Parish Projects

Given the generosity of our parishioners, the Facilities Team is pleased to provide updates on St. Matthew campus projects, repairs, improvements, and on-going initiatives to provide a safe, healthy, and prayerful environment for you and our children.

Our church is really coming together after months of construction and excavation. Earth moving equipment and mounds of dirt outside of the church have given way to a comprehensive drainage system, gentle grades, a functional stone wall, and grass around the church and on the soccer field behind the school. The paintings of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart of Jesus have found their places back on the Altar. Half the Stations of the Cross are in place while the first eight Stations are cleaned and will be placed as the south walls receive final coats of painting. With one more week of heavy drywall dust to come, we will start the tedious process of deep cleaning the pews and floors. Sanctuary normalcy is only a few short weeks away!

The battle with the city of Gahanna over a new St Matthew Church and School electronic monument sign has been delayed until they can assemble an appeals committee quorum. The dates being considered are now in November and December. With Gahanna Planning and Zoning’s unwillingness to work with us, this entire process has become a frustrating waste of resources. We’ll keep you updated.

Many of the new campus safety and security features implemented this summer are now in place thanks to a couple major corporate gifts. Features included sidewalk repairs, entry door hardware enhancements, entrance bollards, school and church entries fitted with shatter-proof anti-Intrusion glass film, and additional entry camera surveillance. We are also working through the details of installing an automated lockdown and access control solution for the church. Remaining current on the safety and security of our students and parishioners is our priority.  

Suggestions on how we can better serve you and the parish are always welcome. Send requests and suggestions to [email protected]. Be safe, stay healthy, and God Bless.

Given the generosity of our parishioners, the Facilities Team is pleased to provide updates on St. Matthew campus projects, repairs, improvements, and ongoing initiatives to provide a safe, healthy, and prayerful environment for you and  your children.

Much of the focus the last two weeks has been on preparations for The Most Reverend Bishop Earl K. Fernandes visit in celebration of the Feast of Saint Matthew, our patron saint, with a full-school Mass, and weddings the last two Saturdays. After passing several key inspections, additional resources were employed to finish walls, set Stations of the Cross, replace pews, and clean. Now that those high visibility events are past, we are pushing for completion of the Sanctuary renovation.

The monument sign Board of Appeal hearing has been continued until November 2 at 6:30 p.m. Several parishioners, including a couple of attorneys have offered to help with our case. It is unfortunate during the original hearing with the City of Gahanna Planning Commission that they refused to even consider our request for an electronic sign. With the limitation of a 50 SF sign and our property supporting four major organizations, you would think they would understand the need for the flexibility of an electronic sign.

The Catholic Foundation’s grant cycle is currently open for applications. Our Parish and School have until September 29 to apply. The Catholic Foundation has awarded over $200 million in grants within the 23-county diocese of Columbus through responsive grants, scholarships, endowment distributions, and special granting opportunities. We have been blessed with their support on a dozen projects and initiatives. We will again be applying for help with campus security, evangelization, and educational programs. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Suggestions on how we can better serve you and the parish are always welcome. Send requests and suggestions to gharvey@ stmatthew.net. Be safe, stay healthy, and God Bless.

Given the generosity of our parishioners, the Facilities Team is pleased to provide updates on St. Matthew campus projects, repairs, improvements, and on-going initiatives to provide a safe, healthy, and prayerful environment for you and our children.

Your facilities team had been looking forward to the completion of summer projects and the start of routine campus maintenance. The return of students, the wedding and Baptisms this weekend plus planned visit of The Most Reverend Bishop Earl K. Fernandes on Thursday with a school Mass continues to test the limits of our team’s resources.

The church remains the focal point inside and out. The Altar area and north end of the Sanctuary are nearing completion. Plastic coverings have been removed, wood panels replaced, Stations of the Cross are being cleaned before lifted onto their corbels, and pews are returning from the storage containers. Our cleaning efforts have escalated to vacuuming ceiling tiles, stripping/waxing floors, and scrubbing carpets multiple times to get all the dirt out. Before the big lift was removed, the rose window and the Crucifix over the Altar were cleaned. Speakers and side lights are being painted as they are installed in their permanent locations. We are relieved that the weekly clearing of the Altar (including the heavy Tabernacle) since June is now over. The Friday night cleanings will continue until the end of construction and daily Masses are moved back to the Sanctuary.

