Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville
Project for a Small Convent
25 March 2021
Here is a letter from Father Pierre Roy to the faithful asking for help towards a project for a small convent on the property of Saint Joseph Church.
Those who wish to help may contact us through the e-mail address provided on this website. It would be preferable to send donations by direct deposit, interac or check, as a 6.5% fee applies to donations received through the donation button of this website.
Thanks to each one of you for your generosity in making this project a reality; such is, we hope, the will of Divine Providence!
Dear Friends,
Firstly, happy feast of the Annunciation to all of you! Today is a day to remember: Archbishop Lefebvre died on the feast of the Annunciation in 1991! May he rest in peace - and if he is, as we very much hope, in a position to intercede for us, may he aid us from on high in the present struggle of the Church Militant!
Yes, here is yet another project – please forgive me.
As you know, last year we made tremendous strides in establishing our Mission by purchasing both our own church and a large property behind. God alone knows what He has in store for this large estate, but it is not in His habits to bring things to be for naught.
As I was recently asking some of our faithful for information regarding a company specialising in log homes (for some minor repairs on our rectory), they told me they have a log cabin kit for sale. I immediately thought of setting up our future convent. As you know, we have a young lady who has been helping us for several years now, and who wishes to become a nun. In order to begin a novitiate properly speaking, it is necessary for her to leave her family home and settle near the church. Furthermore, she drives about forty minutes by car to come to church each day – and this, in sometimes quite harsh winter conditions up here on the mountain...
The small cottage would measure approximately 750 square feet, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a sitting room. This small building could be installed on the property at a certain distance away from the church and the rectory, so that Véronique (and - we hope - other young ladies to join her some today) could be both near the church and at a canonically-required distance from the other inhabitants of the property. We would also have a place to accommodate women who, travelling from far away to come to church, might be looking for a place to spend the night. I think the sitting room could also serve as an embryo for a small school – God willing. Finally, this building would blend perfectly with the current log house, in keeping with the charm of the place.
Now here is the financial side of things – which is one of the reasons I am writing to you, as you might expect.
The faithful are ready to sell us the cottage kit for $ 43,000. This is a very reasonable price, and they have shown their desire to help establish this small convent by drastically reducing their price. They put their chalet up for sale on the Internet for $ 59,000, but are willing to sell it to us for $ 43,000, all inclusive.
The kit includes almost everything: construction timber, doors, windows, interior wall and ceiling cladding timber. We only would have to add roof covering, appliances and bathroom fixtures. This kit is designed so that we can practically assemble it ourselves without the intervention of too many professionals.
The container in which all the equipment is located will have to be moved. We should foresee $ 2,000.
Of course, we shall have to install a sewer system for the bathroom. For this, we should expect around $ 5,000.
It will also be necessary to provide a concrete foundation slab. We should expect $ 2,000.
Add to that $ 2,000 for electricity, $ 2,000 for plumbing, $ 4,000 for shower, toilet, and two sinks. Other household appliances such as stove, fridge, washer, dryer can be added later.
- Finally, we should expect $ 5,000 for the roof and other contingencies.
This brings us to a maximum cost of $ 65,000 for the future small convent.
Note : These pictures are not the actual cottage that we wish to buy. It will have two bedrooms instead of one and will therefore be bigger than what you see in these pictures.
I know we have asked a lot of you this past year. However, given the great intercession of Saint Joseph in favour of our Mission, and the interventions one after another of Divine Providence, it seems to me that the Lord wants Our Lady of Joy Mission to be properly settled in for the role, present and future, with which God has entrusted it: the salvation of souls in these difficult times in which we find ourselves.
This is why we are coming back to you, asking for your help in establishing this small convent. Again, it seems to me that this new project has come upon us at just the right time. I was not looking for a solution for Véronique, entrusting the situation to Providence – and now that this little log cabin is offered us, it seems a unique opportunity not to be missed.
