Administrative/Parish Office

Reunión Municipal (Renovaciones) c/Obispo Jacques

As members of the Our Lady of the Hills community, we embark on the ongoing task of renovating and preserving our beautiful Church building. Having been given the gift of faith through the celebration of the sacraments, we seek to live our Catholic faith and bring our gifts and talents to the Church. In this way our ancient Catholic faith may be preserved, and our building may serve our needs as we offer God fitting worship through the Sacred Liturgy. We acknowledge that what we have, we hold for a short period of time. We inherited something beautiful due to sacrifices of parishioners and of their forefathers, and hope to pass on something beautiful to those who come after us. We are committed to a Church building renovation and preservation project using the feedback and participation of our faithful, and techniques and materials that are consistent with the architecture of the Church and long lasting into the future. With the help of God, we hope to renovate, preserve and conserve its elements of beauty so that its original design and architecture may be known to us and future generations. We desire this for our Church so that we will have a beautiful building that we will be proud to show our relatives and friends who come to town, and continue to have a place where people will come from our congregation and greater community to pray and experience the beauty of God. Calling upon the grace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the intercession of our Blessed Mother, we humbly undertake this project with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Financials Cash Balance Report as of May 31 2024 Multi-Purpose Building Account: $1,114,840.26 Savings Account: $625,980.81 Operating Account: $70,155.24 Restricted Columbarium Account: $78,838.56 Operating Columbarium Account: $36,441.06 Cemetery Account: $24,668.11 Youth Group Ministry Account: $4,790.75 New Evangelization Ministry Account: $8,539.87 Mano Amiga Ministry Account: $14,080.20 Women's Group Account: $5,126.63 Cub Scouts Account: $193.43 Notations: (i) The cash balance of the Multi-Purpose Building Account and the Savings Account total $1,740,821.01. (ii) The offertory collection, the most important source of parish income, is projected to increase 4.8% year-to-year, from $1,168,658 in fiscal year 2023 to $1,224,973 in fiscal year 2024. Loan Because of the generosity of our parishioners in their direct giving to the Bicentennial Campaign, the cash balance of the Multi-Purpose Building account has increased to $1,114,840.26 (as of May 31, 2024) from proceeds shared fifty percent (50%) to Our Lady of the Hills to fund the renovation and preservation of the Church building (please see “Planning Process for Renovation and Preservation of the Church Building” below). The cash balance of the Savings account of the Parish equates to $625,980.81 as of May 31, 2024. For this reason, we do not need to incur any form of debt to fund the renovation and preservation project of the Church building. We will not apply for a loan from the Diocese of Charleston or any financial institution. Renovation and Preservation Project By its design and construction, the Church building serves the rites of the Church and the devotion of the faithful. The renovation and preservation of it will foster our encounter with God who dwells in all holiness, reflecting our faith and the cultures of our congregation. Proposed Budget 1. Base bid renovation: $576,777 2. New pews with new seating capacity: $168,372 3. Narthex add alternate: $159,082 4. New exterior entrance canopy: $120,000 5. Parking lot expansion: $47,924 6. New sound system: $35,000 7. Hazardous materials testing and abatement: $30,000 8. Architectural and engineering services: $60,000 9. Design contingency: $50,000 10. Construction contingency: $50,000 As of today, the kickoff of the renovation and preservation of the Church building is scheduled for November 1, 2024, taking into consideration the project timeline of the expected sequence and schedule of work required to complete the planning process of it. From kickoff to closure, the project is estimated to take approximately 5 months. Volunteers A project of this size and scope is not possible without the faithful support of many volunteers. Each has dedicated time and talent to discuss possibilities of what we want the next years to be, by attempting to understand the intention of our members of two generations past. This is a long held, deep-rooted faith community. As such, we are grateful for what we have here and hope to live up to the example from past generations. Once the planning process phase is completed, more volunteer opportunities will open to all members of the Parish. On-Going Improvements In addition to the planning process mentioned below, Father Bruce, Father Santiago, Sister Christina and the Parish Staff have prayerfully worked to prioritize the needs of our Parish to fulfill the mission of this beautiful project. We understand the success of it is totally dependent upon the active involvement of the total Parish. As such, focused on renovating and preserving the Church building to the best of our ability, the following advancements are presently taking place. Ample opportunity will be provided for information to be presented to parishioners (i.e. relevant content updated on a weekly basis). Effective and applicable procedures will be established for how the Parish will communicate and share information to all members of the congregation (e.g. reliable and interactive online and digital communications platforms, such as the website, bulletin, e-mail blast, text blast, social media outlets, new Parish app, and other channels of communication). We are welcoming new members to the Parish Renovation Advisory Committee to ensure its body represents the total Parish community and engages additional appropriate expertise within Parish membership. Current members include LeAnne McGrath (Chairperson), Deborah Bernhagen, Rick Carone, Beth Jacky, Jose Francisco Pilero Rojas, Daylin Silber, Jaqueline Saminathan, and Carlos Zamarron. If you have the expertise and are interested in joining the Renovation Advisory Committee, please click on the button below.