Search
-
May 26, 2019
Dear Fr. Pat and St. Catherine’s family members,
Greetings from Fr. Ray Pothireddy. By the time you start reading this letter, I will be fully busy in India with our family reunion and the celebration of my mom’s 87 th birthday.
One of the main purposes of my visit to India during this hot summer time (110°) is to personally experience the progress of our extended St. Catherine’s Prayer Hall construction. The ground breaking took place on Easter Monday, April 22, and as of now the work is going at jet speed. Since the locality is filled with loose black soil, we went up to a depth of 12 feet in order to get the hard surface, and from there the foundation work started – with concrete bedding (a mixture of cement, sand and 40 mm stone metal) and the concrete pillars (cement, sand, 20 mm stone metal along with steel rods).
As of now, we have completed all of the 18 concrete pillars up to ground level and are getting ready to interlock all the pillars with the plinth beam (once again with the mixture of cement, sand, 20 mm stone metal and steel rods). Then we will raise the basement for 2 feet height in order to have the total 3 feet high from the ground level and fill the entire area with the river sand. Later when the entire construction work is finished, we will have 40 mm stone metal bed concrete and will finally fix the granite stones for the faithful to sit on the floor and pray. We will also fix a couple of benches for the elderly people.
We also placed the order for four statues: a 4 foot Crucifix and a 4 foot St. Catherine of Siena statue to be placed inside the Prayer Hall; a 4 foot Our Lady of Lourdes statue to place in a small grotto (which will be built in one corner of the campus), and a 6 foot Sacred Heart statue to fix on the top of the Prayer Hall.
Below I share the progress in the form of photos and when I return back, I will come with loads of pictures and stories to share with you all. Until then, please continue to pray for me, for the workers and for the progress of all the works.
Thank you all for all your love towards this work of our Lord.
Fr. Ray Pothireddy
Associate Pastor
