Dear faithful in Christ,
It is with great joy that we can share a few photos of the progress on the renovations to Maternal Heart of Mary Church (Lewisham).
After some initial delays, work began last month. The electricians were first to start, with the stripping of the old electrical wiring and lighting. Most of the new wiring was then run, before the painters came in to begin their part.
In the attached photos, you can see that the ceiling and walls are currently being repainted (acrylic paint). When the initial scope of works was put together, we expected the painting of the walls to be cost prohibitive until a much later date. However, because our tradesmen are working at near cost-price, we are very blessed and grateful to be able to do all of the painting at one and the same time. This will not only save us money in the long run, it will also avoid the unnecessary headache of vacating our beloved church again!
I attach a computer-generated photo showing the colour scheme. We have tried to respect the historical design while at the same time bringing out the architecture with a two-tone contrast.
New lighting will be installed early next year and some of the windows and broken stained-glass will also be repaired.
As you can see, this is a very large project, so the work may continue into March. The total cost will be approximately $450,000, which is far below the commercial value of the work, thanks to the generosity of our tradesmen. The scope of works was approved by the Society of St Vincent de Paul as well as by the FSSP superiors overseas. The builder and costs were approved by the archdiocese.
The addition of the walls to the scope of works added $100,000 to the final cost. Therefore, in order to make up this extra expense, we ask for your financial support.
Donations can be made using the bank details at the bottom of this email (EFT/netbanking only), or by credit card here.
There is also the possibility of tax-deductible corporate sponsorship for businesses. Please contact us via email.
This project has long been placed under the maternal guidance of Our Lady & also under the protection of St Joseph. May they both intercede for us and bring the work to a timely & favourable conclusion!
May God grant you a blessed Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Fr Wong and Fr Sypher.