Anyone wishing to help with this project may contact me to let me know of their willingness to contribute towards this intention.I must give an answer in the coming weeks, as the faithful must sell their cottage as soon as possible in order to balance their own budget. Once I have received your pledges, I shall be able to contact them with a definitive answer.
Once again, thanks to each of you for your past generosity. We entrust the decision regarding this new project to good Saint Joseph.
God bless you!
Father Pierre Roy
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 10
29 October 2020
Two months have already passed since the last update on the works at Stilesville.
Since then :
- the tiles have been installed in the new section of the church;
- all the pews have been installed in the new section of the church;
- the sacristy is well underway. Still some work to do.
- the inside of the confessional has been covered with wood;
- sowing room is organized properly;
- washer and dryer are in place;
- the sign in front of the church has been put in the ground;
- we have installed a nice bell to ring the divine office, angelus, etc.
- the statues have been put on their brand new shelves carved by one of the faithful;
- St Joseph is now in his beautiful niche and his statue is lightened up during the whole night;
- the moulding is almost completed in the new section;
- the attic of the old section of the church has been insulated with a new 12 inches of insulation;
- and so many other things that we now forget…
At the log house :
- the floors have been sanded and varnished;
- the furnace is now functional;
- the plumbing has been entirely restored by one faithful;
- the windows that needed to be replaced have been;
- we have cleaned up most of the outdoor, cut the grass…
- a section has been tiled for a garden at spring;
- the wood is now in the basement, ready for winter;
- kitchen cabinets have been cleaned from their grease;
- the three beams that hold the balcony behind the house have been changed. Balcony was almost ready to fall…
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 9
26 August 2020
Here is a quick update on the work at St. Joseph’s Church in Stilesville :
- We have finished the painting today both in the new section of the church and the sacristy;
- The library has been organized in the basement of the church for the benefit of the new community (at least 5000 books);
- We are planning to start putting the tiles tomorrow morning and are hoping to be done by Saturday night;
- Most statues have been fixed (minor repairs);
- The pews for the new section are ready. The extra ones have been dismantled for storage.
- Last but not least, Nozy and Pepper have moved temporarily to the basement of the church, waiting for their transfer in the new house. We had to move them to allow visits in the Lakeville house that is for sale.They have been put to work immediately and are busy catching mice. They weren’t happy to work and decided to have a nap on the surplices.
To be honest, we are all overwhelmed with so many blessings that St Joseph is giving to us, especially the grace to have been able to form a small community to live the religious life together.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 8
6 August 2020
Here is the latest update of the work at St Joseph Church.
If everything goes according to plans, we hope to be out of the major work by the end of September.
- First, the pews of Lakeville have almost all been sanded down, stained, revarnished and cut at the dimensions of the old section of the church in Stilesville.
- The stained glass windows have been installed in the walls of the sacristy.
- One of the new windows has been installed. We hope that the three others will be put in on Saturday.
- The northern outside wall has almost entirely been cleaned of its moss.
- The tiles of the office have been installed and are on the process of being waxed. We hope to set up the office permanently on Saturday.
- The lower part of the new section of the church has been covered with the same cedar panels as the lower part of the old section.
- The confessional is in the process of being covered with cedar.
- The walls of the sacristy have been covered with gyproc and we are preparing the painting.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 7
14 July 2020
The work at Saint Joseph’s is progressing.
We are now able to use the old section of the church.
The old section is able to sit 60 people and the new section will sit 40 more.
We will continue with the sacristy and the new section.
Many thanks to all our benefactors!
The old section of the church with a temporary fabric wall to prevent dust to come in from the work area.
The confessional is being made.
Varnishing the pews.
Saint Joseph, our watchful guardian.
Restoring the old pews from Lakeville.
Setting up the gyproc.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 6
5 July 2020
Here is an update for the works in Stilesville.
- The varnishing of the sanctuary is almost completed.
- We have put half of the tiles in the nave.
- The moldings have been stained and varnished. They will soon be installed.
- The confessional is framed and the doors have been installed.
- We are preparing the stain glass windows which will be in the walls of the sacristy.
- The electricity of the sacristy has been organized : plugs, switch, etc.
