The very generous response from our parishioners to the Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign has allowed us to move forward with our renovation plans for St. Patrick Church. The project is being designed by Daprato Rigali Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Daprato Rigali is an industry leader in design, renovation, and restoration. A picture of the planned design in its completion is located in the foyer next to the Parish office.
April 21: A specialized crew from Daprato Rigali arrived at St. Pat's to remove stained glass windows that were shipped to Chicago for releading. Crews cautiously removed all of the long windows from the east and west sides of the church. Special crates were constructed to protect the windows from damage on the trip to Chicago, where they will be releaded. The window removal took approximately four days. Additional windows are slated for this process.
May 19: The last Mass was held at 8 am for the last day of school. Immediately following Mass, a team from Daprato Rigali arrived to remove the pews and kneelers for modifications and resurfacing. This process took approximately three days.
May 19: The move from the church to the school gym was very efficiently accomplished by a large group of parishioners. The gym floor had been prepared by using Court Armour squares. These squares will replace the tarps used previously. Kneeler pads from the old pews are being used, and additional garden pads are available to provide extra padding when kneeling. In less than two hours, the Church was set up and ready for Mass the following morning.
May 26: A contracted crew arrived to begin constructing the scaffolding to be used for plaster repair and painting. This process took three full days to complete.
June 3: The painting crew from Daprato Rigali Studios arrived to begin painting. Work began on the sanctuary ceiling, walls, and columns. The paint colors were finalized by the Renovation Committee. Soon the stenciling will be done to the arches and sanctuary ceiling.
June 25: Scaffolding crews arrived to build scaffolding for the roof. It is quite impressive as it reaches beyond the top of the cross. Once the scaffolding is complete, roofing crews will begin their work again. Meanwhile, painting crews from Daprato Rigali left on June 26 to return to their families for a one week break. They will return on July 6 to continue painting in the nave of the church. Painting is complete in the sanctuary; it is very beautiful.
July 8, 2026: The painting crew from Daprato Rigali returned, and was placed in the nave of the church where painting will continue. Meanwhile, the scaffolding crew for the roof completed the work for the roofing crew. This enabled the roofing crew, Fr. Andy, and Mike Strothman to visibly see deterioration that must be repaired prior to moving forward (pictures included in gallery below). Work is now underway on the floor of the sanctuary. This project will entail removing carpeting, padding, subflooring, as well as carpentry work on the steps structure.
July 13, 2026: Crews from Harry Street Floor Covering arrived to begin installation of the porcelain tiles in the sanctuary. Simultaneously, volunteers are working on restructuring the steps leading to the sanctuary to accomodate the communion rail. Painting in the nave and ceilings is progressing nicely. We were blessed with the time and talents of many volunteers who showed up to help this week!
Stay tuned for updates as they occur!
