Presentation given by Steve Schilling on April 28:

The kitchen/storage room wall is going to move out into the main hall and the wall that the refrigerator is now on will be kicked back over three feet into the storage area expanding the kitchen space by 165 sq ft. Available counter space will increase by 7 lineal feet with a step saver pass through to the storage area. A new 60”(that’s five feet) griddle with double ovens under..Flanked by a 6 burner range with oven.  Both gas fired with a fire suppression hood and vent,10 feet long overhead. A relocated dishwasher to the left of the sink. We're keeping the old sink BUT it will have a brand new goose neck faucet and spray hose. The refrigerator being considered has double doors and a volume of 40 cubic feet. The freezer which will back it up in the storage room has 20 cubic feet..both lockable. A hand sink is slated to be inset into the kitchen counter and finally...centered in the kitchen, a top to bottom, stainless steel food preparation table with an under-shelf and casters.  New electrical and plumbing routing as code required.

1. Well, here we are again, me up here and you where you are But it different today

I’m not here today to encourage you to support the Annual Catholic Appeal which is something we all need to do with great commitment

2.

I'm going to let you know, instead,  how your generous donations to the ACA or directly to the parish  will be applied to the renovation of the parish hall and education wing.

3.

So, I’ll give you a brief history of the buildings, an out line of the plan that was developed by consensus of the Building committee and other parish leaders and then you will hear a description of what is being worked on to date.

4.

The education wing and dinning hall was erected, circa, 1975 by the Bickler Brothers with a little help from  nephew Dwight. Leonard and Dwight are still very active members of the parish community. The main hall is where mass was first offered while this structure was being designed and built.

5.

When it was constructed, 40 years ago, the hall was STATE OF THE ART for its time. It has been for all that time the facility used for the education of our children and a gathering place for “community building” for all of us all, especially for the very successful Generations of Faith program.

6.

Ok, here is a thumb nail of the plan. There are two phases, the remodel of the entry hall is one and the expansion of the main hall and the kitchen and storage area is the other with a side project that is currently underway upgrading rooms six and seven for the day care and the future pre school.

7.

Here is what you will be seeing when construction is completed in the entry hall.

 New doors and frame at the entrance with insulated glass.

New carpet tiles of the same grade that are here in the church.

A drop ceiling with efficient and expanded lighting.

And a new color scheme.

8.

That takes us to the entry to the expanded main hall. You will see that the entry doors are moved up, right to where the existing carpet now ends.

9.

Room five will be gone, incorporated into the main hall with the removal of the non bearing wall  between room five and the dining area.  A table and chair storage closet will take up part of the space that is now room five.

10.

In the main hall you will see new vinyl plank flooring, drop ceiling,  lighting, an upgraded sound system and of great importance a relocated heating system that doesn't drown out our conversations when it comes on. It won't even be visible AND the double swung entry/exit doors to the parking lot will be replace with no center post system and key access from outside.

11.

Now to the kitchen and storage room. The kitchen/storage room wall is going to move out into the main hall and the wall that the refrigerator is now on will be kicked back over three feet into the storage area expanding the kitchen space by 165 sq ft. Available counter space will increase by 7 lineal feet with a step saver pass through to the storage area.

12.

A new 60”(that’s five feet) griddle with double ovens under..Flanked by a 6 burner range with oven.

Both gas fired with a fire suppression hood and vent,10 feet long overhead. A relocated dishwasher to the left of the sink. We're keeping the old sink BUT it will have a brand new goose neck faucet and spray hose. The refrigerator being considered has double doors and a volume of 40 cubic feet. The freezer which will back it up in the storage room has 20 cubic feet..both lockable. A hand sink is slated to be inset into the kitchen counter and finally...centered in the kitchen, a top to bottom, stainless steel food preparation table with an under-shelf and casters.

New electrical and plumbing routing as code required.

13.

Who's doing the work. Where ever possible licensed contractors that are members of the parish will be employed on negotiated contract basis and for the trades that are not professionally available we are gathering bid proposals. It is all within the parish policy of doing business locally and within our community. The current work is being performed by our own John Lenac and his HIQ general contractors company and some volunteer labor.

14.

 The painting of the hall has begun as has the upgrade of room six with the installation of an emergency exit door as required by licensing.

Please review the 3-D rendering of the project in the main entry by the book store. It was generated by parishioner Robert Young..

Thank you for supporting the Annual Catholic Appeal.

 expanding the kitchen space by 165 sq ft. Available counter space will increase by 7 lineal feet with a step saver pass through to the storage area.

