Fr. Simon's Letter - June 26, 2022

Last Tuesday, Bishop Bartosic celebrated Mass in the basilica with the pastors and the parish leadership teams of Queen of All Saints and St. Mary of the Woods as we concluded the initial phase of the Renew My Church process. After Mass, he formally announced the Cardinal’s decision that our two faith communities will continue to operate as separate parishes, as noted in the letter printed on the HERE. However, and as I have stressed in my earlier letters about the RMC process, this discernment and decision phase of the process is only the first step to help us grow into a community that seeks to deepen our belonging, especially through our presence at the Eucharist, to experience a renewed encounter with Christ and be inspired to boldly share our faith with others. As we continue to explore the best ways to engage every member of our parish community, I invite each of you to be open to the Holy Spirit, to renewal and to becoming a more prayerful community that is centered around the Eucharist. The journey ahead of us is filled with wonderful opportunities to re-engage with our own faith so that in the years ahead Queen of All Saints parish will become an even stronger faith community, a beacon of hope and an instrument that draws others to Christ.  

A word about the air-conditioning in the basilica. Our unseasonably warm spring reminds us that summer may bring even more temperature challenges.  Already, we have heard from some that the temperatures in the basilica area cooler than we would like. The fundamental reason is that the temperature controls are old and have failed and replacement parts aren’t available since the system is obsolete. As it now stands, our maintenance staff must manually turn the system on and off based on outside temperatures.  This is clearly a sub-optimal short-term and long-term situation.   First, the basilica envelops a huge amount of air space and takes an hour or more to cool.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, the frequent switching on and off of the compressors and motors stresses the equipment and impacts the life of the machinery. 

After much consultation with qualified HVAC companies and archdiocesan staff experienced with buildings such as ours, we were advised that simply installing new controls on an aging 70-year-old system is not the best solution. The air-conditioning system which cools the basilica was installed in the north basement of the Lemont school building in the early 1950s to service the gym, cafeteria and Rose room. When the basilica was put in service in 1959, the same system was then used to cool the basilica. However, the current system can only be used to cool either the basilica or the common areas of the school. As we continue to plan for more air-conditioning in the school this is not a sustainable option for the long term. 

In our discussions since January we have concluded it is in our best financial interests to cool the basilica with a new stand-alone cooling system and continue to use the existing air-conditioning system to cool the common areas in the Lemont school building.  We have already sourced bids from two different HVAC companies and are in the process of evaluating these bids. Optimally, our evaluation process will conclude soon and work will begin in the fall so that by spring of next year we will have a new system in place. The extended completion time is due to the scale of the project and ongoing supply chain issues. I ask for your patience at this time and your prayers for the success of this project.

Of course, the question probably on your minds is one that has been prominent in our thinking from the start as well, namely how much is this going to cost and how are we going to fund it? The blunt and unfortunate answer it that it will cost about $700,000. As you know from our frequent communications over the last few years, we have borrowed from our endowments to fund the major repairs to our basilica ceiling and bell tower. Fortunately, we will be able to fund the HVAC project from parish operations over a multi-year basis and will NOT use endowments funds. (Of course, should anyone wish to directly benefit the personal comfort of their fellow worshipers we would welcome donations earmarked for that purpose!)  In the end, our basilica is the center of our parish life and we will always make safety and comfort a priority.  Thank you.

Blessings!!