January 4, 2021 - We’ve never been so glad to see a roof project begin…

January 5 - Ripping off the old underlayment and applying new and thicker wood decking…

January 11 - Goodbye, concrete tiles! St. Joseph, pray for us!

January 13 - All the tiles are off the retreat house, and the new ice and water shield underlayment is starting to be applied.

January 14 - Flashing in the valleys…

January 14 - Hurray for our Helming Brothers roofing crew!

January 14 - Soon, this whole roof will be red clay tile!

January 21 - Concrete tiles starting to come off the chapel…

March 4 - The new clay tiles are lined up and ready for installation!

March 4 - an elevator to get the tiles on that roof!

March 4 - So many tiny piles of clay…

March 4 - Smile — we’re finally installing the new roof!

March 4 - almost finished removing tiles on the chapel clear-story in preparation for custom tile measurements.

March 5 - The chapel roof is tucked in and waterproofed to await its turn for new tiles.

March 5 - It’s starting to look like a roof again!!!!

March 5 - Ludowici Spanish 18” clay tiles: blended, stacked, and ready to go!

March 5 - A closeup of the Spanish tiles on the retreat house.

March 6 - make sure those lines are straight and those headlaps are even!

March 6 - if YOU had a giant crane at your disposal, wouldn’t YOU ride it up as high as you could, too?

March 24 - retreat house roof is almost complete, and the red fascia is installed

March 24 - the nuns are helping by blending the tiles onto pallets, so the roofers can stay on the roof!

March 30 - progress from the lift view: the valleys on the retreat house are slowly getting filled in!

March 30 - each tile along the valley needs to be measured and cut to fit

March 30 - a beautiful new roof, with piles of roof tiles in the background, waiting to be blended by nuns and volunteers

March 30 - See the difference: new clay tiles in foreground, old concrete tiles in background!

March 30 - Helming’s crew hard at work…

March 30 - Shape up! The Mother Superior is making a site visit!

April 13 - The retreat house roof is finished!

April 13 - more tiles being removed and new decking applied to our chapel

April 22 - work on the chapel roof is progressing

April 27 - this week’s project is the highest peak

April 27 - roofers already up and at it at sunrise!

May 3 - Where is the water coming in????? [we did find our answer eventually]

May 6 - working on chapel roof section #6

May 13 - only two sections of old tile left on the chapel!

May 15 - completing the demolition of our chapel roof!

May 26 - loading tiles onto the last chapel roof section!

mid July - the work wing nears completion

mid July - the crew has rounded the corner and passed the bell tower!

mid July - the final sections of the roof are in sight!

July 22 - demolition of the final roof section, our dormitory wing, has begun!

July 22 - underlayment applied and awaiting the tiles!

July 22 - look at that chapel roof!

August 5 - Mother John Mary and Sr Frances Marie get in on the action on the front roof of the monastery

August 5 - Sr Mary Veronica perches on the bell tower!

August 5 - the view is great from the belltower!

August 5 - it’s really starting to look like a clay tile roof

August 5 - Helming’s crew hard at work

August 15 - the last shipment of roof tiles has arrived!

an August Friday - late nite tile blending

August 18 - hoisting a new gutter to the roof of the cell wing

September 1 - Marathon Tile Day: beginning to lift tiles onto the final two sections of roof

September 1 - Marathon Tile Day: Our heroic crew lifted and distributed 80,000 lbs of clay tile onto the roof in one day, to save us money on the telescoping forklift rental!

September 7 - a few days later, all those tiles are being laid and fastened… the end is in sight!

late September - racing to secure the bell tower flashing against a Kentucky thunderstorm

early October - almost done!

October 11 - beginning the overhaul of our Retreat House stairwell roof