12.

A new 60”(that’s five feet) griddle with double ovens under..Flanked by a 6 burner range with oven.

Both gas fired with a fire suppression hood and vent,10 feet long overhead. A relocated dishwasher to the left of the sink. We're keeping the old sink BUT it will have a brand new goose neck faucet and spray hose. The refrigerator being considered has double doors and a volume of 40 cubic feet. The freezer which will back it up in the storage room has 20 cubic feet..both lockable. A hand sink is slated to be inset into the kitchen counter and finally...centered in the kitchen, a top to bottom, stainless steel food preparation table with an under-shelf and casters.

New electrical and plumbing routing as code required.

Today's readings concern overcoming fear. The first reading tells about people who see the wonders the apostles perform, but do not "dare to join them."  In the reading from Revelation the sight of Jesus causes John to fall down "as  though dead." But Jesus touches him, saying, "Do not be afraid." And in the  Gospel the apostles keep the door locked out of fear and then experience an even  greater fright: Jesus appears to them. He first words, however, are,
"Peace be  with you." Jesus wants to help us overcome fear. 

I would like to tell you about a man who overcame fear in a remarkable way:   Thomas  Byles, the oldest son of a nineteenth
century Congregational minister.  Inspired by his father, the young man began a serious study of the Bible and  early Christian writers. The more he read the  more he became convinced that  Jesus founded the Catholic Church. You can imagine the fear he had to overcome  to tell his family he was becoming a  Catholic, but not only that - God was  calling him to the priesthood! 

Ordained in 1902 the bishop assigned him to a rural parish in Essex, England. 
There he dedicated himself to youth. During Lent 1912 he told the altars
servers  that he would be gone for several weeks after Easter. He was going to
America to  do his brother's wedding. He mentioned that he was travelling on
White Star  Lines. One of the servers said, "Isn't that the Titanic? I hear it
is so strong  even God couldn't sink it." 

The priest smiled and mildly scolded the boy: "Nothing is greater than God. 
But I am not going on the Titanic, but on the Olympic."
 
As things happened, his brother sent a ticket for the maiden voyage of the 
Titanic. He boarded as a second class passenger on Wednesday, April 10. 
Passenger from all classes - and a variety of nationalities - came to him for 
confession during the first four days. On Sunday, April 14, Fr. Byles
celebrated  the same Mass we have today - the Second Sunday of Easter. Speaking
in French  and English, he warned about "spiritual shipwreck" - that is, falling
into  temptation. We need the sacraments and prayer, he said, like a life belt
to not  drown in the turbulent sea of this life. 

Close to midnight, Fr. Byles was on the deck praying his breviary when he
  felt a sudden jolt. Realizing something serious had happened, he went to third
  class to help passengers - especially the ill and mothers with small children.*
  They were the first placed in life boats. Fr. Byles blessed each one, making
the  sign of the cross on their foreheads. 

He began giving general absolution and praying with those on board. Twice
  they offered Fr. Byles a place in a life boat. He replied that a shepherd does
  not abandon a flock in danger. Many survivors remembered seeing the outline of
a  priest in his cassock with people huddle around him. As the Titanic began
  tilting upward he led them in the rosary - Catholics, Protestants, Jews and
  non-believers all joined in the prayer. 

Fr. Thomas Byles' body was never recovered from the icy Atlantic.** A
  remarkable man. A man who by Jesus' grace overcame fear. A man who heard Jesus'
  word, "Do not be afraid." 

This Sunday we celebrate the Divine Mercy. It an invitation to overcome the
  fear that separates us from God. Yes, God is like an immense ocean -
mysterious,  greater than anything we can imagine. But that ocean can take our
sins - no  matter what you or I have done. When we turn to Christ our sins
disappear like  drops of water in the immense sea. 

Jesus gives that assurance today. Receive the Holy Spirit - whose sins you
  shall forgive are forgiven them. Like Fr. Byles - in Jesus we can overcome
fear.  "Do not be afraid," he says, "Once I was dead, but now I live forever and
ever."  Amen.
************

*A survivor recalled: "We saw before us, coming down the passageway,  with
his hand uplifted, Fr. Byles. We knew him because he had visited us several
  times on board and celebrated Mass for us that very morning. 'Be calm, my good
  people,' he said, and then he went about the steerage giving absolutions and
  blessings." See FR.  BYLES AND THE "SHIP OF DREAMS" by Mark
Fellows. 

