of the Cathedral

When you come to church this Sunday, things will look a little different in the back of the Cathedral.


The Holy Family statue is safe and off to the side. A careful look at it reveals many small cracks and a few larger pieces of plaster missing.


The acoustic panels under the choir loft are coming down. Our previous sound system required the panels to prevent unwanted echoes. The new one does not need the panels. They had been mounted with screws into the walls. John Dzurilla is partching the holes.


Nothing major is happening.

Yet.

Completed: The Sheds are moved

Thanks to everyone who came out early Saturday morning to move the second shed to its new spot. Here are some photos of the completed project.

Help! We need help moving a shed.

Although there is nothing to report about the Cathedral Renovation, things continue to move downtown. One of the not-so-little projects is moving the tools sheds from one corner of the parking lot to the other.

The Knights of Columbus recruited men to lift the sheds onto "skateboards" and then to push the sheds to their new home near the priests' parking garage. They planned to meet on last Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. to get the work done before it got hot.

Three people showed up.


Despite having few hands, they moved one of the sheds. This Saturday, the Knights are asking you to volunteer an hour or two to move the second shed. Many hands make light work. Thanks.

Work on the old playground continues

Update to the removal of the old playground: The Saturday morning crew is removing more of the unwanted concrete from the corner of the parking lot. It should be gone in another week or two.

The plan is to move the two metal sheds from the southwest corner of the parking lot to this northwest corner. There is some consideration of which way the sheds should face: east or south.

Classroom renovations: Pre-K Three Year Old classroom

The new Pre-Kindergarten program for three-year-olds is an exciting venture for our School. One of the basement classrooms is getting a nearly total makover.

A classroom for very young children requires a restroom inside it. Workers excavated part of the floor to extend plumbing to this classroom. They framed and drywalled two walls around it.

The next step is to install some carpeting and trim.

Good-bye to the Old Playground

Several years ago, the Cathedral School stopped using the small playground near the priests' garage. The fenced-in and gravel-covered playground was too small for more than one grade to use at a time. The wood and metal climbing toys had fallen out of favor.



The School rebuilt in a much larger plot of land in full view of Boulder Avenue. The new climbing toys are safer and more attractive.





The abandoned old playground is in the first phase of finding a new purpose. Parish employees and volunteers are shearing the concrete "curb" which kept the gravel inside the playground. They are removing the fence posts and wooden bases for the climbing toys.

The plan is to move the two large metal sheds from the southwest corner of the parking lot. They will fit nicely into the old playground.

Future posts will detail the plan to move the buildings. The current plan is to lift the buildings onto casters. The hope is that these sheds-on-wheels will glide across the parking lot into their new space.