Many parishioners may not be familiar with the white bungalow with blue trim at the corner of New and Washington, 702 E. Washington Street. I have met parishioners who weren’t aware that this is the house where I live, what is commonly called the rectory.
Most parishioners are not aware of the condition of the inside, never having been inside the house, and thus not aware of the serious structural and other deficiencies that the house has.
The house is a two bedroom, one bathroom house with a kitchen, dining room and living room. It has an unfinished basement which is in such a condition that it is not able to serve as storage, especially as it is so prone to flooding, as many houses encountered in the downpour of last week.
The house was purchased almost 30 years ago during the time Fr. Maher was pastor. Since that time it has served as the kindergarten house, has been vacant, and was the principal’s house during Sr. Ruth Ann’s time here. Msgr. Cox moved into the house when he arrived as the existing rectory at 902 E. Washington was deemed uninhabitable as a rectory because of so many deficiencies and needing a lot of remodeling and repair. That house was sold and Msgr. Cox remained in 702 E. Washington for the duration of his pastorate.
Recently the parish council has been forming an Administration Commission to have a group of parishioners who can focus more intently on the condition of our facilities, the ongoing repairs and maintenance needed, and advise the pastor on human resources, long-range planning, technology needs, and safety and security, among other concerns.
One of the first items the Administration Commission addressed at its first meeting was the condition of the rectory. The question before us was whether or not the structure is worth spending any money on, for example smaller improvements like replacing the carpets and fixing the front porch which has weakened and deteriorated. There are other larger projects that would be necessary for continued upkeep, for example, replacing the original and existing single pane, double hung windows with storm windows on them. Trying to make the house more energy efficient with new windows would almost be pointless because of the little insulation value of the walls. One major issue is the regular backup of sewage into the basement. The old sewer line is of clay tile and has issues with roots and voids. It would be a major expense to go through and dig up the very deep line, which would also disturb the playground and some of its equipment.
Most concerning is the foundation of the house. The original concrete stem walls are cracked all the way through in several places. Whole corner sections are detached. The courses of cement blocks topping the stem walls have gaps where mortar is missing and require spray foam insulation to seal from the outside in many places as there was daylight coming through. There is evidence of uneven settling in the house. While there are some steel support pillars installed, the original wooden support pillars show evidence of deterioration at the bases from repeated flooding, and constant contact with a damp floor. The basement floor itself is cracked in several places, completely detaching sections from one another and allowing water to seep up from beneath. We do have two sump pumps, including one which is a battery operated for power outages, and the main pump regularly empties accumulation of seepage. There is evidence of mold throughout on the walls of the basement and throughout the house is a definite musty smell that only rarely goes away during periods of long dry spells. 
During last week’s deluge, the sewer once again backed up into the basement. The power went out and the backup pump could not keep up with the effluent. About a ¼ to a ½ inch of mud was left behind on almost the complete floor of the basement. [A big thanks to the two parishioners who removed the mud and got it pumped out of the basement.]
Brad Copeland, the Director of Buildings & Properties came up to evaluate the house as he is ultimately responsible to the bishop for the property which is owned by the Diocese of Jefferson City’s real estate corporation. His recommendation was that the parish not put any money into the house to update or repair it, especially as any remodeling to the superstructure would require doing something with the foundation. This is  something that would require a major investment still leaving a small house needing lots of other attention and which is not up to the standard of rectories in the diocese.
The administration commission agreed in our last meeting that we should not put any money into the house and that we should start looking for a new parish rectory. We brought that recommendation to the parish council and the parish council agreed to begin the process that would see the eventual purchase of a new parish rectory and the razing and site remediation of the existing rectory.
I recently met with the Parish Finance Council with whom I am obligated by canon law and by decree of the bishop to consult on important matters relating to the temporal goods of the parish. The finance council concurred that the existing rectory is not worth putting money into and that when a suitable replacement rectory is found, that the house be vacated and then razed with the site remediated for safety and eventual settling while we determine what next steps to take with that lot.
In the meanwhile I have been working with members of the Administration Commission looking at what’s on the market in Kirksville that would serve as a suitable rectory for the pastor for many years to come. We are looking for something close enough to the church campus, but something that would also allow for an additional priest, transitional deacon, or occasional seminarian doing a pastoral year to live and serve our community and perhaps some of the neighboring parishes.
This is the first of two articles. Next week I will speak more clearly on what we might need to budget for a new rectory, where the funding would come from, and the standards or values that we want to see exemplified in the parish rectory. In the meanwhile I ask you to pray to St. Joseph, that he guide us and inspire us on this path. 
Additionally, if you would like a tour of the rectory, feel free to contact me. If you would like to discuss this project or any other issue, I’d be happy to meet with you. I’d also be happy to give a tour after any daily Mass or after the 5:30 PM on Saturday. I’ll be around this Sunday afternoon the 20th after 1:00 PM when I return from Milan, if you’d like to stop by and visit. I’ll be there until shortly before 5:00 PM when I’ll be heading over to the Newman Center for their opening Mass. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of these important issues for our parish.