Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
I am the light of the world … so that the works of God might be made visible.
As you may have noticed, the project of repairing and reinstalling the three stained-glass windows in the church has been completed. The windows were damaged by the January 2022 windstorm, and were diagnosed by professionals as suffering from age, gravitational pull, and reverberations from the swinging bell in the bell tower above. As memorial donations given to Saint Joseph Church in the early 1900s from the families of the loggers who worked at Camp 11, from the parish’s Young Ladies Sodality, and from the Rosary Sodality, they are an indispensable part of the church’s patrimony (i.e., they are governed by stipulations of Church Law) and constitute a significant component of the Catholic history of the Lincoln-Woodstock area. Despite the original $22,800 estimate, the final cost to repair and reinstall the windows was $32,600, due to additional framing needed to support the windows and the increased costs of materials. However, with donations totaling $28,800, plus a $5700 grant from Bishop Libasci, the project has been completed under budget.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the donors who contributed to the restoration and reinstallation effort over the past year. The donations ranged from a $109 contribution given from the quarterly interest payment from someone’s IRA, all the way up to a $25,000 donation given “In Memory of Clemente and Pilar Tiampo and the Tiampo Family.” Last year, Clemente passed away and his wife, Pilar, turned ninety. In the 1970s, the Tiampo family skied Loon Mountain and have fond memories of worshiping here at St. Joseph Church. Many thanks, too, to Mike Cummings, of our PFC, and to Jim and Kristy Tiampo for their roles in arranging for this gift!
Please remember the Tiampos and all the donors in your prayers. No matter where your contribution falls on the spectrum of donations, please know that it is appreciated one hundred percent!
With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. John Mahoney