Haec Est Domus Domini

Replacing shingles

2011-09-07T16:43:00.004-05:00

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

2011-08-19T13:20:00.003-05:00

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

2011-08-12T10:15:00.004-05:00

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

2011-07-26T11:32:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-07-21T15:56:00.005-05:00

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

2011-06-28T16:18:00.004-05:00

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

2011-06-22T11:09:00.003-05:00

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

2011-06-15T10:06:00.010-05:00

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.

A Show of Hands

2010-10-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

The hands are back on the clock.

Clock parts are on their way up

2010-10-14T12:01:00.004-05:00

Our tower clock is being repaired. Many parts, gears and axles originally installed in the 1920s, have broken. Our athletic repair man is going to carry the new parts up 120 feet to the clock.

Here are some photos of the clock mechanism plus a few photos from the tower.

Like Clockwork

2010-10-13T12:42:00.005-05:00

The 870 lb. crate of clock parts is open. Our installer from the Verdin Company is carrying each gear and axle to the Cathedral's central tower.

He removed one piece of glass from each clock face to give himself access to the hands. Much of the internal gears are being replaced.
There is a very good chance that all four clock faces will have their hands back in place by this weekend.

Update: more wood over the doors is refinished

2010-10-07T15:11:00.002-05:00

The front facade of the Cathedral looks great today. The last of the trim over the three front doors is finished. The painting crews put white primer on the wood over the doors. Cathedral employee John Dzurilla used a faux finish technique to give them the appearance of stained wood.

Here is a closeup of the finished door that leads to the "Work Sacristy," also known as the former choir practice room.

Repainted door to Work Sacristy

2010-09-28T16:15:00.003-05:00

John Dzurilla, master of the faux finish, practiced his craft on the exterior door leading to the Work Sacristy. [That is, the old choir room.]

He uses a technique of putting a yellow base coat on the wood. He then uses darker and darker colors to simulate stained wood.

Update: Gas line

2010-08-26T14:47:00.002-05:00

An inspector gave us a passing grade on a safety check this morning. Everything is moving forward on schedule.

The workers from the company that laid the new pipe had to dig several large holes through the parking lot. They have filled the holes with gravel, covered the gravel with concrete, and have topped it with asphalt this afternoon.

Gas line installed; cleanup underway

2010-08-25T16:08:00.002-05:00

Work went quickly today. The 4-inch flexible gas line is in place. The holes are filled with gravel. At some point the gravel will be covered with blacktop.

Repairs to the Gas Line

2010-08-24T14:30:00.003-05:00

The natural gas line that leads to both the Cathedral, Rectory, and School is being replaced. The original line was probably installed in the 1950s when the campus buildings were converted from coal to gas.

The gas company's line runs north and south along Boulder Avenue. Holy Family taps into that line behind a meter on Boulder between the church and school.

The work should take several days.

Middle School carpet DONE! Plus, couches in the new Media Center.

2010-07-29T17:03:00.003-05:00

The Middle School carpet is done.

The Middle School Computer Lab & Media Center welcomed three leather couches. Great things are happening at Holy Family Cathedral School.

Update: Middle School hallway carpet

2010-07-27T14:36:00.003-05:00

The Middle School classrooms, now carpeted and trimmed, are full of the desks and chairs that lined the main hallway last week. The bulk of the carpet is laid but needs to be trimmed.

Update: Middle School carpet

2010-07-22T14:32:00.004-05:00

The carpet installers have begun work in the Middle School classrooms.

HFCS Computer Lab changes

2010-07-16T09:21:00.003-05:00

Old carpet continues to leave the school to be replaced with fresh carpet squares.

One of the first rooms with new carpet was the Computer Lab on the Middle School floor. Principal Jay Luetkemeyer and Computer teacher Beverly Harris have rearranged the floor plan. The previous layout was computer desks clustered in three islands in the middle of the room plus long rows of desks along the sides of the room.

The new room features the computer desks arranged in a large square at one end of the room. The advantage of this arrangement is that the teacher may move easily from student to student, answering their questions while the entire class can hear the answers. The new configuration makes the already big room feel much larger.

There are plans for the other end. Stay tuned to see what comes next.

First set of trim over doors is done

2010-07-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

The amazing John Dzurilla finished the repairs and repainting of the wood trim over one set of doors on the front facade of the Cathedral.

Most of the wood is original to Holy Family. The century of rainy springs, hot summers and cold winters did quite a bit of damage to the trim. John fashioned replacement pieces from new wood, glued them in place, then applied a finish to the entire structure.

School gets new carpet

2010-07-15T10:28:00.004-05:00

The hallways of Holy Family Cathedral School are full of chairs, desks, fans, and computer monitors. Teachers wind their way through narrow aisles of open floor to get to their rooms. Once they get to their rooms, they find them completely empty.

The School is getting new carpet in almost every room.

The old carpet served us well. It tolerated being stretched over and over. The photo below shows the ripples in the old carpet.

The new carpet comes in squares - each about two feet long on a side. It is glued to the floor like any wall to wall carpet. The advantage is that if one square is damaged - due to myriad spills - that square is replaced.

This photo shows a section of new carpet. It is a little thicker than the old one.

The funds for the carpet come from grants from several organizations. We are grateful to those groups and to our grant-writers.

Restoration of the Cathedral's Front Doors

2010-07-13T14:06:00.003-05:00

The Restoration & Renovation of Holy Family is slowing down. Most of the original goals have been accomplished: reinforcing the structure, reroofing the spiries, repainting the interior.

Holy Family staff member John Dzurilla restained the three sets of front doors. He is currently putting a base coat on the carved wood above the doors.

Don't be alarmed. The yellow is a base coat.

Check back to see the progress.

Update: Water damage repairs

2010-05-12T11:28:00.002-05:00

The painters have finished their repairs to the water-damaged sections of paint covering an arch in the apse of the Cathedral. It looks much better.

A crate of clock parts

2010-05-12T11:24:00.003-05:00

This crate arrived this week. It holds 870 pounds of clock parts to be installed in the Cathedral's clock tower. Most of the parts are newly made replacements for worn parts.