St. Benedict
Cathedral
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
The Good Stewardship and Continuing Care of Our Parish Buildings By FR. GODFREY MULLEN, OSB
O
ver the summer, some noticed that the temperature in the church was a little too chilly at times. At other times, it was far too warm. Most of us think of air conditioning and heat working just like our homes do — if it’s too warm, knock the thermostat down a degree or two, and if too cool, the opposite. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for our buildings are far more complex and antiquated for such simple solutions! As a parish focused on stewardship as a way of life, our challenge is to live within our means while also taking care of the wonderful gifts that these old buildings are. The faithful pioneering vision of Fr. Martin Hoppenjans, OSB, and the early parishioners of St. Ben’s might animate us to have courage, to lean into our future, just as we did with the renovation of our beautiful church building, and as we did in the past few years with the replacement of inefficient fluorescent lighting throughout the school. Replacing fluorescent bulbs with LED bulbs was predicted to yield a $1,000 per month savings in our electrical bill. As we incorporate efficiencies, we encounter savings. As you might imagine, the boilers and chillers for HVAC in our school buildings and church building are significantly inefficient, some equipment nearly 40 years old. The window unit air conditioners in the classrooms of St. Meinrad and St. Scholastica halls are noisy and inefficient as well.
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Inside
DECEMBER 2021
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Christmastime Stewardship How We Can Bring His Son to the World
3 The Central Reality of Our Catholic December 4 Upcoming Advent and Christmas Events: Preparing and Entering into a Meaningful Celebration 6 The Origin and Beauty of the Nativity Scene 7 The St. Vincent de Paul Society Serving Those Most in Need With Great Compassion
