Progress as of 11/28/2011
$ 168,233  Prior Donations/Memorials
$ _95,659  Pledges Received
$ 486,035 Pledges
$ 650,268 Total

 
Progress as of 12/09/2011
$ 167,733  Prior Donations/Memorials
$ 140,615  Pledges Received
$ 605,010  Pledges
$ 772,744 Total

 

Progress as of 12/29/2012
$  176,778  Prior Donations/Memorials
$  244,774  Pledges Received
$  894,557  Pledges
$ 1,071,335 Total

Progress as of 01/21/12
$  194,530  Prior Donations/Memorials
$  320.090  Pledges Received
$ 1,014,680 Pledges
$ 1,209,213 Total

Progress as of 02/18/12
$  201,684  Prior Donations/Memorials
$  348,079  Pledges Received
$ 1,081,065 Pledges
$ 1,282,750 Total

Our original plan had been to avoid hiring a contractor because we didn't plan on building a new chapel. But, due to everyone's generosity, we are doing both. The Pastoral Council has approved hiring Boyd Jones Construction for our remodel. On June 25, they will start to work on reinforcing the altar area and installing new tile. They will need to be done in time for a wedding on Saturday July 21. During the three weekends in-between, we will be holding Mass in the Social Level of the church.

The pews in our church are held in place by bolts, which are secured in concrete. To install carpet, all of the pews will need to be unscrewed and removed, then the carpet will be laid over the floor and the pews returned into position. We may be asking some of you for help in this process. If everything goes smoothly, the carpet could be put down at the same time as the tile. But, if there are any delays, this may need to be done during the week after July 23.

Before June 25th, when the platform and tile work is done, we want to install fourteen new stained glass windows. Seven stained glass windows on the north side of the clerestory will depict images from the Life and Ministry of Jesus. Seven stained glass windows on the south side of the clerestory will depict images reminding us of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The Pastoral Council has approved the images for the north side and is discussing the images for the south side.

Designs for the new altar and ambo are being considered. John Lajba, who created the Road to Omaha Sculpture, has agreed to make our crucifix but will not have a chance to show a preliminary design until at least June. We'll share plans for the chapel next week.

Gifts and pledges continue to come in for our campaign. As we have often stated, we will not spend beyond what has been given or pledged in this campaign. If the gifts continue to accumulate, we will install an elevator as well. We appreciate how many of you have given so generously towards this work to remodel our church.

The physical changes to our church from our Source and Summit Campaign have begun! I am writing this letter a week before the arrival of the windows, but hopefully as you are reading this, the clerestory windows (those running across the top on the east side of the church) will be completed.

I need to ask for your patience during the remainder of the project. It will roll out over the next six months and will require some change for all of us. We will be able to use the church during most of the construction, but for the next three weeks we will be having Mass in the social level while the church carpet and tile are being replaced. There is seating for over 500 people in the social level, which means we should have room for almost everyone at the Sunday Masses. There will be no major disruption of the parking area. The two “big” issues in using the social level are the limited number of access doors (leaving may take a little longer) and the metal chairs do not have cushions. Do you think you can handle that for three weeks? Other than location, nothing else will change with our present Mass schedule and liturgical approach. Daily Masses will take place in the social level and funerals will be held at neighboring Catholic churches. We will return to the upstairs the weekend of July 21-22.

Work on the new chapel and changes to the area where the chapel is presently located will begin soon; perhaps, as soon as next week. This means that we will be without a separate chapel for the reservation of the Eucharistic until the new one is complete. The tabernacle will be placed in the main body of the church, in the sanctuary, until the new chapel is complete.

With the tabernacle moving to the main body of the church, we need to return to the long held Catholic custom of genuflecting to the presence of Jesus in the reserved Eucharist before entering the pew. For those of you who are new to the parish, this will not be a change at all, but simply a return to what you have done at most Catholic parishes. For those parishioners who have been coming to St. Columbkille’s for the 31 years of the present building’s existence, this will be a big change. Please be patient with one another as we return to the regular practice of genuflecting. For those of you who cannot genuflect because of age or health reasons, a profound bow is sufficient.

A temporary wall will be built between the new chapel of reservation and the main body of the church during the construction. Access to the church through the northeast door will not be possible during the construction of the new chapel. This may make access to the church more difficult for parishioners who use wheel chairs. They will need to enter the church through the north doors. Please be considerate of our parishioners who are in wheel chairs and help them to get into the church.

The speakers for our sound system will be placed in a new arrangement soon in the hopes of having everyone hear what is being said and removing any “dead spots” in the church. Hopefully, this can be completed while we are having Mass in the social level, but if not, a temporary sound system will be installed.

