Parishioners attend Mass in school gym
as renovation of church begins

By Mila Glodava

"You found it," exclaimed Father Andrew as the congregation acknowledged his spirited remark with applause at the beginning of Mass. Right on schedule, starting on November 3 and 4, the weekend Masses were celebrated in the school gym. Parishioners streamed in using all accessible entrances. They were gracious about the inconvenience and courteous to one another. In fact, the 4 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses were standing room only. Those who came from the church parking lot walked the greatest distance but took it in their stride saying the walk was good exercise.

Another comment heard was "because of the distance from the parking lot we have to come earlier, but that's okay."   

Parishioner Ron Garofalo was very understanding of the situation; he sent us the following email:

"As attendees at daily Mass in the church gym we are comfortable with the arrangements that have been made.  I'm sure it wasn't easy to plan everything so well to accommodate everyone during construction but I think you have succeeded."

There is one thing, however, Ron thought that needs attention -- the public address system in the church gym.  "The speakers do not project the midrange to high frequencies of the sound spectrum," said Ron.  "I know I'm a little hard of hearing but when people speak into the microphone it sounds very muffled -- as if you are hearing them through a closed door."

Several concerns like these were addressed during a Q & A style  "homily" at all Masses. The celebrant of each Mass invited questions from the congregation and he answered them. Some of the questions Father Andrew fielded during his Masses were:

Q. How long is the renovation going to last?

A. Probably six months.

Q. What is planned for Christmas Masses?

A : Two Masses will be scheduled on Christmas Eve at each of the following times: 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. One Mass will be celebrated in the school gym and the other in the church gym. One of the 8:00 p.m. Masses will be the Life Teen Mass. At 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Mass Eve, there will be one Mass. The Christmas Mass schedule is published elsewhere in this issue of the More Informed

Other concerns voiced by parishioners on the first weekend included:

"Could we have more signs directing us to the school gym. I came in the RE entrance and went upstairs to the middle school instead of down to the corridor leading to the gym."

"Many of us cannot manage the long walk from the main church lot to the school. How about reserving a couple rows - at least 50 parking spaces - in the school lot specifically for the elderly parishioners? "

"Please continue to include the map with each Sunday bulletin. Upon leaving Mass, I couldn't remember where I parked."

Please be assured that these and all of your questions, concerns and suggestions are being dealt with. We greatly appreciate the input from parishioners and you should see improvements each week. Thank you for your patience and courtesy to each other during the reconstruction.

Communion time was better choreographed by Jeff McGarrity, the Eucharistic ministers and the ushers at the weekend Masses, compared to the All Saints Day Masses. Those seated in the bleachers were asked to come down first at the start of the "Lamb of God." Later, getting the communicants earlier at the end of the "Sign of Peace."

Parishioners in the bleachers area wait for Mass to begin. Grace Franzen (with the crown) and her big sister, Claire, and her friend Ally Moran, passed the time chatting or writing.

There was even a special event at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Mackenzie and Madeline Geist did not seem to mind making their First Communion in the school. The Geist family are friends of Father Mel Thompson, who baptized the two girls. The Geist family are members of Notre Dame Parish.

Parishoners in the bleachers area wait for Mass to begin. Grace Franzen (with the crown) and her big sister, Claire, and her friend Ally Moran, passed the time chatting or writing.

There was even a special event at at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Mackenzie and Madeline Geist did not seem to mind making their First Communion in the school. The Geist family are friends of Father Mel thompson, who baptized the two girls. The Geist family are members of Notre Dame Parish.

All in all, the experience was better than expected.