News 2015-Jan-09: The Board of the Group Working to Keep the Roman Catholic Church in Assens asked Jørgen Aunkilde and Joy Christensen to speak with local tradesmen and engineers as well as property owners for the purpose of developing a plan to save the buildings which house the catholic church in this town. The plan is to seek financial support for the cost of necessary repairs to the apartment building which belongs to the parish (and a bit later also for repairs to the church itself) or to find a buyer who would offer favorable rental terms to the parish. This is the agreement reached with Niels Engelbrecht (high priest under Bishop Czeslaw Kozon) and Thomas J. Larsen (head of the administration of the diocese) during their visit in Assens on October 14, 2014. Joy and Jørgen have conferred with local carpenters and builders, with the technical department of the city administration, and with the engineering company GeoDania in Odense. The immediate project is to assess the cost of repairs of the apartment building, which was built 1870 and changed in 1900, before the church tower and church were added onto it in 1927. The purpose which this building fulfills today is to provide a rental income from two acceptably well-kept apartments with which to finance our small parish and make it possible to manage repairs that will arise in the coming years. These consultations have culminated in the recognition that we first need to know what is going on underground and causing the south end of the house to sink. We need to have an engineers assessment of the cause of the problem and its probable progression, that is, an assessment that tells us how serious the problem is. A thorough examination of the ground under the affected parts of the house and church will cost about $5000. The cost of that examination is only a fraction of the cost of other repairs which have become urgent and/or can be expected within a few years. However, this information about the house foundation and conditions underground is the cornerstone of the finance plan with which we are going to apply for funding and contributions! Stage 1 is complete now. Stage 2 begins as we contact cultural support funds and local industries to ask for their help. We need this help to come in during the course of the next five to ten years. But we need to have it arranged within the next five to six months, that is by July 1, 2015, as that is the deadline after which the real estate administration office of the diocese will at least put the house up for sale – upon which we would not have enough income to heat the church, for example. To all the members of our parish: Come and help us to succeed in this ambitious project! To the members of our Work Group who live outside of Assens or also in Germany, Slovakia, and England: Thank you for your support! We praise Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help for all the good that we are so privileged to experience!
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 21:38:35 +0000
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