The Rectory Kitchen is no longer!  After years of planning, and six months of waiting, the rectory is getting an updated kitchen this month.  My family and I have put many miles on the old kitchen since coming to St. Michael’s 5.5 years ago, and we have enjoyed it so much.  And now is the opportunity to invest in a part of St. Michael’s that can last another 30+ years.  Currently, it sort of feels like all of our family routines have been interrupted: we cannot cook regularly, wash dishes easily, or get to the garage in the same way we used to.  Except for sleeping, everything we do in the house now requires a different routine as the kitchen is the heart of this house, both literally in the center of the first level, and also metaphorically the place were my family gathers almost every evening for our meal.  (Not to mention the cakes Gaius and I bake!)

I casually mentioned this to my spiritual director, Fr. Michael Sparough, Jesuit at Bellarmine Retreat Center here in Barrington.  He suggested that the kitchen, like so many other parts of life and church, all need a little holy demolishing and rebuilding from time to time.  

We discussed how, after three months without masks and restrictions, it feels a little like that around the church; not everything is as we left it in 2020, and we are beginning to restart ministries, startup new ministries, and generally find new ways of being the church in this place.  Not unlike when the center of your house gets an update. 

A parishioner said to me the other week that the energy in the church is so high and so good right now.  I agree- although it may feel a little like a “startup company” as we rebuild and remodel, St. Michael’s is emerging from COVID in a stronger position than most.  Are we where we were?  Not quite.  Will we get there?  We will, with God’s help. 

I’ve included some pictures as to our progress this week.  

See you in church, 

Jesse