Permission Has Been Granted This past week I received a letter from Monsignor John McCarthy, JCL, and Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Hartford, granting me permission to sign a contract and begin the interior renovations to the sanctuary of our Church. The work should begin shortly after Mother’s Day and last some six to eight weeks.

As a reminder, the work being done will include a stonewall feature to the center back wall of the Church, a stained glass window in the center of the wall, a new and elevated
sanctuary floor which will be expanded and clad in stone and dark wood, as well as a new ambo, altar, presidential chair, and tabernacle table. In addition there will be new Stations of the Cross (the old Stations will be reused as an outdoor Stations of the Cross in the new rear parking lot grounds). During renovations we will still use the Church proper on weekends, albeit with a few minor inconveniences, and weekday Masses will be celebrated in Russell Hall.

Next weekend I will discuss in the bulletin the idea of memorializing the new Stations of the Cross. The Stations will begin along the widows and proceed through the Church along and in front of the break of the pews and then over to the Sacristy/Confessional doors (this will enable us to have a real procession during Lent’s Stations of the Cross). The Stations will be some 38 inches high, a stone column with a slanted top and a brass or bronze plaque denoting the individual Station. Next week I will discuss how we will memorialize them and what the cost of each Station will be. Stay tuned for more details.

I want to thank the families, who have stepped forward to cover the costs associated with the renovations, save for the Stations of the Cross, for their assistance in making this a reality. My goal was not to seek a special collection during this time but rather to invite those forward who desired to make this reality happen. You may still do so if you wish to be part of our
beautification efforts.

The permission-seeking process has been quite detailed but I understand it since the Archdiocese does not wish to permit any building projects that will not meet with the pastoral planning which the Archdiocese of Hartford is about to undertake as they discuss the future of the Archdiocese and the need for parishes vis-à-vis the population of Catholics and the needs of individual parishes to carry out the mission and ministry of Christ in the modern world. Archbishop Blair has been very
diligent in seeking out the opinions of the priests and the laity as well as professional assistance from experts in this field, so that the best possible options are brought before the whole Church and so that everyone has a voice that may be heard.

This realignment will not only impact parishes but also the Church’s governing bodies and offices so that the new and improved Church of Hartford may serve our spiritual as well as physical needs long into the future