Letter from the Pastor
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October 16, 2022One of the altar servers, after seeing the Church for the first time on Sunday, said, “Hey Father, like what you did with the place!” reminded me of a TV commercial or a line from a movie.
It wasn’t me; it was the craftsmen. I am always in awe of a good craftsman. During the construction, I often went to the Church to watch the carpenters, painters, plasterers and the tile workers. I hope they weren’t thinking I was checking up on them, I just wanted to watch them work their trade. I have always admired people who can work with their hands. I recalled as a young kid watching my German grandfather work. He was a master carpenter. He would often say, “If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it all.” He was meticulous and precise in his work. There was no half way effort or shortcuts. That WWI generation was proud of their work, if their name was attached to a job; it had to be the best. Their workmanship was outstanding.
We, as a parish, owe a deep sense of gratitude to the men who worked in our Church. I would like to acknowledge the following for their hard and outstanding work. They were under pressure to get it done in time for the weddings, and the Sacrament of Confirmation that began last Friday.- Mr. Troy Simmons of McPherson, Simmons Bros. and Sons Architectural Firm of Orange, NJ. Troy was the liturgical advisor and designer of the project.
- Mr. Bernie Connors LLC of West Milford NJ. I can’t thank Bernie enough for all his hard work along with his brother, Joe, who is another master carpenter and Billy, a young talented carpenter as well. I really enjoyed their company and loved to watch them ply their trade. If you ever need a good carpenter, call Bernie.
- Oscar of Forte Space Contractor. Tile and floor.
- The painters and plasterers of the John Tiedemann Paint and Plaster, Inc
- Alpine Cabinets. Louis and his fellow cabinetmakers who built, finished and installed all the new wood and trim work in the Church, the sidewalls, the pedestals, the altar rail, the altar trim. What a magnificent job they did.
- Joe, who came out of retirement, to do marble work on the altar and the marble angels.
- Bob Koeck of Koeck Pew Refinishers of Middletown, NY. Bob and his men completely refinished and installed our pews and kneelers. Koeck Company also refinished the pews in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Sacred Heart Basilica in Newark.
- Greg of Rohlf Stained Glass of Mt. Vernon NY, who cleaned and lit the stained glass windows.
- Derek Coombs, who did all the electrical work.
- Bertussi Plumbing who reinstalled the radiators.
- Mike of Roca Flooring of Valley Cottage who installed the new carpets on the Church vestibule stairwells and choir loft.
- Linda Sheridan who created and sewed the new Tabernacle veils. Linda is a talented seamstress.
I would also like to thank Msgr. Nevin and the adult servers of St. Aedan’s Church who hosted our funerals during the construction.
As you can see, there were so many people involved in making our “place” likeable!
We Offer a Prayer of Thanksgiving to all these Talented People.
