Help an original TLM church repair its ceiling

While most of our readers have not been there, St. Francis de Sales in Benedict, Md. (Archdiocese of Washington), led by the great Fr. Kevin Cusick, has been offering the traditional Latin Mass since the 1980s. In fact, since the first days of Summorum, Fr. Cusick has offered the Mass on a daily basis. He has also restored the historic church and brought it back to its original glory. 

Now, in the midst of both Covid and a pandemic of its own kind infecting the Church, the parish needs a sizable fund to fix the 100-year-old ceiling which has driven the Mass to the parish hall. 

Please see Father's post below and linked here. 

AND PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Support our TLM parish as we restore, repair and repaint our church ceiling and interior plaster

Our parish has offered the traditional Latin Mass since 1989 under Ecclesia Dei. We have grown into a de facto “personal” parish with traditional Mass offered every day following Summorum Pontificum in 2007.

We are undertaking a large project to restore our church. Our 100-year-old plaster and lathe ceiling was cracking and deteriorating as the keys and lugs through large sections had broken over time. The ceiling was in danger of falling.

We are restoring the ceiling to preserve it and also repairing and painting deteriorated plaster throughout the church interior.

The project will cost $243,000 and we have raised about 10% of the total cost so far.

Please consider supporting our parish, one of only two in the Archdiocese of Washington which offer traditional Mass daily and sacraments in the traditional Latin rite.

You can donate by sending a check made out to Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church and mailing to us at PO Box 306, Benedict, Maryland 20612.

You can also use a credit card at our web site. Please note that a percentage of your donation will be applied toward applicable fees. You can do so at this link:  https://www.stfrancisbenedict.org/donations/

Thank you for your kind consideration and for the generosity of your prayers for the successful completion of the project. We hope to be back in the church for holy Mass to honor Our Lady of Fatima on October 13th. Please join us in praying through the intercession of our patron, Saint Francis de Sales.

Wood straps are fastened to the underside of the plaster and lathing to prepare for applying the compound which will recapture and reattach the plaster to the lathing.

The strapping is removed and holes filled after the compound is applied over the lathing and ceiling plaster in three treatments and then cured.

The next step begins soon to repair interior plaster damaged by earthquake and water penetration resulting from a hurricane-nor’easter combination. The entire interior will be restored to pristine condition and painted.