Renovation work in the Presbytery

Renovation work in the ground floor of the presbytery--future room for meeting/dining/kitchen.

Dear Friends and Family,

A blessed last Sunday of January to you all! Several of you have asked about the renovations at Lanherne, so today's post will show you photos of the ongoing work in the room that will become kitchen, dining, meeting area, and even... Confessional!

To back up: 12 months ago renovation work began at Lanherne. This was preceded by about two years of planning and obtaining permissions from the British government. Lanherne is a "Grade 1 Listed Building"--the highest level of historic building. And in England, historic buildings are a big deal. So any work in it has to be very carefully done--you must use the same materials to repair a window as the window was built with, restore wooden frames using the same style and techniques, carefully preserve floorboards and plaster that may be hundreds of years old, document everything before an after work is done--it is similar to restoring a museum. Thankfully, we have an excellent team of craftsman, project director, and oversight board.

The following photos will show you the work in this one room, followed by some commentary.

First, in the above photo, much of the shelving was sagging and a decision was made to replace it all, as well as to install new radiators, pipes, and wiring. So much of what is done cannot be seen.

The old fireplace restored, chimney cleaned out and repaired. Some stonework still has to be fixed, as you can see.

The opposite end of the room from the shelving. The middle cabinet is... where the priest will go to hear Confessions. You can see more clearly in the photo below, the small wooden panel that the priest opens to hear the penitent who kneels on the other side of the wall. They enter that side of the Confessional from the church. To soundproof the Confessional much extra insulation was added. But when a room is very well soundproofed there is no ventilation... To remedy that problem they cut a hole in the floor, leading to the "basement" (with its dirt floor) underneath. A ventilation fan will be placed in the floor to provide air circulation.

The two side cabinets will house the kitchen. Though you can't see it well, there is a sink on the right-hand side. There will also be a small fridge, a stove in the left-hand cabinet, cupboards above both, etc. The goal has been to soundproof the Confessional well enough so that a priest can hear Confessions at any time during the day, regardless of whether or not someone (for example a priest on retreat) is cooking in the cabinets next to it.

Side windows. Amazingly, this batch of wires and boxes, which has been subjected to much dust, paint and other debris, is still functioning to provide internet to the presbytery. Once the work is done, new wires and boxes will be installed.

Much of the work is hidden. For example, new piping and wiring were laid under the floor or elsewhere. Before repainting the walls, they stripped them and carefully removed decaying plaster, while keeping what was good. They then patched up the plaster so that it would be smooth, and began a process of painting. A similar process has been carried out for the wood.

This room is just one of about 12 rooms, along with the hallways, all of which has taken a great deal of work and care. The building is looking nice. While the hammering, electric saws, and other noises that began 12 months ago are still ongoing, we are hopeful that by April 1st the presbytery will be complete. And then it will be on to other aspects of the buildings and grounds, for much still needs to be fixed. But thanks be to God for the beautiful work done so far.

I had planned to also write about the analogous work of the renovation of a soul--of God's work of renovating a soul. But I'm afraid that fatigue is setting in at this point in the evening, so I had best sign off now.

May Jesus and Mary grant you a blessed and peaceful night!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari