AND WE'RE OFF!

What a great start to the Project 2017 Renovation!

On December 27 about 40 parishioners (including college students, families, grandmas with grandsons, couples and some people wielding their own power drills) came to help move and transform the parish center.  An altar was set up, Christmas decorations were moved or put away, the holy water fonts were moved, the stations of the cross were put up, hymnals stacked on a rack, chairs were set up, signs were put up to direct people, and more!  We were done in about an hour!  Most of the volunteers are pictured here:

Courtney from Conrad Schmitt Studios from Milwaukee came and picked up the Mary and Joseph statues to restore them.  They are going to being examined and receive a little more color to enhance their beautiful features. They will be re-installed on the side altars but Mary will return to the left side and Joseph will be on the right.

Meanwhile, 3 workmen from Gunder Church Furniture were dismantling the pews.  They numbered and marked them, unbolted them from the floor and took them apart.  The kneelers were removed and disposed of (new kneelers with padding and hydraulic closures will be coming).  Everything was loaded into a trailer and taken to a warehouse in Waupaca, Wisconsin where the will be refinished, repaired, and re-stained.  The men worked from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  The church looks so different without the pews!

Then on Wednesday, December 28, the workers came from J and D Environmental to remove the asbestos.  The only asbestos left in the building is in the glue of the tile that was under the pews (probably installed in the 1950's) and an area of the ceiling by the Highway 50 entrance.  They have sealed it all off now for everyone's safety and will be doing the asbestos abatement over the next few days.

As the church building itself is closed to the public for safety reasons, we will keep you updated here with photos and the progress!  It's so exciting to see it all starting to happen!

THE STORY OF THE PROJECT 2017 LOGO

One of the first things on the agenda for the church renovation was the discussion of a logo. Knowing that we needed a recognizable logo for both the capital campaign and the remodeling, we started to talk about how to go about getting a graphic designer.   A member of the renovation committee, Nick Vorpagel, volunteered to give it a shot.  Self taught with marketing experience in his family business, he knew how to navigate the design process.  Here's what Nick says about how it all came about: "I think overall, the inspiration was the Sacred Heart, which was so beloved of St. Francis. Father Jim has spoken passionately about the Sacred Heart and how it impacted St. Francis, so it seemed important to include in the project logo. I think once we found an appropriate heart, everything else fell into place. The red of the heart was a given, the yellow and orange of the flames, as well. We wanted to incorporate blue to put a part of Geneva Lake into the project, as we are a unique community, largely defined by our lake. We combined serifed and sans serifed fonts to put together both the timelessness of our building with the dedication to the future."   He came up with the "Project 2017" name, and because one of our main goals was to brighten the church, "Lighting the Way to the Future" fit perfectly!

We love the logo and feel that it has helped tremendously in the success of our project.  Once again we are very fortunate to have a parishioner like Nick who is willing to donate his time and talent.

Other "in-kind" donations to Project 2017 from Nick have included the design and execution of our parish email newsletter, 3D photos of the renovation, and most recently, live streaming Mass.  Nick coordinated and recorded a Christmas Eve SFDS Mass successfully and we hope to use more of this technology in the future. (You can see it here https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1780668198859964&id=1489716571288463)  Thanks Nick for keeping us on the cutting edge with technology and for the beautiful logo!

 

SUPPORT OUR CHURCH!

This is not what you're thinking, our church building actually needed a different kind of support...as in structural support!  Several years ago a structural engineering study was done by a professional company that essentially said that the building was in good shape.  However, they pointed out some areas in the basement that could use attention as some iron posts were beginning to rust and some very old supporting timbers were showing their age.

In addition, we had reports from some parishioners that the floor had some "give" to it in an area near the altar by the communion line.  We also had some concerns about installing the new tile flooring which would have more weight as well as the weight of scaffolding and equipment that will be used during construction.

We are again very fortunate to have a parishioner with skill and expertise! Chris Weber, from Weber Builders Concrete Contractors, came in and reinforced the area under the church with several columns and footings.

While not the most beautiful photos you'll see of Project 2017, we thought it was important for you to be able to view some of the work that was done.  Chris also patched the concrete by the stairway at the Highway 50 entrance where the railings were loose and the steps were coming apart before the weather got cold.  He donated much of the labor on the project as his "in-kind" contribution to Project 2017.  Thank you Chris for all of your help and for getting it done right!