We are hoping to be in the old section of the church for Mass next week. There will still be a lot of work to be done in the addition and the sacristy. Please continue praying for the good success of this beautiful project.
The glue is laid on the floor.
The setting of tiles on the glue.
The cutting of tiles.
Some work is being done on the stained glass windows.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 5
23 June 2021
The work is progressing in Stilesville.
- the sanctuary has been completed and stained as well as the lowest part of the walls. We will now work on varnishing them.
- we are studying the question of the communion rail.
- we have started with the moldings in the old section of the church.
- we have ordered a few windows for the office, the sacristy, the statue of St Joseph in front of the church and also the windows for the new section of the church.
- the office is progressing well. Almost ready for paint.
- we cleaned today the walls and ceiling of the old section of the church. The big dust is over, hopefully.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 4
14 June 2020
This is to give you an update on the works at Saint Joseph Church in Stilesville.
Lots of work has been done this week.
- We have completed the restauration of the lowest part of the wall for the old section of the church.
- The office is well underway. We had to do some modifications on the electrical system. It is now finished.
- The work on the sacristy is moving well. The walls have been framed and will be covered with gyproc soon.
- The lights in the church have been reinstalled with new wires. We exchanged the modern ones in the new section of the church against the ones from Lakeville to have the same style of lights in the whole church. This still has to be done though.
- And, last but not least, the beam has been installed. It will be inspected tomorrow by the structural engineer. Please pray that all goes well.
The church will be able to seat 60 people in the old section and 40 in the new. More if we add chairs for special occasions… This picture is taken from the corner of the sanctuary.
The new sacristy.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 3
6 June 2020
Here is an update on the work in St Joseph’s Church in Stilesville.
We are currently working to have the permit. For this, we need to have the stamp of an architect.
We are working on the small projects right now and are hoping to finish the opening of the wall as soon as possible.
These works are not free, obviously, and all donations are welcome to cover the expenses. Thanks for your help!
This is the temporary chapel in the basement.
We have received 18 pews 12’ long made of oak for free from a funeral home. They come from a convent in Moncton and are going to be in the new section of the church. We purchased the Lakeville pews and will put them in the old section of the church. The pews from Stilesville were given to our neighbors to put in their houses. They were not adapted to our needs. The basement is a temporary chapel but also a storage…
The sanctuary has been covered with oak. The lowest part of the wall has been insulated and is now being covered with gyproc. A nice wood will cover the gyproc.
The electricity of the old section of the chapel has been entirely redone for safety purposes. The floor has been covered with plywood and will be covered with commercial tiles before we put the pews in place.
The bedroom of the church keeper (whoever he will be) is finished, but it will serve as an office as long as the office is not ready.
This will be the sowing room. In the meantime, it serves also as a sacristy.
The statue of st Anthony is being fixed and will be in the new section of the church.
The office is being prepared.
And of course, the sowing continues for the greater glory of God and the beauty of the liturgy.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 2
25 May 2020
Here is an update on the works in Stilesville.
- The floor of the new sanctuary is well advanced. We are waiting for a few more bundles of wood to come in and we will be able to complete the floor.
- We decided to redo the floor of the whole church with new tiles. A plywood has been put all over the floor to straighten it up.
- An electrician is coming tomorrow to redo the electricity of the old chapel before we insulate the attic.
- A contractor is also coming tomorrow to look at the work to do on the beam that will allow us to open the side wall into a second section for the chapel. We will be able to sit 120 people in the chapel. We had room for 75 in Stilesville.
- The bedroom has been painted. It is used as an office right now.
- The office is being prepared for painting.
- And multiple other smaller things.
Work at Saint Joseph’s in Stilesville - 1
6 May 2020
The work is progressing at church.
1- The stage in the old church has been removed and will be replaced by a new one that will fit our needs.
2- The wall between the two big rooms is being opened. In the next few days, a professional should come in and look at putting a beam to sustain the roof.
3- The bedroom is being painted.
We will have a nice church, God willing!
