Chapel Construction Has Begun!

On May 19^th the contractor arrived with his crew and earth-moving equipment and they began the excavation for the chapel. This date happens to be the anniversary of my priesthood ordination, and I could not have asked for a better present. In addition, work has begun to re-locate the electric poles carrying the high voltage lines that currently traverse the chapel site.

As you can see from the new drawing of the chapel design at the top of the blog page, we have simplified the design some to save money- but I am still thrilled with how it looks. It will fit in well with the rest of the buildings on the campus, but will also stand out in a dignified way. Since it will be built into a bit of a hillside (there is a four meter drop between the southwest corner and the northeast corner), we will take advantage of the slope to include a room beneath the church sanctuary that can be converted in the future into useable space.

With all building projects I have been a part of, we have dreamt big at the start and then chipped away at some features once the pricing brought us back to reality. This project is no different. But it has been a healthy exercise letting go of some features that might be important for a church in Chicago, but which are not essential for a church serving the poor. We are building a church that will be simple but still beautiful. And we want to be as economical as we can with the building itself so that we can put a little more into the interior. We have enough funds to complete the structure, and my hope is that a little more will come as we progress so that we can purchase pews, an altar, ambo, sound system, lights, etc. I am leery about committing to any of these interior purchases at this point because I have always found that surprises and change orders mid-construction end up increasing the cost of the building. Once we feel secure about the final cost of the building itself we can move forward with the interior furnishings and decoration.

The reason we are not yet sure of the final price is that we may be able to realize some savings based upon a relationship the local pastor has with the owner of a major Guatemalan building supply company. The contractor has agreed to work with us if we can obtain building materials at a price lower than he can get them. As things stand now, it looks like putting up the structure and moving the electric lines will cost $185,000. Thanks to the generosity of so many in the States, we have this amount, plus another $10,000 in reserve. I think that we will need another $30,000 or so to complete the interior, but am also hoping that some regular NPH donors will pitch in once the project is publicized and they see we are moving forward. This number will decrease, of course, if our building supply connection comes through for us.

The contractor is working fast at this point to get the excavation completed and the foundation laid because the rainy season is setting in. He feels that he should be able to complete the structure in about five months. This gives me hope that even if we are still working on the interior, we will be able to celebrate Christmas in the new chapel. And what’s more, we will be able to celebrate the feast for which the chapel is to be named the weekend after Christmas. (We have decided to name it the Chapel of the Holy Family.) Christians hold up the model of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a model for all families, and we pray that this may be a special source of hope and promise for our children here, for whom NPH may provide their only meaningful experience of family.

Thank you to all who have supported this project with your prayers and your gifts! It is especially exciting for the kids here to watch their chapel take shape. I promise to do my best to post regular updates during the construction, and post pictures so that all who are interested can follow its progress.