Please read the special appeal letter below sent by Fr. Russell Governale, OFM
Conv., our pastor, Ms. Ines Hernandez-Reddick, President of our Parish Council,
and Mr. Victor Robles, member of our Parish Finance Committee.
Click here to
open the letter in PDF format.
MOST HOLY
TRINITY CHURCH
138 MONTROSE AVENUE
BROOKLYN, NY 11206
12 February 2006
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are writing to you today hoping that you are experiencing the deep love of
God. Yesterday, the Parish Staff (Fr. Russell, Fr. Timothy, Sr. Pat and Br.
Michael) met with members of the Parish Council and the Finance Committee of the
parish to discuss a very important topic for all of us here at Most Holy
Trinity. As you may or may not know, we have begun doing massive repair work on
the Steeples of our Church building. In 1990, the parish was given a subsidy of
$750,000 by the Diocese of Brooklyn for us to cover the towers, which were in
great disrepair, with lead-coated copper. Fifteen years later, we have found
that some of the work which was done was not done well, and that pieces of the
lead-coated copper have started to flap in the wind and become a danger for
people below and for the building itself. Unfortunately, the company which did
the work and gave a warrantee is no longer in business.
The parish has contracted with Universal Steeplejacks to do the repairs (9,000
anchors have been screwed into the towers and both towers are soon to be painted
with a thick coating (guaranteed for 20 years!). The cost of the repairs is
$180,000.00. This is quite a lot of money and we are in need of your help. This
is the reason for this letter. The buildings of Most Holy Trinity belong to all
of us as a parish family. This is a critical moment, and so it was decided by
the Parish Council and Finance Committee to ask all of our parishioners to help
us attain these needed funds. We need to humbly request that each family unit
(of whatever size) make a tax deductible donation of at least $300.00 per
registered family. If you can do more that would be wonderful and would help
greatly toward covering the expenses of those families which cannot offer that
amount.
We are aware that the Bishop’s Annual Appeal is going to begin in March and you
are going to be asked by the Bishop to help meet our parish’s goal. However,
this appeal for our steeples, IS TOTALLY SEPARATE from the appeal for the
Bishop. You and all of our friends of this community have been generous in the
past and we know that we can count on your generosity in this time of need.
Please be so kind as to make your checks or money orders to MOST HOLY TRINITY
CHURCH and to mail them in the envelope provided with this letter. Your donation
will be of great assistance to our parish family and will allow our new pastor,
Fr. Santo Cricchio, to begin his ministry in a more tranquil and
pastorally-focused way.
May God continue to bless you and your loved ones for your goodness and for the
wonderful friendship which you have shared with Fr. Russell, our present pastor,
who is assisting us this one last time, with this important concern in the life
of our Faith Community.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. Pastor
Ms. Ines Hernandez-Reddick President: Parish Council
Mr. Victor Robles Finance Committee Member
Below is the flyer that accompanied the letter above, both of which were
sent to all registered parishioners.
Please Help Us to Make Necessary Repairs so that the
Towers will Continue
to Stand and to Bring Hope To Future Generations of the People of Williamsburg!
¡Por Favor Ayúdenos a Hacer las Reparaciones Necesarias para
que las Torres Continúen Levantadas
y Traigan Esperanza a las Futuras Generaciones de la Comunidad de Williamsburg!
Workmen from Universal Steeplejacks climb to
the highest heights of the East tower on February 7, 2006. They worked
for weeks securing the metal surface of the tower with more than 9,000
special anchors (see below)./ Obreros
de Steeplejacks Universal suben a las alturas más altas de la torre del
Este el 7 de Febrero del 2006. Ellos trabajaron durante semanas
asegurando la superficie de metal de la torre con más de 9,000 anclas
especiales (vea debajo).
Our towers have stood on Montrose Avenue for
more than one-hundred and twenty years. Here they are pictured during
the blizzard of 2006./ Nuestras torres
han estado de pie en la Avenida de Montrose por más de ciento
veinticinco años. Esta foto fue tomada durante la tormenta de nieve del
2006.
This 1½’ by 3' patch on the East tower was
placed over a hole that was created when a piece of the original metal
was torn away by the wind. If not for the work being done, many more
pieces would have come loose and perhaps fallen to the street below./ Este parcho de 1½ ' por 3 ' en la torre del Este
fue colocado sobre un hueco que fue creado cuando una pedazo del metal
original se arrancó por el viento. Si no se hubiera hecho este trabajo,
muchos más pedazos se habrían sultado y quizás se habrían caído abajo a
la calle.
The tower repair work is both necessary and
dangerous. It is also very expensive!/ El
trabajo de reparación de las torres es necesario y peligroso. ¡También
es muy caro!
Please Help Us!
!Ayúdenos Por favor!
Your
contributions can be sent to the following:
"Tower
Restoration Fund"
Most Holy Trinity Church
138 Montrose Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206-2043
Please make
checks payable to "Most Holy Trinity Church"