MOVE IT!

As you know, the Project 2017 Church Renovation will be starting shortly after Christmas and will result in the church building being closed for construction.  We will be having all of our Masses and church services in the Parish Center until Holy Week (about 3.5 months).  We will be moving some things from the church to the center to create a temporary worship space.  This will include the piano, the chairs, the hymnals, the stations of the cross, the chairs, the cantor stand, the Christmas trees/decorations, and more.  We will have a moving day on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27 from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  If we have about 20 people it should go quickly...we will be well organized!  This is a great opportunity for middle and high school kids to earn community service hours.  We already have several people who have volunteered!  If you can help, please sign up here:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f49aaa622aafb6-move or email Martha Cucco at stewardship@sfdslg.org by December 20.

 

We will still be able to access the sacristy during most of the renovation, so ushers, altar servers, readers, EMHC, musicians, etc. will still be able to use that space as usual. There will be some situations that will arise where we'll all have to be flexible and have patience!  A little sense of humor will go a long way!

 

After we move things from the church, the company will come who is refinishing the pews to dismantle them and take them off site for their makeover.  After that the tile floor under the pews and asbestos will be removed, and then the scaffolding will be built for the artists to paint the ceilings and walls.  We're on a tight schedule but will keep you informed of the progress.  This is a very exciting time for our parish!!

HERE IS THE CHURCH, HERE IS THE STEEPLE....

Like in any home,  unexpected issues come up that need repair from time to time.  At St. Francis de Sales, it was recently discovered that there was water coming into the steeple during heavy rains.  Our maintenance crew tried to diagnose the problem from the inside (it's a really small space!) and attempted some interior repairs but the leaking persisted.

Ridge Runners roofing was hired to look at the exterior and to find the source of the problem.  Using a hydraulic lift, they found that there were a number of open joints in the copper cladding which they caulked and repaired.  They also replaced a number of missing shingles.  The cost was $11,200 and came out of the Project 2017 monies.

 

While the hydraulic lift was on campus, Ed Gilbertson from Gilbertson Stained Glass was able to go up and examine the leaded glass windows under the dormers (these aren't accessible from the inside). We're happy to report that those windows are in good shape and won't need any restoration work.  They're beautiful stained glass and protect the Clerestory windows (the high round ones at the top of the church) from the elements.  Ed was able to take some pictures while he was up there so that all can see the beautiful details of these windows.

Generous Parishioner Reupholsters Over 100 Chairs

As you have heard by now, Project 2017 surpassed all of our financial goals with many wonderful monetary pledges.  What you might not realize is that there have been some parishioners who have made "in kind" donations...that of materials or labor.  They have generously shared their time or talent to contribute to the renovation.

Jim Giese is one of those guys.  He and his wife Cathy have been parishioners since 1972.  "When I heard about this, I realized it was time for me to step up", he said.  And step up he did!

Jim Giese

Jim has worked in the upholstering business, at first for Geneva Upholstering and then for himself, basically all of his adult life.

Jim is donating his labor of reupholstering over 100 chairs that grace our chapel and church!  With fabric ordered and provided by SFDS to match our new color scheme, Jim is giving the chairs a new look as well as replacing the padding.  "They really needed it," said Jim.  "In some cases the padding had turned to dust." 

BEFORE--Left and AFTER--Right

Jim has come for several weeks now and picked up 6 or so chairs at a time, redone them, and returned them, only to pick up six more with his truck.

As you can see from the photos, the update makes the chairs look brand new.  Thank you, Jim, for bringing your expertise to help with the church renovation!

NEW!

PEWS ARE GETTING A MAKEOVER

Shortly after Christmas the Project 2017 renovation will begin!  One of the first things that will happen is the pews will be removed and taken off site for refinishing. One of the options we had was to replace all of the pews, but given that they appear to be original to our church (1892!) and that they are well made, we made the decision to have them re-finished.  The company doing the work, Gunder Church Furniture, specializes in pew restoration and will ship them all off site to a warehouse to do the work. They will be stripped, sanded, cracks will be repaired, and they will get a beautiful new finish. At this time we are not having pew cushions installed.

