Dear Parishioners of St. Elizabeth Seton,

Have you ever owned an older home with uneven floors or discovered foundation cracks when you removed old carpeting?  As we enter the second month of our renovation at St. Elizabeth Seton, these are some of the surprises we have encountered.  Whether the floor was uneven since the day it was poured or has heaved or sunk over the years, we are in the process of leveling the floor before we can begin laying the new tile throughout the nave.  

Corrective steps are so important.  The tile not will lay correctly on an uneven floor and could even crack when the pews are installed.  Over the next week we will have a crew smoothing out the floor by grinding the high spots and adding concrete to the low spots. This will make sure that the floor meets our quality standards.  Tiling our church will be a long and very labor-intensive process.  We are anticipating a four-week period to have it complete.  The “crew” is a family of six who work together to collaborate their time and talents to assure an excellent outcome.

Collaboration on our entire renovation project has kept us meeting our weekly schedule.  It is amazing to see the various trades come together to help one another.  I witness firsthand how the painting company helped the electricians hang the new chandeliers, while the electricians helped the drywall company get access to hard-to-reach locations. This is a rare at a construction site.  Why is it happening at St. Elizabeth Seton?  

I think it is the spirit of working within a holy space. It is a reverence for the structure, the staff and the presence of Fr. Williams who is frequently thanking the laborers, asking how their day is and what can we do for them, that is making the difference.  And just maybe, it is the offer of donuts in the morning and cookies in the afternoon.  We are bringing people together in our mission of respect, love and community that is alive and well at St. Elizabeth Seton.  May we all rejoice in the spirit of St. Elizabeth Seton.  We are indeed a special place. 

In Christ and with Gratitude,

Dr. Kathleen H. Goeppinger
Jubilee Chair