St. Mary's Parish Community

Interior Restoration News

• The Eastern Wall had all of the necessary plaster removed and did not go beyond the expected limit. Both deep and skimming plastering is well underway.
• Scaffolding of the sanctuary is scheduled to begin Monday, May 1.
• The lighting contract has been awarded to the Grassby Company of Toronto. The chandeliers will be cleaned, refinished and interiors gutted to be replaced with LED lights. Lights will also be installed at the sanctuary sid,e and on the ceiling beams.
• Painting has begun in the last bay by the balcony (a bay is between a pillar and the middle of a window).
• Cleaning and painting has begun on the St. Bartholomew section.

Saint Bartholomew was born in Galilee and was one of the 12 Apostles. He was probably a close friend of St. Philip. His name in the Gospels is always mentioned in connection with Philip.
It was Philip who brought Bartholomew to Jesus.
St. Bartholomew may have written a gospel which is now lost. He is thought to have preached in Asia Minor, Armenia, Ethiopia and India.
Like the other Apostles, Saint Bartholomew suffered martyrdom by being flayed alive in Armenia. You can see him holding the knife and the knife is also in the symbol below him.
His Feast Day is celebrated on August 24.
This canvas was hydrated with steam. The supporting nails taken out and the oils of the painting hydrated with petroleum soap. Within an hour the soap cleans off the grime. Then the canvas is left to dry. When they peeled off the canvas a date in handwriting was found underneath – April 5, 1909.