The seating arrangement will switch in that the chairs that are currently in the front will move to the back and the pews will move forward.  The front pews will be a "half" pew with room for some armchairs for the handicapped.  People told us that the handicapped chairs need to have arms to help people get up and down so we will have some available.  All of the chairs (including those in the chapel) will be reupholstered to freshen it up and match our new color scheme.

The kneelers will be replaced--no more clunking noises during Mass!  Our new kneelers will have a hydraulic closure which will soften the sound and prevent accidental "dropping".  The kneelers will be upholstered with custom fabric for comfort.

With the pews out of the church, the next thing that will happen is that the floor will be removed.  There is asbestos glue under the tile that was under the pews, so we have a company who specializes in asbestos abatement coming in to take care of it.  The carpeting will also be removed in preparation for a beautiful tile floor.  This cleared space will enable scaffolding towers to be built so that the painters can get to work and the upper stained glass windows can be restored.

Stay tuned to this blog for information and updates as we undergo this very exciting project!

Our next Project 2017 Committee meeting is Monday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m.  As always, these are open meetings and parishioners are welcome to attend.

MEET THE TEAM

Your Project 2017 Renovation Team has been working together since January, 2016.  Meeting once or twice a month as a group, (and sometimes more for specific meetings with contractors, getting bids, and researching options) a lot has been accomplished!  This group has worked so well together as there are many talented individuals who all bring something to the table.  Methodically working through the various aspects of the renovation, we have split into sub-groups...each specializing in different facets of the project.  As we get ready to close the church to start the actual construction process, we are working hard on coordinating all of the various contractors and subs to ensure that we complete the project by Holy Week, 2017!  If at any time you have questions or want to get involved, please feel free to reach out to any one of us.

Pictured (top row left to right): Matt Huml, Daryl Braun, Katie Alder, Phil Hall, Fr. Jim Schuerman, Ken Etten, Kathie Murray. (Front row left to right): Mary Huml, Rose Lemke, Fran Zappitelli, Laura Zappitelli, Martha Cucco, Michael Deane (not pictured Nick Vorpagel). Photo credit Veronica Anne Photography

Would you like to volunteer to help over the next few months?  We could use some extra people to help organize the sacristy to prepare it for painting/new carpeting, move things to parish center to get it set up for Mass, and more!  If you have some extra time, please contact Martha Cucco at stewardship@sfdslg.org

Our next Project 2017 Renovation Meeting is Monday, December 5 at 7 p.m. As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.

Stations of the Cross

The church renovation will start right after Christmas with the removal of the pews as they will be taken off site for refinishing.  The flooring will come out and scaffolding will be put up to access all of areas for painting, lighting, and stained glass cleaning. The church will then be closed while the various contractors do their jobs. We will be finished by Holy Week of 2017!  Does that sound like an aggressive schedule?  It is indeed, and will take a lot of coordination to complete everything on time.

One thing that we can do ahead of time is send out the Stations of the Cross for restoration.  These beautiful works of art were donated by the Catholic Daughters in 1959 and were hand carved in the Austrian Tyrol.  The artists at Conrad Schmitt studios will re-glaze them and make sure that they are in perfect condition.  The woodworkers at Gunder will create a gothic frame for them out of darker wood that will highlight them and bring a larger presence on the walls of our church.  The frame will have a "landing spot" for people to touch as the pray, and they will be easier for people to reach. 

This is an artist's rendering of the wood frames that will be custom built for each station.

We have taken photos of our Stations and made canvas replicas which we be put up into the church this week.  The plan is to then put them into the Parish Center when the church is closed for remodeling to ease the transition.  We hope to donate the canvas replicas to a mission church at the end of our project. 


Stay tuned to this blog, the bulletin, and Facebook for updates on Project 2017. The next meeting of the Project 2017 Committee is Monday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m.  As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend. There is a LOT happening now very quickly!  It's an exciting time for our parish!

This early photo shows the original Stations of the Cross at SFDS which were oil paintings in Gothic frames.

Dave from Conrad Schmitt Studios in New Berlin inspects one of our Stations for restoration.
 

Painting Preview--get a Sneak Peek!

You might have noticed that there was some temporary scaffolding up in the northwest corner of the church.  If you go back there and look up, you will see that the artists from Conrad Schmitt Studios created a sample of the colors and stencil that they are proposing for our church renovation.  It's important for us to see what it will look like in different kinds of light as well as how the colors and patterns interact with our beautiful stained glass windows. 

