Stained Glass Project
The twelve stained-glass windows in the nave of the original church (1907) are being restored.
A careful inspection showed these 126-year-old windows were disintegrating. There was no way to save or enhance them without full restoration. The company doing the work is Raynal Studios in Natural Bridge VA.
Their work is renowned and includes the windows at Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church in Roanoke, Asbury Methodist Church here in Harrisonburg, The Library
of Congress in Washington, DC and other notable buildings and churches.
The work of restoration is meticulous and done in steps. It is a process similar to that done to the six original windows that are in each wing of the new church. After thorough documentation and careful removal, skilled artisans completely disassemble each window. They clean and repair or replace each piece of glass separately. The window is then painstakingly put back together with new lead came. The wood frame, which consists of the sash, jambs, and sills, is repaired and restored before the window is returned to its opening.
There is a 30-year warranty on the restoration work and materials.
Not surprisingly the cost of this laborious work is expensive. It cost about $8,500 for each of the twelve windows. Your support is needed to fund this important
work. See the links below to donate. Anyone interested in a donation of stock, or an IRA transfer should contact Ellen Markham at the parish office.
The restoration of these windows is both a needed maintenance and an
enhancement for this beautiful gathering place we call Blessed Sacrament. Your financial support is something for which you can remain proud in the coming years and decades.
This is a video of the manual deconstruction of a section of stained glass window from the nave of the original BSCC church. Nothing has been done to clean the glass yet. Note how dark it is. The lead came is easily removed, consistent with its age and deterioration. John Raynal is explaining the process. Fr Silvio’s comments can also be heard.
For more information on how you can support this project contact Ellen Markham in the office or Beverly McGowan at mcgbev@gmail.com
As work progresses additional videos will be shared.
New Sound System
Following over a year-long needs assessment, search and study, the expanded sound system committee has validated the conclusions of the earlier finding, and with the approval of the Parish council and finance committee a contract was signed that meets the current and projected future needs of our Parish. The chosen vendor is Onyx Audio Visual (Onyx) of Reston Va. Onyx comes highly regarded as an established value added reseller (VAR) and will be responsible for the design, specification, procurement, installation of all hardware and software components, onsite testing during each Mass and in-person training and continued support services as needed.
The initial estimate for a new sound system for our Sanctuary and historic Church alone was $50,090. But midway through the process the scope was expanded to add WiFi control interface custom designed to serve both current and future audio/visual components anywhere on our BSCC properties. Also added to the plan is automated, high resolution, video (for high quality live-streaming Masses and services to home-bound and for posting to video platforms) which will be integrated with the audio through the control center. These added requirements brought the cost to $68,061. However, given the current state of inflation, increased costs in manufacturing, shortages of electronic components and supply chain delays, the project is now anticipated to begin this August 2022 at a final contract signing date cost of $71,902.
Please be advised that considerable efforts went into this process to discern not only the best price but the most suitable technology models, the most reputable equipment brand and manufacturer, the most reliable and proven A/V designer and installer, a system that would meet our current needs and accommodate A/V expansions in the future, one having ease of operation, customer training and continued support, and even even the system's aesthetics suitable for our Sanctuary were considered. Twenty-two A/V companies in all were consulted and acoustic measurements and audio tests were performed on-site by audio engineers. Off-site visits were conducted and references verbally verified by over a dozen other Churches in three states who had recent installations of new sound systems. Interestingly, when Father Joe Goldsmith led a search effort to improve our Sanctuary's sound system back in 2015, the same audio brand and contractor (Onyx A/V) was recommended as a subcontractor in a proposal submitted by Integrity Audio, the company who installed our original system prior to the new technology's affordability. Sound committee chair Father John Baab, having recently participated in the same search effort at his previous Parish, attested that Onyx A/V and the same audio technology recommended to us was chosen for the sound system upgrade at St. Bede's in Williamsburg as well as at other Parishes in our Diocese. It became quite evident that Onyx is the most reliable and cost effective option, with proven customer satisfaction and professional service exceeding other vendors.
The committee thanks everyone for their generosity and patience as we look forward to experiencing acoustic sound with clarity and vocal intelligibility worthy of our Masses and services!
UPDATE
(8/2/2022)
Sound System to be installed the week of August 8 - 13, 2022
Here is a sneak peak of some of the acts from our Parish-wide Talent Show!
The full production video of "BSCC's Got Talent" show is now available for purchase. This wildly successful and joyous production will make the perfect Christmas gift for relatives and our homebound loved ones! Videos are $20 each and proceeds benefit the Video portion of our exciting new Audio/Visual project, bringing to our Parish high-quality live streaming of our Masses and services. To reserve your keepsake video now, contact Donna Lou Shickel at donnalou@donnalou.com.
Independant
Reconciliation Program
For the support of healing and reconciliation for victim survivors of sexual abuse, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond has provided an online source for "Frequently asked questions", sources, references, and more information.
https://assistance.richmonddiocese.org/#inrecpro
If you are a victim and need to initiate a claim, please click on the following link, https://www.richmonddioceseirp.com
Father Silvio, Father Ritche, and all of the Parish staff are deeply concerned about any victim of this terrible plague in our beloved Church. We are actively doing all we can, and have for more than 10 years, to prevent any incidents here at Blessed Sacrament. Father Silvio and Father Ritche are available to talk with anyone about this crisis. The best source for information is the Bishop's office in Richmond, the links provided above, or by calling the Richmond office at (804) 359-5661 ; ask to speak to one of the counselors there. We will continue to pray for everyone afflicted by this crisis within the Catholic Church and our society.
Para el apoyo de la curación y la reconciliación de las víctimas sobrevivientes de abuso sexual, la Diócesis Católica de Richmond ha proporcionado una fuente en línea de "Preguntas frecuentes", fuentes, referencias y más información.
https://assistance.richmonddiocese.org/es/
Si es una víctima y necesita iniciar un reclamo, haga clic en el siguiente enlace, https://www.richmonddioceseirp.com
El Padre Silvio, el Padre Ritche y todo el personal de la Parroquia están profundamente preocupados por cualquier víctima de esta terrible plaga que ha crecido en el pasado dentro de la Iglesia Católica. Estamos haciendo todo lo que podemos, y lo hemos hecho durante más de 10 años, para evitar cualquier incidente aquí en el Santísimo Sacramento. El padre Silvio y el padre Chris están disponibles para hablar con cualquiera sobre esta crisis. La mejor fuente de información es la oficina del Obispo en Richmond, los enlaces provistos anteriormente, o llamando a la oficina de Richmond al (804) 359-5661; pida hablar con uno de los consejeros allí. Continuaremos orando por todos los afectados por esta crisis dentro de la Iglesia Católica y nuestra sociedad.