Dear Friends of Saint Andrew,

This Sunday, the Church suspends it usual weekly celebrations of the Sundays in Ordinary Time, to highlight a feast that normally falls on a weekday. The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is our focus for this Sunday. And in that feast we recall and celebrate the moment when Jesus was revealed in full glory to his apostles, Peter, James, and John. It is a moment meant to increase the faith of the apostles, and us, as Jesus continued to make his way to Calvary.

Here at Saint Andrew, we are experiencing our own transfiguration moment. At the start of the summer I had announced the four major capital improvement projects that we were making (June 4, 2023 Bulletin). Those projects included; the removal of the underground storage tank, the creation of a school playground and the addition of 2 new boilers for the church and rectory, which was one of the projects designated for our capital campaign. Somewhere in our initial planning for these projects we realized that our plan to address the replacement of the school’s boilers at a later date was not a wise plan. Besides the very possible outcome of the school boilers needing to be replaced before we were ready to do so, there was also the reality that the newly constructed playground would have to be destroyed to allow for the installation of the new school boilers.

I then began to advocate for the remaining funds from the capital campaign to be used for a fourth project, the purchase and installation of the news school boilers. Although that money had not been raised for that purpose, none of the capital campaign donors objected to the redirection when we communicated our plans to them. These donors are young and old, newly arrived parishioners and legacy families, parishioners with no children in our school, as well as school families. At the time of the capital campaign, and throughout the five year redemption period, these donors made significant contributions without anyone ever saying, “I only want my donation to go towards this project, and not that one.” All gave generously and without condition because they believed in the totality of our mission at Saint Andrew Parish and School. In my mind, this is a transfiguration moment for our community!

So, thank you to our capital campaign donors. Thank you to our playground donors. Thank you to everyone who supports Saint Andrew with their prayers and donations. When we look beyond the cross before us, we can not only glimpse the transformation beyond the cross, we actually become transformed!

I realize that many anxious children (and parents) may have been wondering all summer why the school playground had not been built yet. In the interest of not having to redo work that was already done, as well as not paying for things twice, we had to follow a very practical schedule. First we had to remove the underground storage tank, which was in the way of the playground project and the installation of the new school boilers. Once the tank was removed, we took advantage of the resulting hole in the ground to provide us access to the school basement, by cutting into the exterior wall of the school. This was necessary since the large size of the boilers could not be delivered to the basement through any door or window. But, first we had to scrap and remove the old boilers to make space for the new ones. In the interest though of the workers’ safety, as well as our students, teachers and administration, before any demolition could commence, we had to do some asbestos abatement. Once all of that happened, the new boilers were lowered into the school basement, and the hole in the exterior wall of the school was closed up. 

The next step is the one that everyone is really excited about, the construction of the play ground. This work will begin in earnest this week. Although we made every attempt to have the playground finished for the start of school, that proved to be nearly impossible considering all the steps I mentioned that needed to happen beforehand. I have been told though that the playground should be done in 6-8 weeks. That would put is at mid to late September, leaving us time still to enjoy this new addition to our campus before the snow arrives. Something tells me though that even the snow won’t stop some from enjoying or admiring the play ground. For myself, come summer or winter, I will always admire the playground for what it represents, our transformed community!

Now Hiring!  Do you want to be part of the best school on the northside of Chicago? Saint Andrew School is currently seeking a qualified math/science Middle School Teacher.  Interested candidates should send a current resume to Sarah Casavechia, sarahcasavechia@gosaintandrew.com

Do you have a friend or neighbor that is considering applying to the best school in Chicago? Sign up for a tour here: schedule a tour New student applications for the 23-24 school year are now open! Existing families, do not forget to register your new preschoolers.  Applications are now being accepted.     23-24  SAS Application  - https://stand-il.client.renweb.com/oa/?memberid=15758