St. John Gualbert Parish stands as a historical landmark in the Walden - Pine Ridge Area; a reminder of a time when many neighborhoods were tightly aligned by ethnic identity.  Recognizing the beauty and historicity of our church, we are determined to maintain this House of God for the benefit of those who continue to seek and appreciate authentic expressions of the Catholic faith as well as our Polish heritage.  Among some of the numerous repairs and renovations that have already been completed are:   

§             Repair of the gym roof.

§             Replacement of the convent roof.

§             Renovation of the convent chapel for daily Masses during the heating season.

§             Pointing of sections of the church and convent.

§             Installation of a new floor in the church vestibule.

§             New carpeting in the Our Lady of Czestochowa Chapel.

§             New carpeting for the steps going to the choir loft.

§             New floor for the rectory meeting room.

§             Painting of the exterior trim of the church.

§               Renovation and painting of the school Marian Room.

§               Replacement of front church doors.

§               New rectory roof.

§               New convent roof.

§               Renovation work on the church bell.

§               Renovation and expansion of the pipe organ.

§               New enclosures for the side entrances of the church. 

§               Renovation of the Kilgen Pipe Organ

§               New roof over the classroom section of the school building.

           

Other repairs and renovations that are anticipated over the next few years:

 §               New Marian Room roof. (Summer 2010)

§               Re-paving of the school parking lot. (Summer 2010) 

§               New gym roof (2011)

§               New church roof. (Summer 2012)

 

These projects will require major funding.  We will do everything we can to maintain and improve the parish buildings that have been built for us years ago by generations who made greater sacrifices for this parish than most of us will ever have to make.  It is for this purpose that we have established the "St. John Gualbert Preservation Fund" to help preserve our buildings and our parish property.   

 

            The Preservation Fund is also a way for people to contribute in the form of memorials from funerals.  Obituaries in the newspaper often include suggested memorials that can be made to a charitable organization.  In the obituary you may put the following notification: "Memorials may be made to the St. John Gualbert Preservation Fund."

 

Also, a parishioner or friend can consider remembering St. John Gualbert in their will - no matter how large or small. Please consider a bequest to the Preservation Fund, which will enable us to make necessary repairs and thus preserve our buildings.

The Preservation Fund enables us to meet the challenges that face us as we continue to work together to preserve what was built by poor immigrants whose means were much more limited than ours today, in a day and age when families were large and were supported by the income of one worker.  They did it because they loved their faith and the parish was the center of their lives.  Thank you for considering the need to preserve and maintain that which has been handed on to us from the sacrifices of others.  May Our Lady of Częstochowa keep you in her maternal protection and may the hand of our heavenly Father, abundantly bless you!

 

Rev. David W. Bialkowski

Pastor