Father Lucas Rossi points to a small statue of St. Joseph that he placed inside the crumbling entryway of St. Michael Church on May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. (Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald)GASTONIA — Parishioners at St. Michael Church are being called to “raise the roof” in a unique campaign to repair what has become a very leaky church building.
Nearly 20 inches of rain has fallen on Gastonia since January, more than 40 percent higher than usual. The heavy rainfall has exacerbated originally shoddy workmanship on the church roof, causing more than 70 leaks that are now damaging the church itself.
“After the bad installation, and with all the rain we’ve had, it’s come to a head,” explains Deacon Tim Mueller, the parish’s facilities manager.
St. Michael Church was completed in 2003. During construction, the parish experienced several key changes that leaders now say led to the problems they now have to tackle. First, the building project was shifted from one construction company to another one that was doing other work in the Diocese of Charlotte, and the new contractor was not supervised as closely as parish leaders expected. Changes in pastors and parish lay leadership followed, and the project ended up over budget and with substandard results.
The contractor, Mount Airy-based John S. Clark Co., went out of business in 2012 and the parish is currently unable to rely on insurance to cover the damages.
Over the years when leaks have sprung up, the 24,500-square-foot roof has been patched with tar. But, the parish’s seven-member facilities commission says, the poorly-built roof just couldn’t handle all the rain the area has received in the past few months. They can no longer ignore the original construction flaws and the resulting damage: shingles that were never nailed down and are now falling off, improperly installed flashing and gutters, cracking brickwork, warped plywood and water-logged drywall. Recently, the ceiling of the side entryway to the church suddenly collapsed due to water damage.
Inside the church, one of the Stations of the Cross on the wall is now covered with plastic because of a persistent leak right overhead. Wooden pews and carpeting have been damaged from water dripping from the ceiling. It has become common for parishioners to find pieces of drywall on the floor that have fallen from the cracked and soggy ceiling.
St. Michael Parish still carries over $1 million of debt from the original construction work and other loans, so parish leaders did not want to incur more debt to fix these problems.
Instead, pastor Father Lucas Rossi and the parish fundraising commission have launched a “Raise Our Roof” campaign to raise $155,000 to replace the roof and repair all the water damage.
The parish has already raised $57,620 as of May 21.
As important as the money is, however, Father Rossi sees this campaign as an opportunity to draw his parishioners together to address a common need. For that reason, the campaign is emphasizing 100 percent participation from the parish’s 721 families.
“The rebuilding of our roof is going to strengthen our parish family,” Father Rossi says. “We are a family united in Christ. I want all of us to join together and unite our funds to rebuild our roof.”
Father Rossi himself donated $1,000 on Mother’s Day to the campaign in honor of his own mother.
A small statue of St. Joseph has been placed inside the crumbling entryway of St. Michael Catholic Church on May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Parishioners are praying for St. Joseph’s interces-sion as they raise funds to repair their church roof. (Photo by Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Catholic News Her-ald)
“I love my mother and I love my parish,” he smiles, adding that he wants to “lead the charge.” “One hundred percent participation includes me,” he says.
Once the parish reaches its $155,000 goal, with diocesan approval, it hopes to contract with Southern Star Roofing and Construction to undertake the project. The work is expected to take around six weeks, notes facilities commission member Dan Frazeur, because the project entails replacing the entire roof – not just the shingles, but also the plywood sheathing – besides critical repairs to the gutters, walls, ceilings and entryways, as well as fixes to water-damaged areas and mold abatement.
“We really can’t know the full extent of what’s going on until we can take everything off and take a look at it,” Frazeur explains.
During the repairs, Masses may need to move to the St. Michael School gymnasium, Father Rossi notes.
The facilities commission recommended Southern Star Roofing and Construction for the job because of the company’s flexibility and wide-ranging expertise on the specific problems that need to be addressed, Frazeur says.
Aiding the parish are the professional staff in the diocese’s Properties Office, and Father Rossi, Deacon Mueller and Frazeur praised the staff’s responsiveness in providing assistance.
Father Rossi, Deacon Mueller and Frazeur emphasize that this project needs the participation of everyone in the parish – not just to pay for the repairs, but to set straight the church building they love.
“This is our parish home. This is where I worship,” says Frazeur. “I want this place to be like my own home.”
Father Rossi blessed a small statue of St. Joseph on May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, and tucked it in the ceiling structure of the collapsed side entryway.
“I ask you to join me in praying to St. Joseph for the success of this highly extensive project to repair our church home,” he told parishioners.
He offered the following prayer: “O, Saint Joseph, you who taught Our Lord the carpenter’s trade, and saw to it that he was always properly housed, hear my earnest plea. Help our parish now as you helped your foster-child Jesus, and as you have helped many others in the matter of housing. St. Joseph, pray for us, and the success of our roof cam-paign that we may protect the house of Our Lord.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Editor
How can you help?
Secure donations can be made online at St. Michael Parish’s new website at www.stmccg.org, or by mail to St. Michael Parish, c/o “Raise Our Roof,” 708 St. Michael’s Lane, Gastonia, N.C. 28052.
Father Lucas Rossi, pastor (center); Deacon Tim Mueller, facilities manager (right); and Dan Frazeur, facilities commission member (left), inspect water damage in the entryway of St. Michael Catholic Church. (Photo by Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Catholic News Herald)
Father Lucas Rossi, pastor (center) inspects water damage in the entryway of St. Michael Catholic Church. The entryway ceiling recently collapsed due to extensive water damage, and the parish is now working on a plan to fix their church roof. (Photo by Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Catholic News Herald)