The Great Cookie Trail this Saturday

Don't have time to do your holiday baking? Craving some holiday sweets? Like to catch up with old friends over cookies and coffee?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, the Great Cookie Trail is your answer! Holy Trinity Catholic Church will be hosting its second annual Great Cookie Trail this Saturday morning, December 10 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the hall. Come by yourself or bring a friend or two and walk the aisle of cookie after cookie, selecting whatever you want to take home. The charge is $5 per cookie pound. There will be plenty of people available to assist you in picking out and carrying your box of cookies. Also, after doing your cookie shopping, take a few minutes to relax with a cup of coffee and complimentary hot cinnamon rolls provided by Holy Trinity.

We hope you take advantage of this fun, delicious event! It is a great time for all!!

There are MANY different types of cookies available...something for everyone on your list!

Christmas Play

Yesterday, on December 4, Holy Trinity hall was the scene for the 2011 children's Christmas play. This year's play included a poem reading by the first graders and a re-enactment of the night of Jesus' birth by the fifth graders. Also, several Christmas songs were sung by the jr. high students and a musical instrument performance by them as well. Little children even got a special visit by Santa Claus. Play attendees were treated to a breakfast of muffins, fruit salads, and breakfast casseroles.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Play continued

Open House

Last Sunday, October 30, Holy Trinity held an open house for parishioners, donors, and members of the community to come and view the newly remodeled church. The church was open from 10 am-2 pm where members of the project were on hand to answer any questions about the new look of Holy Trinity. There was also a slide show of the R & R project and refreshments in the hall for all to enjoy as well. The open house saw a great turnout.

Fr. Hunter not only celebrated the Open House on Sunday, but also his birthday!

Various parishioners gather around a slide show presentation that detailed the R & R project from its humble beginnings to the final result.

Travis Norville stands next to a 'before' picture of the interior of Holy Trinity during the Open House. Travis painted all 14 Stations of the Cross himself and did a remarkable, beautiful job.

Nancy Mateer packages leftover cookies after the Open House ends.

Open House continued...

Jack Curtin, Elizabeth Curtin, Susan Curtin and Sheryl Coady enjoyed drinks and cookies in the hall during the Holy Trinity Open House.

Holy Trinity's oldest parishioner Alba Wattelet (right) chats with Anna Belle Norville.

Head of the PSR program, Matt Peabody, was also at the Open House with 2 of his 3 children Lauren and Ben.

Cookies of all varieties were on hand at the Open House. Many different women of Holy Trinity donated the baked goods ranging from snickerdoodles to buckeyes to white chocolate grapes. YUM!

Sheryl Swigert donated her talents and decorated the tables for the Open House in a beautiful fall theme.

Open House continued...

Steve Curtin and Janet DeClerk talked together at the Open House over coffee and cookies.

Linda Curtin and Bill Curtin also attended the Open House.

Sue Ann Unser helps take down the decorations after the Open House ended.

Pat Back and Colleen Moultrey graciously offered to wash dishes after the last visitors left the hall on Sunday.

Interior Finished!

After several years of fundraising, planning, and much hard work, the R & R project of Holy Trinity Catholic Church interior is finished. The R & R committee has planned an 'open house' of sorts for October 30 at Holy Trinity. The church will be open for viewing and there are refreshments and a slide show of before, during, and after pictures of the project at the Hall. Holy Trinity thanks everyone for the outpouring support of the beautification of our church and hope you can make it October 30 to see what your donations have helped us do!

As the main, most important phase of the R & R project is finished, this will be the last post on this blog. Thanks for stopping by and checking on our progress!