We studied some historical photos of the interior of St. Francis de Sales church and noticed that there was some stenciling along the walls and the windows when the church was first built.  The artists are working hard to recreate this beautiful embellishment.  The painting of the church is the largest part of our budget and will be the most labor intensive.  The church itself will close shortly after Christmas and scaffolding will go up throughout the church shortly after that, enabling the artists and painters to restore and decorate the space.  We will be having all of our Masses in the Parish Hall until the work is completed....we're aiming to have all of the construction done in the church celebrate in time to celebrate Easter 2017! #Project2017 #sfdsrestoration

Our next meeting is Monday, October 17 at 7 p.m.  As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend!

Scaffolding? Already?

We are moving forward with decisions on contractors, materials, and colors in preparation for the construction which will start right after Christmas!

This week you will notice some scaffolding and workers in a small section toward the back of the church.  These are artists from Conrad Schmitt Studios (our designer of the painting and stencils) creating a sample.  It's important to see how the light in the church affects the colors and appearance of the painting.  This shouldn't interfere with our Sunday Mass schedule (a few pews might be blocked off) but you will be able to see a sneak peek of the design possibilities for our church restoration project!

The Project 2017 Restoration committee will be meeting on 9/19/16 at 7 p.m.  As always, these meetings are open and all parishioners are welcome to attend.

THANK YOU!

Thanks to all who have volunteered and donated to the Project 2017 Capital Campaign.  We are truly a parish community of generous hearts!

 

Our restoration committee is going full speed ahead now on finalizing bids and construction plans.  Our next meeting is August 29th at 7 p.m.  As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.

Project 2017 Renovation Meeting

The next meeting for the Project 2017 Renovation Committee will be on TUESDAY, August 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Jonah room.  As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend.

Capital Campaign Video in English and Spanish!

This video was shown at our Project 2017 Capital Campaign kick off.  It has lots of great information!  Here is the link to the English version: https://player.vimeo.com/video/170950643
And here is the link to the Spanish version: https://player.vimeo.com/video/170975003

If you would like to volunteer or donate, please email Mary at campaign@sfdslg.org.  We're off to a great start and would love for you to be a part of it!

Project 2017 Kickoff is this Sunday!

YOU'RE INVITED! 

 Please come to the Project 2017 Kickoff Celebration on Sunday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. 

 Learn about our plans and dreams to restore and refurbish our historical church building.

  Wine, beer, food and fellowship!  Come and be a part of this exciting venture!

A View from Heaven!

Here's a heavenly view of our current church building.  It's a place where people gather to attend liturgies, celebrate the sacraments, and to reach out to those less fortunate in our community.  We're kicking off a capital campaign next weekend to refurbish and restore our historical building.  Please consider helping out in this important and timely endeavor to maintain this holy place!

The next meeting of the Project 2017 Committee is Monday, June 6 at 7 p.m.  As always, these are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend.

Pastor Fr. Jim Schuerman announces Captial Campaign

This past weekend, Fr. Jim Schuerman announced plans for a capital fund drive to our parishioners  The effort will be entitled the “Project 2017 – Lighting the Way to the Future” Campaign.  Its aim is to raise the funds required to remodel and refurbish to brighten and restore our church. 

            A minimum goal of $1,000,000 and challenge goal of $1,500,000 have been set.

            The campaign will officially commence with a special Kick-Off Celebration scheduled for Sunday, June 12, 2016, and will culminate on Commitment Weekend on Sunday, July 31, 2016.   Walsh and Associates, Church Fundraising Specialists, are coordinating the campaign. 

            

              

 

Please join in on this exciting project!

The Project 2017 Committee has been meeting 2-4 times a month to examine the renovation needs, prioritize plans, and work with the designers and fundraising company. This group acts as an advisory board to research and make recommendations to Fr. Jim, as he makes all of the final decisions.  Right now we are busy getting bids and working with people to be on our capital campaign cabinet.  Would you like to help?  If you are in the trades and can help with donations of materials or labor, please let us know!  If you would like to make phone calls or help with mailings, we need some manpower!  Please contact Martha Cucco, stewardship@sfdslg.org

Our next meeting is Monday, 4/18/16 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend.