We are nearing the point where we can contemplate the possibility of an elevator being installed between the church and the social level. If you have not yet pledged to the Source and Summit Campaign, I encourage you to do so and make that elevator a reality. (Bulletin-6/24/12)

In 2002, Pope John Paul II promulgated a new instruction on the Roman Missal. This is the document that guides the universal church in its celebration of Mass. Following the Second Vatican Council, there was a period of time where the Church allowed for “experimentation” in liturgical settings as we strove to make the adjustments to the liturgy as taught by the Council. In promulgating the new instruction on the Roman Missal, the Holy Father was saying that the time of experimentation has drawn to a close and some standards were now to be applied universally. Since our church was designed during that period of “experimentation” or “testing,” we will need to make a few changes to meet the new standards. These are the changes below:

The new instruction offers us the following:

“It is appropriate to have a fixed altar in every church, since it more clearly and permanently signifies Christ Jesus, the living stone… The altar should be built apart from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to walk around it easily and that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible. The altar should, moreover, be so placed as to be truly the center toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns… In keeping with the Church's traditional practice and the altar's symbolism, the table of a fixed altar is to be of stone and indeed of natural stone. In the dioceses of the United States of America, however, wood which is worthy, solid, and well-crafted may be used, provided that the altar is structurally immobile. The supports or base for upholding the table, however, may be made of any sort of material, provided it is worthy and solid.”

Therefore, the Pastoral Council is considering an altar made of granite which would sit in the center of the sanctuary. The altar could continue the Celtic tradition of “curves and knots” by being oval or circular in shape. Cost: $30,000.00

This is often referred to as a “podium” and is the location of the readings from scripture. The new instruction offers us the following:

“The dignity of the word of God requires that the church have a place that is suitable for the proclamation of the word and toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word. It is appropriate that this place be ordinarily a stationary ambo and not simply a movable lectern. The ambo must be located in keeping with the design of each church in such a way that the ordained ministers and lectors may be clearly seen and heard by the faithful.”

Therefore the Pastoral Council is considering an ambo made of granite to match the altar. Cost: $29,000.00

The new instruction offers the following:

“There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations.”

Presently, the church has an image of the Risen Christ near the altar. That image has been in the church from the beginning and is be-loved by many parishioners. It is the desire of the Pastoral Council to keep the image in the church, if possible, while at the same time incorporating a new crucifix near the altar. The Council had numerous meetings with a local artist, John Lajba, and with the architect for the church building. They concluded that the best possible solution was to place the Risen Christ above the alcove where the choir sings and put a new crucifix with an artistic design similar to the Risen Christ in the center. New crucifix with inlaid wood background. Cost: $70,000.00

Choosing to keep the Risen Christ and placing it above the choir area requires, for the sake of balance, a new piece of art be placed above the al-cove where the tabernacle will be placed. An early suggestion had been that this piece of art represent a moment in the life of Jesus connected to the Eucharist, such as the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. One such suggested image from John Lajba are pictured below left. Three-piece work of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Cost: $70,000.00

The new instruction offers us the following:

“In accordance with the structure of each church and legitimate local customs, the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent, readily visible, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer. The one tabernacle should be immovable, be made of solid and inviolable material that is not transparent, and be locked in such a way that the danger of profanation is prevented to the greatest extent possible… it is preferable that the tabernacle be located, according to the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop,

A) Either in the sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration, in a form and place more appropriate, not excluding on an old altar no longer used for celebration.

B) Or even in some chapel suitable for the faithful's private adoration and prayer and which is organically connected to the church and readily visible to the Christian faithful.”

The Pastoral Council prefers to have a separate chapel for the reservation of the Eucharist. How-ever, since the present placement of the chapel makes it difficult for the tabernacle to be easily seen in the main body of the church, the best solution appears to be placing the tabernacle in the alcove to the north of the altar area. The stand on which the tabernacle is to be placed should match the stone of the altar and ambo. Cost: $12,000.00.

The hope is to construct a small Eucharistic chapel during the second phase of the campaign on the east side of the church with the tabernacle being visible from both sides.

View Picture of Floor Diagram

The carpet that is presently in the church was installed at the time the church was built in 1981. It has graciously served the parish and is in need of replacement. Present standards for churches generally encourage the use of stone or tile in churches to increase the dignity of the space and to add to the sense of permanence. However, the use of stone or tile throughout the liturgical space could make the building noisy.

