Good Friday Cross & St. John the Baptist Church
The devastating fire at St. John the Baptist Church, May 29th last year may have felt like Good Friday to many people; that something precious and close to our hearts was being devastated and lost.
When the first disciples surrounded Jesus on the way to Jerusalem and gathered with Him in the garden, there must have been a foreboding sense that something was wrong. Those who stood at the foot of the cross – seeing his pain and anguish – probably felt that his mission had failed; His presence in the world was being extinguished; that His works were being snuffed out and His message and life were being destroyed. And yet, we know that Good Friday led to Easter Joy and new life.
The devastating fire at St. John the Baptist Church, May 29th last year may have felt like Good Friday to many people; that something precious and close to our hearts was being devastated and lost.
When the first disciples surrounded Jesus on the way to Jerusalem and gathered with Him in the garden, there must have been a foreboding sense that something was wrong. Those who stood at the foot of the cross – seeing his pain and anguish – probably felt that his mission had failed; His presence in the world was being extinguished; that His works were being snuffed out and His message and life were being destroyed. And yet, we know that Good Friday led to Easter Joy and new life.
Even in the midst of smoldering ashes, the crosses and the devastation in our lives, there are signs of hope and new life. Even while St. John Church was being ravaged by fire, firemen were saving precious artifacts, sacred vessels, statues and vestments. The first pictures inside the church after the roof had caved in revealed the large cross above the choir loft still hanging on the wall. Many other items were later recovered.
Indeed, the fire and devastation of St. John Church is a tragic and heart wrenching loss for all of us, but even in the ashes and rubble of the church, there are signs of hope. We are sifting through the loses, estimating the insurance values and beginning the process of building a new St. John the Baptist Church reminiscent of what was there. The four foot tall cross above, used for the Good Friday veneration, is a stark reminder of the new life and hope that comes forth even from devastation and loss. This cross was hewn from the charred roof timbers of St. John Church and given to us by a Holy Redeemer parishioner. It will have a place in the new St. John the Baptist Church.
While the cross of Jesus at first seemed to be total devastation and loss, we know that far from being the cross of defeat and useless suffering, it has become the cornerstone and central focus of the entire Christian world. It has become the primary sign of our hope and glory. And it helps us see that even the crosses we carry, the pain and suffering, devastation and loss, does not end in emptiness and hopelessness, but through the cross of Jesus, we too can find hope, we too can be raised in glory.
Indeed, the fire and devastation of St. John Church is a tragic and heart wrenching loss for all of us, but even in the ashes and rubble of the church, there are signs of hope. We are sifting through the loses, estimating the insurance values and beginning the process of building a new St. John the Baptist Church reminiscent of what was there. The four foot tall cross above, used for the Good Friday veneration, is a stark reminder of the new life and hope that comes forth even from devastation and loss. This cross was hewn from the charred roof timbers of St. John Church and given to us by a Holy Redeemer parishioner. It will have a place in the new St. John the Baptist Church.
While the cross of Jesus at first seemed to be total devastation and loss, we know that far from being the cross of defeat and useless suffering, it has become the cornerstone and central focus of the entire Christian world. It has become the primary sign of our hope and glory. And it helps us see that even the crosses we carry, the pain and suffering, devastation and loss, does not end in emptiness and hopelessness, but through the cross of Jesus, we too can find hope, we too can be raised in glory.
