From the Desk of Fr. Thomas - August 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii,

 

August is the calm before the storm. As the first Monday in September is Labor Day, the construction crew asked if it was okay to start work the following Monday, September 8th. Knowing that is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, how could I say no? What a wonderful gift to begin the physical labor on Our Lady’s birthday!

 

Auld and White workers erect a temporary fence officially make this a construction site!

A bit of housekeeping. This means the new church will be a construction zone, behind a fence, and off limits to casual visits. To satisfy your curiosity, I’m arranging to have a live feed of the church available on our website that gives us a front row seat to the Pompeii Rising Restoration Project. Once it is safe and open to the public, I will organize an open house.

 

Now that we have a start date, we also have a completion date. This time next year, Phase II of our project will be complete and we will be offering Mass in the newly restored Church of Our Lady of Pompeii. That first Mass will be the culmination of years of patience, sacrifice, and prayer.

 

I ask for a favor. The next 11 newsletters will be jam-packed with really exciting progress. Whether it was three days ago, or three years ago, many of you have told your friends and family about this project. Could you now update them by sharing this good news? People like to see construction. If they want to see measurable progress that is both fast and furious, now is the time to subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

 

August is also the first anniversary of the Children’s Rosary Crusade. Sixty children have enlisted. Over one thousand Rosaries were offered this month alone! End of Year numbers are also truly astounding. If it's not apparent yet why everything is falling into place, look no further than the 13,089 Rosaries have been offered to date. In this second year, as construction is underway, I’d like to see these numbers more than double.

 

Finally, August is also a time for reassignments. I have the honor and privilege of being assigned to serve Jacksonville again this year. As stated last year “with absolute trust, and in a spirit of obedience, a priest goes where he is told.” I would now add, he goes where he is needed. I love being your priest and I will not take this year for granted.

 

Keep saying your Memorares,

The cottage will serve as the construction trailer for the site superintendent and crew.

The dining room is turned into a temporary office with draft table for on site management.

In lieu of a mailbag, Auld and White Constructors prepared for us a 12 month forecast of what milestones to expect during construction.

September – Demolish building behind Church, Demolish interior of Church.

October – Interior Foundations for Altar Completed.  Site Cleared and Building Pad for Mechanical Building complete.

 

November – Underground Utilities to Church complete. Foundations for Mechanical Building Complete.

 

December – Mechanical Building Masonry complete, Mechanical Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) under floor in Church complete.

 

January 2026 – Erect Scaffolding and Start Demolition of Existing Ceiling.

 

February – Roof Structure Repair and Replace to be complete, MEP rough-in at ceiling to be complete, Repair work on existing Church exterior to begin, Curbs and Gutter on site to be complete.

 

March – Storm Tech System to be complete, New Ceiling Framing to be complete, Exterior Church Repair work to be complete.

 

April – Sidewalks installed, Site Fine Graded, Start Hanging and Finished Arched Ceiling.

 

May – Pavers and Concrete Pavement to be complete, Landscaping to be complete, Arched Ceilings to be painted, MEP Trim-out in Arched Ceilings to be complete.

 

June – Interior Painting to be complete, Flooring Starting, High Altar install.

 

July – All interior finishes complete (Flooring, Painting, Light Fixtures, General MEP Trim-out), Installation of pews and other Owner provided equipment to start.

 

August – Owner Punch Walkthrough, AWC correcting any punch items, Remaining Furniture being installed.

 

September – Final Walkthrough

We will return to the mailbag next month. Let me hear from you. Do you have an Old Holy Rosary or an Our Lady of Pompeii Story to share? Email me at info@pompeiirising.org