Work at Holy Redeemer stopped as its completion nears

REFURBISHMENT of the Holy Redeemer church in Bray has been stalled by regulations, two weeks away from completion.

A spokesman for the refurbishment committee said that they had to stop the project back in March for a number of weeks, along with other construction works across Ireland.

‘ We were two weeks away from finishing and unfortunately stopped again,’ he said. The work was down to fine- tuning all the lighting systems, snagging and so on. Unfortunately even if we were finished it’s not possible to hold Mass,’ he said.

They intend to have an opening ceremony when possible. ‘ No firm plan can be made until the lockdown has lifted,’ he said. He said that they are happy with the works and it is going to be very nice.

Fundraising for the project continues, with a monthly parish draw giving away a prize of € 1,000 each month. It’s € 10 per month to sign up to the draw. The cost of the project is in excess of € 1.3 million. To sign up, call 089 2160311.

The 200- year old church has been closed since February as preparations were made for the project to begin. When Masses were permitted, they took place in the adjacent Little Flower Hall.

The building was in serious need of refurbishment to protect the structure and to restore it to a state that will sustain the parish into the future. A small team from the parish, supported by architects and mechanical and electrical engineers, developed plans for the work.

This work included a complete rewiring of the building, new lighting, the repair and insulation of the roof, and painting and redecorating.

The works also include the removal of the organ out of the sanctuary area to its original location in the North Transept and full refurbishment of the organ.