Our Lady of Fatima hosting fundraiser for glass dome repairs
Jul. 16—LEWISTON — Those at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine want to get some renovation projects back on track — but it needs the funding to do so.
If all goes as planned, some of those funds will come in during the Christmas in July event happening on July 23, with the proceeds raised going toward helping replace the glass in the basilica's famous glass dome.
The Festival of Lights benefit and basket auction, normally held in January, was rescheduled to this July due to Covid concerns at the time.
The event will feature 250 baskets to be auctioned off, which event chairperson Barbara Hall said contains whatever items you can think of, from children's toys to household items, homemade items, a fire pit, a 40-inch television, an outdoor heater and English china sets.
"We try to make it as attractive to everyone's interest so we can raise funds for the shrine," Hall said.
Those baskets can be bid on in preview days beforehand, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Dinner in the shrine's cafeteria will be catered by Como restaurant, starting at 5 p.m. with tickets being $50 per person. There will also a raffle for those dinner guests, and live music.
"We're back in fundraising mode," said Father Peter Calabrese, the director of Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, adding that inflation has caused what they saved to not be enough. The entire renovation project is projected to cost $3.7 million, with the facility having only $1.5 million in the bank to cover the expenses. Calabrese said they are looking at starting a capital campaign to further raise funds within the year.
The glass dome that makes up the main worship space has a view of Earth's northern hemisphere, with a 13-foot high statue of the basilica's namesake on the top of the outside, reachable by taking a 63-step flight of stairs to the top.
Calabrese said that all the glass in the dome needs to be changed out, as it has been leaking water. When finished, the new dome will have double glass to reflect light away and film that will keep the same northern hemisphere display currently in the glass.
"The basic layout will be the same," Calabrese said. "Instead of being a separate set of fiberglass panels, it will be embedded in glass."
Other than occasional repairs when the basilica was completed in 1965, it has not had extensive renovations like those being proposed.
Once the new glass dome is completed, floor and ceiling work is also planned on the ambulatory corridor that surrounds the main worship area to other areas of the basilica, being the blessed sacrament chapel, the immaculate heart chapel, and the gathering space in the back that contains the relic gallery and peace mural. The two chapels are planned to have ventilation, floor, and ceiling work. The entrance doors are also going to be changed.
"The bulk of this phase is to make it water tight," Calabrese said, "with the new glass giving us energy savings, helping with cooling in the summer and heating in the winter."
These renovations started back in 2008, but Calabrese said they had an issue with an architect with what they felt was a design flaw. The basilica was in litigation about the project for 10 years before it finally got resolved and could move forward.
Because the shrine is a basilica, the renovations also needed approval from Vatican City before going ahead.
While Our Lady of Fatima regularly puts on other fundraisers like bake sales, Knights of Columbus-sponsored events, and a garden party and flower show this past June, the Christmas in July event will be the major one where funds go directly toward the renovations.
