by Msgr. Frank Kelley

"It's only a band-aid." That's what the painter told me as he went to work on the upper Church ceiling. A few weeks ago, we had plaster falling over the windows on the Cummins Highway side. In the middle of the 11:00 am Mass, we had flakes floating onto some of us. So as the painter, Joe, repaired the ceiling, he told me, "It is only a band-aid." That did not comfort me!

What is causing the flaking is much more serious. We need to repair our slate roof. In the fall of 2003, we received some estimates done for this essential work on the Church. We have to replace the gutters, the flashing, and the snow rail system. As well, we have the slates to replace. The cost of all of this is going to run over $200,000. In the next year, we are faced with having to do major fundraising to pay for this work on the Church.

We are beginning to plan to do some fundraising to deal with our problems on the roof and the roof's flashing. We are looking to hold a fundraising dinner in June on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, namely June 3, 2005. In the coming months, we will have more information about our plans. This is merely an informational first notice of what we have to do. We'll need everyone's help as we move forward.

The $200,000 figure is a bit scary, but we have 2,500 families registered at Sacred Heart. So, we can break it down and ask each of our families to contribute a bit. If each of us could put in $100, we could take care of this or we can receive $200 and then really clean up the Church with a good cleaning, a replacement of the rugs and maybe even begin to think about an elevator. We are still waiting for the first gift toward the elevator.

For the moment, we have put a band-aid on the problem, but come the spring and summer, we shall need to do more than a band-aid. Please keep us in your prayers. We are asking for everyone's help and assistance with the repairs to the Church roof. Thank you.