 Easter at St. John the Baptist Church The profound message of Easter is that Jesus rose from the dead and hope prevails. Even from the death and destruction of Good Friday comes new life, hope and Easter joy. Look closely at the picture on the left of the West main entrance door, next to the bottom of the stairs. A small yellow daffodil, enlarged in the picture to the right, has sprung to new life even amidst the piles of bricks and debris. The daffodil stores energy in a bulb to survive the winter and regrow even in harsh conditions. The daffodil symbolizes rebirth, new life, new beginnings and hope. It is a reminder that while the remnants and rubble of St. John the Baptist Church are being removed, we too have a reservoir hope in in our Risen Christ, and that new life and new beginnings will prevail. |  |
  | St. John the Baptist Church Demolition and Sandstone Façade Demolition of the North side of St. John Church by Sunesis is mostly complete and backfill is underway. Brookside Trucking has been hauling off clean debris to the industrial park for grinding down, other debris to the landfill and hauling in clean soil for backfill. The façade and other decorative trim are Berea sandstone, likely from Cleveland Quarries founded in 1868 and still operational. With debris removed, closer inspection has revealed degradation from years of exposure to the weather, along with some damage from the fire and demolition of the tower. Freytag and Cleveland Quarries have determined it is better to salvage select stones to be able to recreate a replica of the entries for use in the new church. There are a few stones that are more intricately carved and in good condition. These will be salvaged and depending on the ability of Cleveland Quarries to recreate these pieces, the originals may be reused for the entries, or they could be incorporated elsewhere in the new church. They will also be salvaging and reusing the cornerstones. Once masons have salvaged the sandstone pieces, demolition of the church will be completed, providing compacted backfill of the |
basement, seed and straw for storm water pollution prevention, and abandon underground sewer and waterlines. FIRST ONSITE has been coordinating the required EPA documents and oversight and assure that all dust protection/control steps are in order. It is estimated that the remaining demolition, salvaging of materials, hauling off debris and backfill could take 3 to 4 weeks, depending upon masons for removing the sandstone façade and weather.
Architect & Insurance Settlement Update
Freytag and the Archdiocese have finalized the contract for their services. They have been working on the sandstone façade with Cleveland Quarries identifying pieces to salvage. They are reviewing the initial insurance estimates for the building and contents, establishing a team of cost analysis professionals and coordinating efforts with the Archdiocese and Sedgwick serving as the claims administrator for these complex, high value claims.
Insurance payouts are categorized into distinct areas. The first category covers mitigation costs, which include most of the work done on St. John Church to date. These mitigation expenses are separate from and do not reduce the funds available for rebuilding the church. There is a category to rebuild the church and a separate category for church contents. There are additional categories for the rectory repair and rectory contents.
Sedgwick engages consulting vendors and other resources to evaluate fire-related loses and develop a detailed line-item inventory of all components necessary to either repair the existing structure or rebuild a new like structure from the ground up. While Sedgwick provides initial estimates of each line item in the claim, they also state it is an estimate and that identifying and estimating each line item can be very difficult. Part of Freytag’s scope of services, including their team of cost analysis professionals, is to assure the item list is complete and the estimated values for rebuilding are accurate.
- Fr. Ken Schnipke, C.PP.S, Christ Our Light Family of Parishes
Freytag and the Archdiocese have finalized the contract for their services. They have been working on the sandstone façade with Cleveland Quarries identifying pieces to salvage. They are reviewing the initial insurance estimates for the building and contents, establishing a team of cost analysis professionals and coordinating efforts with the Archdiocese and Sedgwick serving as the claims administrator for these complex, high value claims.
Insurance payouts are categorized into distinct areas. The first category covers mitigation costs, which include most of the work done on St. John Church to date. These mitigation expenses are separate from and do not reduce the funds available for rebuilding the church. There is a category to rebuild the church and a separate category for church contents. There are additional categories for the rectory repair and rectory contents.
Sedgwick engages consulting vendors and other resources to evaluate fire-related loses and develop a detailed line-item inventory of all components necessary to either repair the existing structure or rebuild a new like structure from the ground up. While Sedgwick provides initial estimates of each line item in the claim, they also state it is an estimate and that identifying and estimating each line item can be very difficult. Part of Freytag’s scope of services, including their team of cost analysis professionals, is to assure the item list is complete and the estimated values for rebuilding are accurate.
- Fr. Ken Schnipke, C.PP.S, Christ Our Light Family of Parishes
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