The first few weeks of April brought many changes at the St. Cecilia Motherhouse.  Shelves were cleared, boxes were packed, and every possible space was cleaned out and organized.  The long-awaited "Big Move" was in progress.  Everything that had accumulated in the original Motherhouse since 1860 had to be moved in preparation for the upcoming renovation of the building.  After spending a week packing everything up, the Sisters received the news that the new East Wing had passed all inspections, and was ready for occupancy.  With much joy and anticipation, the Sisters explored the new space, and moved in.  What a blessing it is to have such a beautiful new space!  The Sisters now eagerly look forward to the completion of the renovation, projected for summer of 2006, so that they can complete the moving process and become settled once again.

The Sisters moved literally hundreds of boxes from the original Motherhouse into the new space Books that had been kept in storage were brought into the new library and made available for the Sisters' use
 

What was previously used as the Novitiate Community Room was turned into a center
for moving various items into new places, or in many cases, to the dumpster

 

The big red crane that had been used for construction served the double purpose of
helping to move items out from the top floor of the Motherhouse into storage. 
Items such as mattresses were hauled out of the windows, then carried into the waiting
semi-trucks, which are being used for storage while the renovation is in process.
 

During this stage of renovation, the Sisters do not have use of either their old or new chapel. 
The Recreation Hall has been converted into a temporary Chapel for the Sisters to use
until the new chapel is ready for use.