St. Agnes starts exterior renovations

Construction continues at St. Agnes Cathedral.

After the interior renovation to the altar and ceiling last spring, repair work has now moved to the outside. The limestone exterior will made stronger and more durable, and some of the bricks will be cleaned.

Scaffolding has gone up for work, which will start soon and go into the winter, although repairs will have to be put on hold if it gets too cold.

According to Msgr. William 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, although the final cost of the repairs is uncertain.

“We don’t know until they start doing the work,” Koenig said of the final cost. “As they start removing some of the limestone, some of the bricks, we hope that there’s nothing more that they find beneath the surface.”