Week 1 Update

Follow the progress at www.SaintBedeFireUpdate.blogspot.com

Each week I will endeavor to keep the parishioners and friends of St. Bede apprised of the progress that we have made in the wake of the fire we suffered in the church on Wednesday morning, May 5, 2010.

Our insurance adjuster has made a preliminary assessment and will be working with during the restoration in order to help us rebuild. Catholic Mutual, our insurance company, has also sent a fire investigator who is working with members of the MFD’s Fire marshals to assess the exact cause of the fire. We will share their findings as soon as they become public.

Service Masters has been contracted by St. Bede to do the initial clean up in the wake of the fire. Wednesday they removed the carpet which had been soaked by the fire hoses; removed all the furniture, fixtures and vestments from the church to have them professionally cleaned, and set up dehumidifiers to control the moisture in the building. They have continued to clean the inside of the church and this week they will remove the pews for cleaning and “ice blast” the inside of the church. This is a process by which dry ice is used to remove soot and smoke damage from the walls and ceiling.

We have gotten a few vestments back from the cleaners, but the bulk of them are still being cleaned. The process seems to have worked fairly well, although some of the vestments still smell of smoke.

What is happening this week:

1. We have had a roofer out to assess the damage to the roof and are awaiting a report.

2. We have scheduled an architect to inspect the damage and determine whether or not the walls and ceiling are sound. (There is some concern about the support pillar that was closest to the fire.)

3. Electricians have made an initial assessment and will develop a plan to replace the damaged wiring.

4. We are contacting an audio engineer to help us redesign a sound system. Our old system was completely destroyed by the fire.

5. As soon as the demolition is finished in the sacristy, shrine and confessional we will bring in contractors to submit bid to repair the damage.

6. The piano was removed last week to be cleaned and stored, and the organ is being removed this week.

I will be out of town until May 20^th (which happens to be my 15^th anniversary of ordination to the Priesthood), but work will continue in my absence. Upon my return we will set up a working group to provide advice and oversight on the construction project. At that time we begin to talk about our options as we move forward. This week is about cleaning up and assessing the extent of the damage.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.