Latest R & R minutes

The R & R committee recently held their monthly meeting and some very important items were discussed. As far as financial issues, it was announced that a total payout, as of March 9, was $158,859.36. That total represents all the expenditures for the R & R project that have been paid thus far. It has been determined that the mural Travis Norville was due to paint will not fit within the boundaries as needed to coordinate with the statue on the south side altar. Kevin Autenrieb will instead provide painted canvass symbols of the Holy Trinity to be placed at the appropriate height and proportion above the north side altar that will coordinate with the statue on the south side altar. Travis will continue to work on finishing the Stations as scheduled. The committee has estimated that the completion of the R & R project could be as late as June 2011, while further exterior work is anticipated to extend through the summer months. With that in mind, it was determined to not establish an "Open House" or Deciation date until near or after the Steak Dinner. Bids have been recieved concerning the exterior window repair. The bids include removing the old frame storms (protective glass), scraping all wood and resealing the glass to the frame and painting. Kneeler pad replacements is still pending. The bathroom will be constructed to ADA specifications. Tim Parks and Randy White have set the door and will be completing the work for the commode and vanity. Electrical outlets are to be added in hidden locations off of the middle aisle. New light fixtures are to be installed in the entryway and back of the church.

Bathroom still a work in progress

The bathroom in the cry room of Holy Trinity is still undergoing construction. It has already been expanded from its original size. While the facility is still operational, the committee is still striving to raise more money to complete the remodel.

Here are the details of 2 future fundraising events:

1. The R & R will be hosting an Easter Goodie Bake Sale at the Illini Bank in Stonington on Friday, April 22, 9:00-4:00 and Saturday, April 23, 9:00-noon. Cookies, breads, noodles, cakes, candies, etc.-anything to make Easter day a little more special-will be offered for purchasing. There will also be an Easter basket filled with goodies that will be raffled off. The fundraising team also needs volunteers to help work the event. If you can help at any time, for any amount of time, please call Anita Myers, 325-3780 or Sheryl Coady, 825-5247.

2. Another fish fry this Lenten season has been planned for Friday, April 15. Dinner will be served from 5:00-7:30 p.m. The menu will include fish, baked beans, coleslaw, appleasauce and dessert. Charge is $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. The R & R committee wants to encourage all family and friends of Holy Trinity to attend!

Side views of altar

The bathroom is in the midst of undergoing reconstruction, as it will be remodeled to ADA standards. There are prospective donors to this project through purchase of the commode, vanity and faucet. Also, the new bathroom will include an oak utility cabinet and baby changing table.

The interior of Holy Trinity is near completion. The only major projects left are the remodeling of the bathroom in the cry room and painting of mural above the side altar on the north.

Yummy fundraising opportunties!

With spring quickly approaching, the R & R committee is gearing up to begin their exterior projects. The committee would like to again encourage everyone to continue donating to the fund so that the church foundation and exterior window repair can be dealt with. In an effort to raise more money, the committee will be hosting the first of two planned fish fries this Friday, March 11 at Holy Trinity Hall. Dinner will be served from 5-7:30 p.m. Prices will be $8 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under. There will also be a 50/50 drawing. If you cannot make it this Friday, plan to attend the second Fish Fry on April 15.

There is also another delicious way to help donate to the project if fish isn't your thing. For a one time donation of $100, you will recieve one dozen cookies each month for one year delivered to you through the "Cookies a la month" fundraiser. The cookies are homemade and will be delivered to you (the cookies cannot be shipped--deliveries will be made only to locations within 20 miles of Holy Trinity. For locations farther than 20 miles, the Hall will be your pick up point) on the last Saturday of each month, beginning May 28. If you are interested in this fundraiser, please contact Bev Henn at 454-2967. This fundraiser is limited to 20 recipients so act soon! Monthly cookies include mint dipped chewy chocolate, french cookies, peanut butter blossoms, lemon bars, and buffalo chips.

Here are a few key points that were highlighted during last month's committee meeting on February 9, 2011.

1. The bathroom is being remodeled to meet ADA standards. An oak utility cabinet and baby changing table will be installed in the remodeled bathroom. There are prospective donors to this project through purchase of the commode, vanity and faucet.

