Slow and steady

A brilliant sun that spoke more of late summer than early winter shone through the office of St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge pastor Father Michael Alello.

Through the window, workers could be seen scurrying about the parish’s mammoth, multi-dimensional construction/renovation site.  Saws were humming their melodious tunes shaping woodwork, nails were being driven and blueprints given a final check. The sight was a welcome one for Father Alello, who had sat through too many rainy days in spring and summer that has ultimately delayed the project.

“Slow and steady seems to be the theme these days,” Father Alello said. “We chose the right time financially to bid the project. “Evidently we chose the wrong time to start the project.”

He woefully recalled the first six months of the 2021 when record rainfall silenced the heavy equipment. A familiar scene during that time was rainwater being feverishly pumped out by pumps that would restart the process a day later. 

“We started the project in the wettest six months of the year,” Father Alello said. “It took us until June and July (to dry out) because we had so much water.”

Even once the rain stopped, the shortage of building supplies and labor shortages that have devastated the construction industry nationwide has created additional delays, although the spike in materials is not a factor because the project was started in November 2020. 

On this December afternoon, Father Alello was waiting for the roof to the new office building to arrive, optimistically saying “once that is done, hopefully things will move along pretty quickly.”

Perhaps the centerpiece of the project is a 5,000-square foot office building that will replace the current structure, which for years has been plagued by drainage problems. In fact, it was not unusual for Father Alello to have water seep into his office during heavy rains.

Once the current building comes down, visitors will be greeted by the vision of the church rather than a decades-old office structure.

“I hope for those who visit you’ll clearly be able to see where the church is, where the office is,” Father Alello said. “The initial engagement of our property will immediately draw you to the church.”

A new plaza is being constructed at the entrance to the church, and the area will also feature green areas lined with pavers to provide a place of tranquility in an urban, bustling area. The greenery will also assist in improving the drainage.

“Lots of things happening all around the church while trying to keep the church open,” Father Alello said. “So the front doors are closed while we are trying to get the plaza done; we can’t reopen the front doors until the pavers come in; can’t get the pavers in until they arrive, which will hopefully be sometime in January. So it’s just a dance.”

An interior renovation of the church will create an added level of sacredness to a building that was originally built in the 1980s. New pews and kneelers are much needed additions, along with new LED lighting, the reworking of the sanctuary and the baptistry and the addition of bathrooms. 

“The interior church will not be a long project,” Father Alello said. “You will show up one weekend and half the pews will be in. The next weekend the next half will be done. The lighting will be done as the pews are being put in.”

He is most excited about the new sanctuary, which Father Alello proudly boasts will include new woodwork on top of the current brick, framing up the large crucifix with woodwork with stained glass being put into the woodwork to draw one’s eye to the  sanctuary, a new altar, tabernacle, tabernacle stand and ambo. 

Father Alello said one of the architectural challenges with the church is it was built in the English style, meaning dark wood and dark brick. 

“Hopefully when you come into the church you will feel warmth and hopefully it will draw your eye to the sanctuary,” Father Alello said. “That should be the goal of any church: once you enter it, it draws your eyes to the sanctuary. 

“With the woodwork and the stained glass and the brick and the combination of all of those elements, it will draw you to the sanctuary and draw you to the word and the sacrament.” 

“I think a church should be a place that encourages you to pray but also gives you a sense of home,” he added. “While we’re not  changing the layout of the church, we are doing a lot of little things that will make it a place of prayer and easy for people to enter into prayer.”

Father Alello is hoping construction will be completed by June, when Bishop Michael G. Duca will consecrate the new altar. Until then, however,  Father Alello is focusing his  eyes on the sky and his  ears tuned into the sound of hammers and much-anticipated delivery  trucks bringing in materials. 

“I’m excited  we still have great things happening despite the COVID-19 (pandemic). When it’s done and complete we’ll really be able to celebrate all that has been accomplished during this time and be ready for what is the next step coming out of COVID world,” he said. “Nobody knows what that means at this point. We’ll be doing our best to minister and prepare for what’s next.”