Our parish has welcomed visitors through its doors for over 2 decades. To make the entrance safer and more accessible for individuals, funds raised will go to repairing the stairs and improving the ramp on the east side of the building. This undertaking will expand on our previous work on the front doors and steps, which yielded a safer and more aesthetically pleasing parish entrance.
The parish furnace, air conditioning and ventilation system in the church and reception hall needs updating to improve the temperature control and air flow throughout the parish buildings. Not only will this allow for greater comfortability in Mass and throughout the parish, but it will increase our energy efficiency and lower our expenses over the long term, allowing us to divert finances away from boiler costs towards ministry and mission outreach.
Our beautiful stained-glass windows are a focal point in our worship space. To help us protect and preserve the windows for the future, we must replace and refurbish the outside plastic coverings on all windows. Additionally, the original window from St. Gabriel's is a prominent feature in our parish, and this funding will allow us to keep it in pristine condition and spotlight it's splendor.
We want to ensure that we have resources available for other ongoing facilities repairs and improvements as they arise in the coming years. This will also improve security and safety for those attending evening meetings at the parish, especially given how dark it can get on winter nights in Fox Lake.