| Volume 36, Number 1 |
Richardton, ND 58652
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January 2008
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 With new walls framed in, Pat Wanner installs a shower. Below, the dust and disruption begins: Fr. James removing a door jamb.  |
Remodeling: Progress Report by Fr. James Kilzer, O.S.B. Emily raised her hand. She was one of the more eager students in my third-grade CCD class. “Yes, Emily?” I indicated. Having a newborn baby brother, she knew the answer to my question. “A baby takes nine months, that’s what my mom explained to me,” she announced. Indeed it does. This is why the Angel’s visit to Mary came nine months before Christmas. Annunciation, conception, gestation, these things take time. It was way back on January 3, 2007, that our committee first met, planning for more home-like accommodations for some of our elder members in the monastery. If you’ve done remodeling in your own home over the decades, you know the vagaries of brainstorming, narrowing down options, settling on a plan, and then living with the disruption and dust while the work is underway. Our house—being bigger than most—presented us with a bounty of options, like where to renovate, whether to expand or reduce total number of rooms in the process, etc. At last we called in a contractor, Sparling Construction of Bismarck, to draw up the plans. The work would necessarily displace six monks, most of these getting moved up to vacant third-floor rooms. Our maintenance manager, Br. John Seiler, is serving as “general contractor,” securing outside professionals for the major work. Monks did a good deal of preparatory work starting in mid-September, including removal of carpet and wall-hung sinks in six rooms, suspended ceiling in two rooms—where the bathrooms and closets would be framed in. Our carpenters, Terrence and Eileen Rohr (Rohr Construction of Dickinson), arrived October 17th and we were officially under way. Since then, our plumber, Pat Wanner of Hebron (West River Plumbing), and our electrician Joe Wanner (Joe’s Electric, Hebron) have been in and out. At the time of this writing (mid-November), drywall work was underway and painting soon to start. It is anticipated the installation of bathroom fixtures, carpets and doors will conclude the job soon, and these renewed rooms will be ready for occupancy. We joyfully anticipate this project’s completion. Our hearty thanks to all who have contributed financially to make this renovation a reality. God bless you for your generosity. |
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| Fr. James paints a door for this remodeled room. In the background, Pat Praus installs sheetrock. |
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