St. Agnes to close for renovations on Jan. 4

See the inside of St. Agnes this holiday season – before it closes for renovations.

Christmas services will be unaffected by current work on the exterior, according to Monsignor William Koenig. “We’re fine as far as the church goes,” he said. “We have total access in all the of the entrances, [even] with all of the scaffolding.”

Right now, workers are replacing limestone caps and bricks. If the warm winter weather continues, exterior renovations may be done early. “We’re very fortunate with the warm weather,” said Koenig. “We were able to continue to this point — like 40 degrees and above.”

But on Jan. 4, the cathedral will close for interior work. This includes new lights that are more energy-efficient, the pews will be removed and refinished, new kneelers will be installed, the carpet will be replaced and the rest of the ceiling will be painted to match the section above the altar.

Until Palm Sunday on March 20, masses and baptisms will be moved to the parish center and the lower hall, and funerals will be held at other churches in the area. No weddings will be held at the cathedral at this time.

That stage will be followed by final work to complete the façade of St. Agnes’ exterior. After that work is done, the church will consider whether to work on the other three sides of St. Agnes. Koenig said that while they have been not as affected as the south-facing side by the wind and weather, there are still repairs that could be done.

According to Koenig, a 4-foot tall limestone cross fell off the church in Spring 2014, and a subsequent engineering report said that while the building is structurally sound, it needs repairs so nothing else falls off. No one was hurt when the cross fell.

Parishioners raised $1 million for the exterior renovations, and the church has budgeted $4 million for the total project.