Therefore, the Pastoral Council is suggesting the use of tile in the sanctuary area and in some of the aisles. Carpeting would be placed under the pews and in the non-tiled aisles to make it quieter. The present wooden platform which supports the sanctuary area would be replaced with a concrete platform to support the new altar and ambo. Estimated Cost: $321,027.00

The clerestory band at St. Columbkille Church consists of twenty identical oblong openings. A strong horizontal matrix of a green Celtic knot-work unites the windows visually and expresses the idea of the interwoven nature of the many aspects of Catholic spirituality which are expressed by unique center elements in each of the windows. The windows become symbolically a type of rosary; the mysteries of the spiritual life linked together and leading to deeper realities. View all twenty stained glass windows

In the original design of the church, stained glass windows were to be placed in the windows at the top of the east wall of the sanctuary. Adding these stained glass windows would complete the sacred environment and help parishioners feel like they were in the presence of the sacred when they are in the church rather than in any common secular space. They would also add to the beauty of the church.

The Pastoral Council has invited designs from the Willet Hauser Company incorporating themes of the life of St. Columbkille and themes from the core beliefs of Christianity. The windows would be placed on the inside of the church, with the existing external windows providing protection from the elements. Estimated Cost: $7,000.00 per window; 20 windows; Total Estimated Cost: $140,000.00

The church structure has, at present, a chapel for Eucharistic reservation available for private prayer and adoration. By moving the tabernacle to the alcove north of the altar area, this option for private prayer before the tabernacle will be lost and adoration would have to take place in the main body of the church.

One option would be to build a chapel on the east side of the church with the tabernacle being accessible from both the chapel and the church. It is hoped that some of the stained glass windows from the old church could be used in the building of such a chapel.

Cost for this chapel would depend on size; beginning at $300,000.00.

(added from Weekly Bulletin; Jan. 29, 2012) 
We asked our architect, Gary Bowen at BVH, to give us some preliminary ideas and costs for a chapel. Last week, the Pastoral Council looked at some of his ideas and estimated costs. We are carefully moving forward with one of those ideas. That idea is to move the tabernacle forward a bit from the earlier plan so that it would sit even with the back wall of the sanctuary. It would be mounted in a wall of glass with the tabernacle visible from the church side and the chapel side. The glass would be etched with an artwork, such as images of saints or angels adoring God’s presence in the Eucharist. The present east wall, which would be behind the tabernacle, would be removed and a new east wall would be constructed even with the present east wall of the work sacristy.

(added from Weekly Bulletin; Feb 26, 2012) 
We have hit another goal, so the Pastoral Council has approved hiring a contractor to build a chapel of reservation. The chapel and the church will be separated by a wall of glass with the tabernacle in the center. The primary purpose is for Eucharistic Adoration. It will create enough space for 15-20 people to pray together. The new exterior wall of the chapel could incorporate stained glass from the old church.

Photos of a model of the idea can be seen on the back of the Jan. 29th bulletin and the Feb. 26th bulletin.

Stained glass windows from the old church would be integrated into the new east wall of the chapel. This new chapel of reservation could have seating for 15 to 20 persons. The architect suggested that the glass wall of etched art with the chapel behind it and lit by sunlight coming through the stained glass would create a mystical aura around the tabernacle. With artwork being included for the wall around the tabernacle, there would no longer be the need to have another piece of art on the brick wall above the tabernacle.

 The tabernacle will sit in a wall made of sculptured and stained glass which will separate the chapel of reservation from the main body of the church. The tabernacle will have doors facing both the main body of the church and the new chapel. The stained glass, in the wall separating the chapel and church, will be crafted in subtle colors similar to those in the doors in the main entry. The outside wall in the chapel of reservation will contain four stained glass windows from the old St. Columbkille Church. They depict Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest and an apparition scene with His disciples after the resurrection. Both windows have Eucharistic overtones. (June 2012 Newsletter)

The new placement of the tabernacle will result in a loss of seating for about 30 people. One proposal to compensate for the loss of seating would be to build a balcony above the main entry doors running from the outer wall of the cry room to the outer wall of the confessional. This would entail a second stairwell to the balcony and would add seating for more than 100 persons. Cost for this proposal is unknown at this time.

Order of completion as funds become available:

The first group of items to be completed would be those in the sanctuary space: altar, ambo, tabernacle and crucifix. This group would include the new platform and flooring for the sanctuary area.

The second group of items would be the tiling and carpeting of the floor in the main body of the church.

The third group would include the remainder of the stained glass windows and the art piece above the tabernacle area.

Phase II would begin with the design and construction of a Eucharistic Chapel of Reservation.

The balcony would be the final piece to be constructed if parking limitations and other parish issues have been resolved.