Renovations Progress at Ignacio House!
When you walk into the Ignacio House, watch where you step! You might trip over one of the handful of workers installing new wood floors or shining the windows of the French doors leading into the newly renovated Chapel as you greet Sister Katie. Our Ignacio House of Studies, previously the home of the Irish Christian Brothers, was built in 1910 and was ready for a fresh new series of repairs to welcome our brothers returning home from prison as they continue their journey of transformation and education at one of our many university partners.
There is only so much space the residents and their cat, Limpy, take up. Currently, four resident scholars live and study at Ignacio House, working to continue their education. Once the renovations of the bedrooms are completed the Ignacio House should be able to hold up to 15 resident scholars, each with their own room! We had the chance to take a tour around the House with Sister Katie, who has undertaken the Herculean task of organizing the new construction and renovation projects. Afterwards, we were able to talk to her about the successes and struggles of working in the Ignacio House. She emphasized the satisfaction of seeing the various rooms come together in a stark contrast from their original state.
This process hasn’t come without a fair bit of struggle, though; Sister Katie has spent five days a week since January 6 this year working and still has more to go. Despite this, she found that with good communication, any issue that arose was able to be resolved. Ongoing work consists of renovating the chapel, bedrooms, and communal areas, as she prefers to take on projects one step at a time. As she continues her work with the team of diligent contractors, Sister Katie has been crafting plans for the currently unfinished roof deck—hopefully before the summer ends. The makeover has come so far already and we cannot wait to see how far Sister Katie will take it.
Join us in thanking Sister Katie and her entire team for their hard work in making our Ignacio House a true home for our brothers continuing the good work of education!
