|
Date |
|
Event |
|
1994-95 |
|
Prepared living quarters, office, and bathroom for pastor in
former sacristy. Bedroom located on fourth floor of former
sanctuary. |
| 1994 |
|
Installed used theater seats from
Vladivostok puppet theater in third-floor central nave. |
| 1994-95 |
|
Removed two of three added floors. Left one behind to use as parish
hall, parish office, bathrooms, kitchen, storage space, library, and chapel.
|
| 1995 |
|
Excavated space on north side of
church and built underground room for new furnaces. Installed
furnaces.
Restored capitals of columns; extended choir loft and added
hand-carved oak railing; created new main stairway to second
floor; created two new spiral stairways to choir loft.
Divided first-floor nave to install public bathrooms and to
provide office and work space for Caritas (similar to Catholic
Charities). Further divided first-floor nave for Music Development
Office in 2001
|
| 1996 |
|
Added two-step raised platform in
second-floor transept for temporary sanctuary made partially from
old steel shelves inherited from days of archive.
Stations of Cross donated from church in Pennsylvania. Titles
repainted in Russian by parishioner graphic artist.
Large marble crucifix (three-quarters life-size), removed from
church when confiscated by Communists and then given to
Vladivostok Art Academy, is returned to church.
Installed Rodgers 220-II electric organ (two manuals, AGO
pedals, 39 speaking stops) donated
from Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids, Minn. (At time of
installation, it was only organ in radius of almost 3000 miles.) Began public organ concerts free of charge.
First concert held in honor of return of marble crucifix.
|
| 1997 |
|
Prepared living quarters in south
tower second floor.
Built new steel-reinforced outdoor concrete public stairway in
front of church to help pedestrians gain access to church more
easily.
|
| 1997-98 |
|
Built separate building on church
grounds as office for building superintendent for remainder of
reconstruction and restoration process. |
| 1998 |
|
Began for-profit organ concert series to help defray cost of restoration. (Organ concerts were
required by government when government decided to return church building to parish
in 1993. Organ concerts have since increased to 16 per year, all sold
out in advance, the most successful continuing concert series in
Vladivostok history.)
Removed 1930s-era steel-reinforced concrete stairway from northwest
tower and created Gothic-vaulted chapel, first Gothic vaults made in
Russia since religious repression destroyed all parishes. Prepared living
quarters in north tower second floor.
Laid new tile floor in main church (second story), donated by Schneider
Family tile company in St. Paul, Minn.
Major reconstruction of former south sacristy (used as
daily Mass chapel during restoration work in main nave), including
replacement of large wooden roof beams that had completely rotted;
installation of new wood-frame windows; replacement of electrical wiring;
and replacement of plaster on walls and ceiling.
|
| 1999 |
|
Repair and redecoration of large
parish hall on first floor, including new windows and frames;
painting; and construction of large cafeteria tables and benches.
Commissioned blueprints and drawings for new Gothic-style bell towers and
steeples from noted local architectural firm, since original plans cannot be
found. Construction of steeples must await funding.
|
| 1999- 2000 |
|
Stained glass windows project begun: installed new aluminum window frames
(from New York) and thermal pane windows (from Vladivostok). Began creation and
installation of stained glass windows. |
| 2000
|
|
Society of Polish Exiles to Siberia raised funds to cast 4 large, beautiful
bells in Gdansk, Poland, as gift to parish. Bells blessed by Pope John Paul II
on his trip to Poland in Jubilee Year. (Steeples need to be completed before bells can be installed.) |
| 2000- 2001 |
|
Bought land next to church as site
for monastery and parish offices. |
| 2002-2004 |
|
Redecorated and refurbished
third-floor room in former sanctuary, which since 1994 has been
used as catechism classroom.
Ground broken for new monastery.
Installed wooden floor over main Gothic vaults in entire attic,
and on it laid thick fiberglass insulation, greatly improving
comfort of main hall in cold weather.
Completed installing all 12 large stained glass windows in the
main (west) facade, nave and transepts.
Installation of new digital pipe organ "Stella Maris" Rodgers
Trillium 927 (three manuals, AGO pedals, 94 speaking stops), with
funds given by a parish in the U.S.
Complete capital restoration of the brick exterior of the
Church, including bricking up the windows and doors cut through
the exterior in 1930-35, and the opening of the back doorway into
old sacristy which had been bricked up. Also the additions of new
brick steps for the front side door and the back sacristy door. |
| 2006 |
|
With the completion of the Our Lady
of Fatima Rectory, reconstruction began on the interior of the
Church. The final floor which had been built to house the archives
has been removed, and construction seems to be on target to finish
in time for Easter, 2007. |
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See also
Our Lady of
Fatima Rectory page. |