Outside the church we have removed landscaping, lowered elevations, installed drainage, sealed the foundation, added a retaining wall and privacy fence, fixed grading, brought in topsoil and seeded. We will continue to repair and paint fences until the weather turns. Flower beds will return in the Spring.

Suggestions on how we can better serve you and the parish are always welcome. Send requests and suggestions to [email protected]. Be safe, stay healthy, and God Bless.

Given the generosity of our parishioners, the Facilities Team is pleased to provide updates on St. Matthew campus projects, repairs, improvements, and ongoing initiatives to provide a safe, healthy, and prayerful environment for you and our children.

With all the notable campus activities, programs, and projects going on, there is one in particular that has all of our attention … the Sanctuary. While we knew our timelines were aggressive with the uncertainty of unknown issues, we continue to work hard to finish this project as soon  as possible.

When this project started fourteen weeks ago, we could not imagine what we would find behind those walls. As the first sections near completion, the true expanded scope is now realized. This project started in response to frozen sprinkler heads last Christmas. We uncovered inadequate insulation, roof issues, foundation drainage problems, poor construction practices, critters living in the walls, and several structural concerns. Now that our sanctuary has received a beautiful facelift, we also have a comprehensive building improvement program to address issues found but still need long term fixes.

As you look around and enjoy what has been accomplished, it is obvious, we have several weeks of detail work to complete. September 21 is the Feast of St. Matthew, and it’s also Bishop Fernandes’ birthday. We plan to celebrate 8:30 a.m. Mass with the Bishop, the school and parish in the Sanctuary on this special day. As it stands, daily Masses will return to the St. Anthony Room for a short time after the 21st to complete the painting and installation of lighting and Stations of the Cross. Thank you for your patience.

Coincidentally, our new monument sign Building and Zoning Appeal hearing will be on September 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Gahanna City Council Chambers. We could still use some legal assistance as we develop our Appeal strategy and presentation. Our Appeal filing can be found at https://www. stmatthew.net/announcements.

Suggestions on how we can better serve you and the parish are always welcome. Send requests and suggestions to [email protected]. Be safe, stay healthy, and  God Bless.

Given the generosity of our parishioners, the Facilities Team is pleased to provide updates on St. Matthew campus projects, repairs, improvements, and ongoing initiatives to provide a safe, healthy, and prayerful environment for you and our children.

To the growing numbers of faithful parishioners who continue to endure the Sanctuary construction, THANK YOU! As we push to complete the final stages of our reconstruction, the Friday night cleaning and reinstallation of the sound system has become more difficult each week. The Altar is cleared, and many pews are removed during the week to gain access to the new walls, only to be reinstalled on Friday nights to accommodate weekend Masses. You make our efforts worthwhile. Prayers for our crews are appreciated as they work to reward us with a beautiful church inside and out. Thanks again for your patience and support. Despite equipment challenges, a full Mass on September 21 remains our target.

Now that school is in full session, the Facilities Team has been redeployed to maintain the school and focus on bringing the church building back to an efficient, well maintained, safe, and clean environment. The major enhancements, projects, and safety initiatives pulled needed resources from the church. Deep cleaning has begun in the undercroft as we work our way to the Sanctuary. The careful cleaning and installation of the Stations of the Cross will soon begin at the north end of the church. Outside repairs and drainage are in their final stages of completion. The week-to-week changes are going to be significant and exciting to witness.

Our monument sign Appeal has been filed with the City of Gahanna as we fight for the right to utilize an electronic sign to promote and inform the community of St. Matthew Parish activities and initiatives. If interested, a copy of the Appeal can be found on our website at stmatthew.net/announcements. Our hearing will take place on the 7th or 21st of September at 6:30 p.m. Stay tuned for the outcome.

Suggestions on how we can better serve you and the parish are always welcome. Send requests and suggestions to gharvey@ stmatthew.net. Be safe, stay healthy, and God Bless.