**Much of the data regarding Fr. Byles, I drew from "A Titanic  Hero: Thomas Byles" by Cady Crosby.
This remarkable young lady put together  a compelling account of the priest's
life. Besides the written version, Cady  recorded an audio CD of her book.

Las lecturas de hoy tratan del miedo y como superarlo. En la primera lectura  escuchamos de los que ven los signos milagrosos de los apostoles pero "no se atreven a juntarselas." La lectura del Apocalipsis cuenta como la vision de  Jesus causa que Juan se cae como muerto. Pero Jesus lo toca y dice, "No temas."  Y en el evangelio los discipulos estan con puertas cerradas "por miedo" y luego  experimentan un susto mayor: Jesus se les aparece. Las primeras palabras de  Jesus, sin embargo, son "La paz este con ustedes." Jesus quiere ayudarnos a  superar el miedo.

Quisiera contarles de un hombre que supero el miedo en una manera  impresionante: Tomas Byles, el hijo mayor de un ministro protestante del siglo diecinueve. Inspirado por su papa, el joven empezo a estudiar la Biblia y los
primeros escritores cristianos. Lo mas que leia lo mas se convencio que Jesus
habia fundado la Iglesia Catolica. Se puede imaginar el miedo que tenia al decir
a su familia que iba a ser catolico, pero no solamente esto - Dios estaba
llamandolo al sacerdocio! 

Ordenado en 1902 el obispo lo asigno a parroquia rural donde se dedico a los
jovenes. Durante la Cuaresma de 1912 conto a los monaguillos que iba a estar
ausente durante unas semanas despues de la Pascua. Iba a America para celebrar
la boda de su hermano. Menciono que iba a viajar en la Linea White Star. Uno de
los monaguillos dijo, "No es eso la linea del 'Titanic'? He escuchado que es tan
fuerte que ni Dios puede hundirlo." 

El sacerdote sonrio y le dijo al muchacho: "Nada es mayor que Dios. Pero no
voy en el 'Titanic' sino en el 'Olympic'." 

Como suceden las cosas, su hermano le envio un boleto para llegar mas
temprano viajando por segunda clase en el Titanic. En los primeros dias en el
nave Padre Byles escucho muchas confesiones de pasajeros de varias
nacionalidades. El dia domingo celebro la misma misa que nosotros hoy - el
Segundo Domingo de Pascua. Hablando en ingles y frances, advirtio a la gente
sobre el "naufragio espiritual" - es decir, cayendose en la tentacion.
Necesitamos los sacramentos y la oracion, les dijo, como la salvavida para no
hundirse en el mar turbulento de esta vida. 

En la noche del 14 de abril, el Padre Byles estaba en la cubierta rezando el
breviario cuando se sentia un sacudida fuerte. Se dio cuenta que algo serio
habia pasado y fue rapido a la bodega de tercera clase para ayudar a pasajeros -
especialmente los enfermos y senoras con ninos pequenos. Eran los primeros de
entrar en los botes salvavidas. El Padre Byles los bendijo, haciendo la senal de
la cruz en la frente de cada uno. 

Empezaba a dar la absolucion general y rezar con la gente. Dos veces le
ofrecieron un lugar en un bote salavivdas. Replico que un pastor no abandona al
rebano en peligro. Muchos sobrevivientes recuerden ver el perfil del sacerdote
con la gente alrededor de el. Mientras el Titanic se inclino para arriba, el
padre rezaba el rosario con ellos - Catolicos, Protestantes, Judios y
no-creyentes todos se unieron en la oracion. 

El cuerpo del Padre Tomas Byles jamas fue recuperado del Atlantico. Un hombre
impresionante. Un hombre que por la gracia de Jesus supero el miedo. Un hombre
que escucho la palabra de Jesus, "No temas." 

Este domingo celebramos la Misericordia Divina. Es una invitacion superar el
miedo que nos separa a Dios. Si, Dios es como un oceano inmenso - misterioso,
mayor que cualquier cosa que podemos imaginar. Pero ese oceano puede tomar
nuestros pecados - no importa lo que hemos hecho. Cuando volvemos a Cristo
nuestros pecados se desaparecen como gotitas de en el mar inmenso. 

Jesus nos asegura hoy. Reciban al Espiritu Santo. A los que les perdonen los
pecados, les quedaran perdonados. Como el Padre Byles - en Jesus podemos superar
el miedo. "No temas," dice, estuve muerto y ahora, como ves, estoy vivo por los
siglos de los siglos." Amen.