2021 Year in Review
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022!
Looking back over 2021, an amazing transformation has taken place at The Immaculata ~ and it's in large part thanks to your generosity. The new year is filled with anticipation to reach to goal of completing the Immaculata Church Project.
Transcript of the Video
Fr. Patrick Rutledge, Rector of St. Mary’s
It’s good to see you again and I first want to thank you here at the end of 2021 for all your support, both financial and spiritual, for the Immaculata Project. An enormous amount has happened in 2021 for this project and it's in large part thanks to your generosity.
So from January [2021] to now we've seen an enormous transformation up at the site. In January, the site was literally just some dirt that had been moved along with a few steel beams and some concrete that had been placed. Now here at the end of the year we see a fully formed church structure that is completely enclosed. And in addition to the ‘skeleton’ of the church, shall we say, we also saw a few other iconic moments over this year. In March, we placed the mensa, the altar top of the original Immaculata on the spot where the altar of the new Immaculata will go to show the connection between the new and the old Immaculata. Over the summer, we capped the cupola of the church giving to the statue of Our Lady the pedestal on which she will stand and overlook and protect her town. And lastly, we capped the two bell towers with their belfries in which the five bells that have just been cast will be placed.
Apart from all the monthly updates that you have seen, there's been a lot of work also that has happened behind the scenes in 2021. Our communications team has done an excellent job of keeping you informed and up-to-date on what's going on with the project especially with our monthly update videos and other posts and emails. We also have continued on with our design of the Immaculata. In February, for example, we went and visited the pew maker in Nebraska who will make the pews for the Immaculata, finalizing those designs and plans. We continued on and finalize the design of the bells that will go in the church and which set of bells, how big the bells will be that will go in the Immaculata. Throughout the whole year we've been working on the interior artwork: what the different murals will look like, what they will say, different details in color palettes.
We also have continued on with our design of the statues that will go on the exterior of the church as well as a few of the statues that will go in the interior of the church: designing those, making decisions on costs and materials. We also just recently finalize our design of the floor for the Immaculata which will be made completely of different colored granites: a full stone floor will go and decorate this church. And we finish the year out continuing on with our design of the main altar, the communion rail, the pulpit and some of the other liturgical aspects of the Immaculata.
So God in his providence by having us break ground when we did in [May] 2020 has help us avoid a lot of the cost increases that people have experienced countrywide. Because of the timing of this project, many of the supplies needed for the Immaculata were already on site and so again thanks to God we avoided a lot of cost increases this year. So I especially want to thank you for your financial support and 2021. This past year saw almost $10 million in support for this project come in; that's from nine new countries and the last three states of the 50 United States supporting this project. That includes 527 new guild members. We also saw two new Foundry Guild members and two new Father Shyne League members. one of whom was from outside of the United States. So I'm very grateful for your financial support of the Immaculata Project.
What can you expect to see in 2022?
Well, if in 2021 we built the skeleton and the skin of the Immaculata, in 2022 we will give to her the heart and the soul of the project. We will move to the inside of the project and build out all those things that one would associate with seeing in the interior of a church: from the altar, to the murals, to all the stone in the church, the flooring, the columns and capitals, to the pews and even the organs, and we will even move a camera to the interior of the church so that you can follow the continued progress of the project. We’ll even try to move those cameras around to highlight different aspects of the interior that are being completed.
So what else do you have to look forward to in 2022?
Well, we will certainly bless and place the gilded statue of Our Lady atop the cupola this year. Also in the Fall, we will have the consecration ceremony of the church’s five bells as well as the blessing and the placing of the church’s corner stone. One of the questions that I get the most is: “Father, when will this project be finally completed?” Well, we are on schedule and so if we continue to be on schedule there's no reason why this project can’t be completed in a little over a years’ time. But there still is a lot of work and a lot of variables that can happen in the coming year, so please continue to pray for and support this project. And lastly, I just want to wish you all a very blessed Christmas and may God bless you in the coming year.
