By Dana Williams
Those steps, however, are among the many parts of the church that are in need of replacement. Parishioners have been concerned for years, and now church leaders are initiating an effort to raise $3 million to renovate the church.
With the facility in need of roof, window, drainage and other repairs, church officials have recently started an Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future campaign, which includes funding for renovations in the nearby Our Lady of Lourdes School as well. “Our church building is 80 years old, so it’s experiencing its fair share of wear and tear,” explained the Rev. Frank Parisi, the church’s pastor. “It’s a beautiful building, and we want to preserve the building just the way it is by fixing its problems.”
Since the church opened in 1928, it has served as a place of worship, ministry and religious education for many Malverne residents. In 1953, the parish expanded with the establishment of a school building near the church grounds, which provides education for elementary school students. The parish currently has more than 2,800 registered families.
Six years ago, church officials set about gathering support to build a new church, but found that members did not want to replace the building. As a result, the new effort focuses on repairing and updating it. “We’re very proud of this church, and we feel that we have an obligation to preserve it by fixing the leaks and other problems,” said Greg Fewer, chairman of the campaign’s committee. “This is our spiritual home, and we have to take care of it for ourselves, our children and the generations of people that come after us.”
Organizers of the campaign held their first meeting on April 21, and the meetings will continue throughout this month, Parisi said. “At the [first] meeting, we proposed the project itself and all the repairs that we hope to make,” he explained. “We also told the parishioners how much we need and invited them to participate.”
One renovation that church officials said is a priority is making the church accessible to disabled parishioners. The campaign includes funding for the installation of a elevator and new steps inside the church as well as new front steps and railings outside the building. “The elevator will allow people to attend mass as well as any function held in the church,” Parisi said. “Right now we have a beautiful building, but being handicapped-accessible is the one issue that has not been addressed yet.”
With the money raised from the campaign — from parishioner pledges and other donations — officials are also hoping to replace the church’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning system and repair its roof. They are also looking to make aesthetic improvements, including the removal and restoration of the church’s stained glass windows — at an estimated cost of $480,000, one of the project’s most expensive items. “We also want to refinish the pews,” Parisi said, “and we need painting in the exterior and interior of the church.”
At the school, roof and masonry repairs are needed, as well as the replacement of the gutters. Students have already joined the effort. Children in Diane Callaghan’s first grade religious education class started a Chores for Doors program last month, in which they completed chores for a month for money to help purchase new church doors. The students’ goal was $50, and they were able to raise $90.
Third-grader Sophie Wilson and five other students raised $20 at an hour-long cookie sale on April 14. “It was a weekday and it was a spontaneous sale,” said Sophie’s mother, Elizabeth. “The kids wanted to help the church, and they’ve already said they want to do it again.”
Church officials say they are confident they will get funding for all of the proposed projects. So far they have raised more than $100,000. “People seem to be behind this effort, and that’s what’s going to make this campaign work,” Parisi said. “We hope to improve our church for the next 80 years and beyond.”
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
