News - July 2026 RSS Feed

Dear Friends, Earlier this week the HVAC system in the church failed, resulting in the loss of air conditioning. Given the high temperatures we are experiencing and the inability to have this issue resolved fully by this weekend, I have made the decision to move all Masses this weekend to the Immaculate Conception School cafeteria, which is fully air conditioned. The problem resulted from a failed electronic component which controls our outdated HVAC system; the component needed is no longer widely available and must be specially ordered. Our HVAC company has worked onsite for the last few days to bypass the failed component and was able to restore one of the two chillers which cool the church. The result was cooling function sufficient for short periods of time, like daily Mass, but it is not enough to cool the church for weekend Masses. In addition, the buildup of heat and humidity in the church these past few days has caused the wooden flooring in the chapel to warp in two locations. We currently have two industrial fans blowing air onto the chapel floor to reduce the absorption of humid air, and we hope that once the AC is fully functional and the church begins to cool, the flooring will return to normal after minor repairs. I am sorry for the inconvenience the relocation of our Masses to the school may cause, but I think it would be imprudent to celebrate Masses in church in this dangerous heat with a limited ability to cool the building. Further, I strongly encourage the elderly and those with health conditions to err on the side of caution before traveling outside this weekend to participate in Mass. When you arrive for Mass on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning, please use either the parking lot entrance to the cafeteria, where ramp access is available, or the main entrance to the school. Please follow the signs leading to the cafeteria on the lower level. Barring further complications, it is my hope that we will have this HVAC problem corrected by the beginning of next week. I will keep you updated on our progress. Again, my apologies for the inconvenience. Servus, Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, Pastor and Director of Schools