GET CONNECTED!

St. Francis de Sales Parish has developed some new and improved communication avenues over the past year.   These links will help to keep you informed of all of the events in our church community, including the step by step progress of our capital campaign and church restoration project.
The SFDS Stewardship Committee is hosting a technology demo this weekend to help make parishioners aware of all of our communication efforts. We'll feature the website (on the big screen), Facebook, and people will have the opportunity to sign up for the e-newsletter. We will also have patient volunteers with laptops to help people sign up for on line giving. Each person who submits or verifies their email address will go in to a raffle for a gift certificate to the French Country Inn. If you have never registered or are new to our parish, you will be able to sign up there as well.  It's also Hospitality Sunday so there will be treats and fellowship! Please come on into the Parish Center after any Mass this weekend and GET CONNECTED!

The next meeting of the Project 2017 Committee is on Monday, April 11, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.

Happy Feast of St. Patrick!

Did you know that St. Francis de Sales church has some Irish roots? 

In 1842 the first Catholic parish of Lake Geneva was established with 33 families by Fr. Martin Kundig.  It was then called “St. Martins” and almost all of the original parishioners were Irish Catholics living in Irish Woods.  At that time there was only a rectory and Mass was said on the second floor of that building.   Around 1852 first church was built and the name was changed to St. Francis de Sales.  This church building was to the east of where our church now stands.  In 1889, with Fr. Eugene Reilly as the pastor, the cornerstone for our present church building was laid and construction began.

Completed in 1892, our present day church is of a modified gothic style.  Beautiful stained glass windows and oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross were gifts from parishioners.  Summer resident PJ Healy of Lyon and Healy Music Company in Chicago donated the organ.

The builder and architect of our church was William Brady.  He was born in 1841 in Dublin, Ireland and married Mary Curran.  He died in February, 1892, just 6 months before the church was dedicated that same year on August 7. He is buried in the St. Francis de Sales cemetery.

The next meeting of the Project 2017 Renovation Committee is Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.

Help Preserve History!

While making plans for the future of St. Francis de Sales church, the Project 2017 committee has been researching the past by studying vintage photos. Part of the church renovation goals involve bringing back some of the building's original architectural features.  Built in 1892, the building has gone through several different remodeling phases.  If you have photos, old bulletins, postcards, wedding pictures, news articles, etc. that you would like to share we would love to see them.  We are using these things to inspire some of the design portions of our current project.  We are also starting to create a collection that we hope to have on display next year for the 175th (!) celebration of the existence of St. Francis de Sales Parish.  If you want to keep your treasures, we can borrow and scan them to make a copy.  Please contact Martha Cucco, stewardship@sfdslg.org to arrange to drop off any historical items.

The next meeting for Project 2017 will be on Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are welcome to attend.

Fundraising Information

St. Francis de Sales Parish is very fortunate to partner with Walsh and Associates, a professional fundraising group out of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  They work exclusively with churches on capital campaigns and have a highly successful track record of raising money and exceeding goals.  Here is a link to their website:  http://www.walshfundraising.com/  Our SFDS team has already been working with them for a few months to lay the groundwork and make sure that all of our systems will work with their systems.  We will be hiring a capital campaign secretary to do all of the tracking and logging of donations.  This is a temporary position that will run the length of the campaign and will make sure not to overburden our current staff with their very busy schedules.

Our capital campaign will kick off on Memorial Day weekend and will run throughout the summer.  Our goal is $1,000,000 with a miracle goal of $1,500,000.  We are working now with our designer and contractors to firm up pricing and plans.  Our parish requires 3 bids on all expenditures so we are gathering all of that information.  We will have renderings and drawings available for you to see at the kickoff, with some "sneak peeks" coming soon.  Watch this blog for the most up to date information as this is a very exciting time for our parish!

Our next meeting is this Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.

Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc.

After many hours of collaborative research, discussion, and prayer, we are very excited to announce that Fr. Jim has chosen Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc. as the liturgical design firm which will oversee Project 2017.  Creating enduring works of art since 1889, this family owned company will design and coordinate the renovation of our church space.
Here is their website so that you can see some of their work:

http://www.conradschmitt.com/

Just a reminder that there will be a Project 2017 meeting tonight, Monday, February 29 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.