The church building is a concrete sign of the Church community, formed from the "living stones" who are the believers, an image very dear to the Apostles. St Peter (cf. I Pt 2: 4-5) and St Paul (cf. Eph 2: 20-22) emphasize how the "cornerstone" of this spiritual temple is Christ and that, united to him and well compact, we are also called to participate in the building of this living temple.

If God therefore takes the initiative to come and dwell among men and it is always he who is the principal author of this project, then it is true that he also does not want to accomplish it without our active collaboration.

Thus, to prepare oneself for Christmas means to be committed to building the "dwelling of God with men". No one is excluded; everyone can and must contribute in order to make this house of communion more spacious and beautiful.

– Angelus Address, December 10, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI

We have been greatly blessed by having such a beautiful church building in which to worship. It is a great gift of posterity and a witness to the deep and enduring faith of those who have gone before us. It is this faith that draws us still to this place. All of the beauty and splendor of this church was intended to draw us to Him whose beauty and splendor surpass all human understanding, God Himself, present here with us in the Eucharist. This truth is our greatest gift, and the knowledge of this is the greatest gift to us from our posterity. This is why I have asked that we gather together to adore Him who's purpose we seek to be about. So that we might not forget in all of the practicalities of our discussion that it is Christ's presence that calls us here and to His honor that we must work.

Over the past sixty some odd years there has been much neglect and many poorly done alterations to our church building. Our task is first to establish a plan for the restoration, in as much as possible, and renovation of our church. Following is a list, though non-exhaustive, of some of the primary issues to be addressed. I look forward to seeing you all tonight.
~Liam Cousino,
on behalf of the
Good Shepherd Parish Building Committee

Interior

* The plaster is failing throughout the church both because of water damage and the fact that the wrong paint have been applied.
* The wood floors have been covered over. I have inspected throughout the underside of the church and found almost no damage.
* The lighting and electrical situation within the church leaves much to be desired.
* The pews need to be systematically repaired and refinished.
* The confessional should likely be redesigned and replaced.
* The Sacristy and vestry are also in very poor repair.

Exterior
* The cross on top of the steeple needs to be repaired
* Our handicap ramp needs to be replaced.
* All of the handrails need attention.
* The porticoes are in need of some paint and upkeep
* The sandstone details are eroding and need to be repaired and resealed
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Dear Parishioners:

Much tremendous restorative work has been done to our church over the last few years, most notably to repair and replace the beautiful stained glass windows. And it is now time to move toward with further work. As mentioned last week, the first project will be the repair and replacement of the cross at the top of our steeple. In the meantime, we are going to work toward the building of a new handicap ramp on the river side of the church. Obviously, all of this work will require various types of fundraising! So we are appreciative of the help that you give to the parish through the building fund second collection. And I’m especially grateful for all of those who have already agreed to be “Spirit Givers” by donating $1000 toward the cost of the new cross. But we are also looking to do much of this work through the great help of volunteers! I look forward to gradually restoring our church to its original beauty!


Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty