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Thu, 23:October:2008.
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WARDELL PARISH
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LATEST NEWS
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GREAT NEWS: St Patrick's re-opens on Sunday 16th November for 5.30 pm Mass. The work is almost complete. On the 33rd Sunday of the Year we will celebrate Mass in an 'almost new' parish church. (23rd October 2008)
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Dear parishioners of St Patrick's
During the week I received an engineer's advice that it is not safe for us to use St Patrick's until repair work is done. It was an awful shock for me as I'm sure it will be for you.
The story goes like this:- The Wardell Finance Council and I have been aware of a serious need for renovation of St Patrick's since I came to the parish four years ago. In fact, the Finance Council and Fr Foley had been aware of the need before that. We knew that the only means by which we would be able to renovate St Patrick's would be to use some of the funds from the hoped for (at that stage) sale of St Columbkille's at Broadwater. You are aware of the unavoidable delays to that sale, which has just been finalised at long last. On my behalf, parish staff have been making plans for the renovation of St Patrick's in the very near future. We want it to be in the best possible shape for the celebration of its centenary in 2010. It was during these preliminary investigations that the engineer discovered the problem with the roof. After removing some bricks, it was found that the steel beams holding up the roof are unsafe. There is a danger that pieces of the structure could dislodge at any time.
I looked into the possibility of having one more Mass there - this Sunday - so I could explain the problem to you all. However, the engineer recommended that it would be quite unwise to do so. With your safety in mind, I was forced to make the decision to cease using the church until the necessary work can be done. Since we have to fix the roof, we will go ahead with the other remedial work and painting etc., which we were going to do anyhow. At this stage, no-one can tell me how long this will take. So I am asking for your understanding and your patience while we sort this out. In the meantime, there are plenty of seats in St Francis Xavier's - where we can also keep you informed about any plans we might have for the coming weeks.
Please do not hesitate to contact me or Sister Larelle to check on progress.
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| Father Michael Nilon |
| 22nd August 2008 |
Page last edited Thu, 23:October:2008. Previous Page
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