Calvary’s stewardship theme for the March envelope campaign is Capital Repairs.

Phil Einspahr, Building and Grounds Committee chair, writes:

In March 1861, Bishop Henry Whipple and his friend, the Rev. Morgan Dix, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church on Wall Street, each offered Calvary $500 to fund construction of a permanent home for Calvary Episcopal Church. They trusted parishioners would raise another $500. Land was soon acquired, and by mid-1862, lumber was being harvested from nearby woods, bricks fired in a kiln near what is now Eighth Street and Ninth Avenue SW, and benches and glass for the windows were arriving from the East. The cornerstone was laid May 6,1863 and the first service was held in the new chapel on July 12, 1863 (without windows). The chapel was completed in time for Christmas services later that year.

Your March Capital Repairs envelop contributions, in the spirit of the $500 matching gifts Bishop Whipple and Rev. Morgan Dix made in 1861, will support ongoing building maintenance and repairs, expand monitoring of our building and grounds during the Mayo Clinic’s Expansion Project, and ensure safety and accessibility for staff, parishioners, and visitors.

Gifts to Capital Repairs will also lend credence to grant proposals Calvary submits to foundations and other organizations to fund portions of the work described below.

Building Maintenance and Safety

  • Fire alarm and sprinkler system maintenance and testing as required by Minnesota State Fire Code.
  • Add bypass humidifiers to Nave furnaces (2023 pipe organ assessment recommendation)
  • HVAC, plumbing and electrical system maintenance, repairs, and upgrades
  • Paint entryways, classrooms, conference rooms, offices, and nave.
  • Kitchen floor replacement and upgrades.
  • Repair or replace Oasis Garden handicapped ramp.
  • Install automatic door operators for the NW entry and Oasis Garden handicapped ramp entry.
  • Restore and weatherize Larson Fireside Room windows.

Protect Calvary infrastructure before and during Mayo Expansion Project

  • Add internal and external security cameras to monitor and guard against vandalism, theft and building access by unauthorized personnel (per Calvary’s insurance provider recommendation).
  • Stained-glass windows appraisal by certified professional to determine replacement value for insurance purposes.
  • Remove and restore compromised Nave and Ambulatory stained-glass windows:
    • Beatitudes window (full removal), select panels from several other windows (partial removal)
  • Real-time vibration monitoring of foundation, masonry, plaster, and stain glass windows.
  • Recommendations from the 2023 Professional Engineer structural assessment (repair and repoint foundation, exterior masonry, interior plaster, south nave floor, improve drainage, etc.)
  • Clean and restore the Noehren-Harris pipe organ after construction is completed.
  • Conserve nave and ambulatory stained-glass windows as recommended by the January 2024 stained-glass window condition report.

Use the QR code in the bulletin or this link – and select “Capital Repairs – Building Fund” – to contribute or learn about the Capital Repairs projects your gift will support.  Please contact Phil Einspahr, the rector, or a vestry warden if you have questions or wish to sponsor a specific project.