Maintenance Staff Works to Keep Our Parish Family Safe

Paul Mrozek has worked at Immaculate Conception for nearly 30 years. As he recalls, the current COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the first time he’s had to adjust how he approaches his day-today work.

“We've had SARS and H1N1 as a concern in this area in the past,” he says. “There were a lot of area schools that closed for a while for both.”

At the time, when our parish school was open, Paul and staff used a fogger with a hospital-grade disinfectant to clean. The fogger is being used for the COVID-19 precautions. A new, batteryoperated fogger was also purchased. Don Glasier joins Paul on the Maintenance team, while Daniel Norman and Erik Mrozek also help out part time.

When churches were closed from mid-March until the end of May, Paul and the rest of the maintenance team disinfected the office and other areas. Paul also had an opportunity to catch up on various other projects, including some needed tile work.

Now that church and the Adoration Chapel have reopened, Paul and the Maintenance team have had a lot of work to do. They have spent time roping off every other pew. And with the 12-foot pews, they added a piece of tape in the middle to help keep six feet of distance between different families.

The Adoration Chapel closes at 2 p.m. each day, which gives the team time to clean. They also clean after daily Mass and funerals. The team members fog the pews with a diluted bleach, clean bathrooms and wipe down all surfaces that may have been touched.

Paul and his fellow team members take this work very seriously. They recognize their responsibility to help keep our entire parish community safe — but especially those who are at high-risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus.

“We have a lot of parishioners who are senior citizens and others who have cancer and other diseases,” Paul says. “I want them to know if they come to Mass, we are doing our part to make it safe for them.”

In addition, Paul wants to remind parishioners to stay home if they are sick, as this will also help stop the spread of COVID-19.

“I remember my grandma, who was alive during the flu pandemic of 1918, always reminding us to wash our hands,” he says. “I can understand that now.”

This summer, with July’s Oktoberfest event cancelled, Paul and staff have had more time to catch up on outdoor repairs, boiler maintenance and other various projects. We thank them for all of their efforts during this unprecedented time in the history of our church and community.