2. A 3x5 rug to be placed at the Altar of Sacrifice is to be purchased for approximately $150.

3. Quarter round trim is to be cut to size, painted and then placed on the baseboard on the Sanctuary floor.

4. The Stations of the Cross are still being completed through Travis Norville who will be contacted by Kevin Autenrieb to discuss color scheme for the Stations and the mural that will be painted above the side altar on the north wall.

The next meeting is planned for this Wednesday, March 9 right after Ash Wednesday services at Holy Trinity.

Donors needed

The R & R committee is now seeking donors for financial support of the Sacred Heart Statue, located on the side altar (southside), and the Baptismal Font. The funding for these 2 additions to Holy Trinity Church will allow us to direct future contributions toward the repairs of the exterior windows and foundation during the upcoming Spring project. The cost of the Sacred Heart statue is $945. The cost of restoration of the Baptismal Font is $1,475. Please consider funding these in part or in whole. The R & R committee is greatly appreciative of all the sacrifice and support thus far.

Interior R & R projects near completion

The front pews have been reinstated in the body of the church, as they were relocated for a few weeks while being worked on. 1/3 of the pew and kneeler was removed to allow for wheelchair accessibility and easier manueving around during funeral services at Holy Trinity.

Three different light fixtures, one of which is on tracks, will help to spotlight the santuary and statues.

All of the furniture on the altar, except the reredos, was removed after church today before workers come to install the flooring. Volunteers removed the furniture themselves to help save on labor costs with the floor installation. Throughout the entire R & R project, volunteers have completed as much work as possible to save on repair costs.

The new floors have begun to be laid on the altar. The steps were one of those select places.

The ramp has also been brighted up by the engineered hardwood flooring purchased from Taylorville Home Source.

Here is a closer look at the flooring that will adorn the sanctuary. This option was chosen because not only is it easy to clean, but also will resist damage due to the humidity that comes up from the church basement.

In this open space on the altar, an exact replica of the table pictured below will be secured to the wall and the Sacred Heart statue, also pictured below, will sit atop it after the new floors have been laid.

In this open space on the other side of the altar, a mural will be handpainted by artist Travis Norville, who is also giving a fresh coat of paint to the Stations of the Cross.

The Sacred Heart statue is being stored in the reconciliation room until its final destination on the altar is ready.

Here is a closer look at the ornate detail work by Kevin Autenrieb and his crew. All of the furniture in the Sanctuary was accented with gold leaf.

A table identical to this one will be placed on the other side of the altar and will hold the Sacred Heart statue. These 2 tables were once the altar of sacrifice and instead of placing the table in the basement for storage, it was cut into 2 equal pieces and kept on the altar, connecting the old Holy Trinity with the new.

The orange is officially gone! After mass today, the only old carpet that did remain in the church on the altar was pulled away by volunteers. The 'engineered hardwood floors' that will be laid on the altar is going to be installed the second week of February.

The new carpeting in the body of the church was laid last week. The only R & R project left for the interior of the church is the laying of the flooring on the altar.

The new carpeting in the body and entryway of Holy Trinity is grey with speckles of brown, taup and tan.

The reredoes is not only painted and trimed in gold leaf, but its now been freshly adorned with a new crucifix.

The Altar and Rosary Society purchased the new crucifix. The old crucifix that was afixed to a stand on the altar has been moved to the balcony.

After being constructed by a parishioner, the new altar of sacrifice was then painted by Kevin Autenrieb and his crew. The old altar of sacrifice was cut in 2 equal pieces and those halves have been placed on each side of the altar.

The Pieta statue and its stand in the back corner of the church behind the pews have also been freshly painted and are now on display.

The St. Joseph statue is spotlighted with track lighting in the alcove on the altar.

The St. Mary statue is also brightened up by track lighting in the opposite alcove.

The heat registers weren't forgotten either. They recieved a fresh coat to match the interior of the church and the newly painted wainscoting.

New paint in varying shades of brown outline the details of the wainscoting.