Refectory and Kitchen Renovation Gallery

A view of the refectory pre-renovation

December 30, 2024 - Our temporary refectory, set up in the Holy Family Wing foyer

Temporary serving room in the new loggia

Temporary coffee and tea station (Holy Family Wing hospitality nook)

January 2, 2025 - the “old” refectory is sealed off with plastic and ready for renovation to begin!

The dishwasher room (door sealed to keep dust out of the kitchen) will be renovated along with the refectory and serving area. Once these are complete, the kitchen will have its turn!

Taking down the sliding wall that divided the old refectory and old recreation room

View of dishwasher room in demolition phase

Another view of dishwasher room

One view of serving area in progress

Another view of serving area

Removing the tile floor in the hallway next to the refectory …

… and in the refectory proper

Our Amish framers are at it again - they did all the framing for the new refectory in just one day!

A look at the beginnings of the new coffered ceiling

Even ice and snow didn’t deter our hardworking crews

A view of the enlarged serving area - look how much progress has been made in just 3 weeks!!

Framing the new doorway for the dishwasher room

Sister Isabel Maria and Aspirant Collette begin the monumental task of packing up the kitchen, so that renovation can begin in there as soon as the contractors are ready

February 2025 - Drywall and brick have been added, and paint is on the way!

These two niches will hold our statues of Our Sorrowful Mother and St. Joseph.

The reverse side of the previous wall. Cabinetry will be installed here for our meal serving area.

Another view of the refectory construction

Dishwasher room is coming along

Early March, 2025 - The coffered wood ceiling is looking great!

Meanwhile, the grid ceiling for the serving area and dishwasher room is being installed

March 10th, 2025 - Kitchen demolition begins!

Our massive stainless steel sink/counter unit was removed until the new cabinetry arrives - in the meantime, it leaves quite a hole!!

On the left you can see the former pantry - that dividing wall will be removed and replaced with an island, to extend the kitchen and provide much-needed additional counter space.

Making sure dust and debris stays out of our walk-in fridge and freezer!

The apron closet is empty …

… and its contents are now stowed in our “temporary kitchen”!

We still have to eat while the kitchen is being renovated, so the cloth room graciously loaned us some space! Here you can see the interesting (and somewhat cramped!) temporary arrangement in action.

Same room, viewed from the opposite side

This long counter made a handy home for our kitchen appliances, all of which are getting extra use while we’re without an oven and stove!

We’re finding a use for just about every inch of space!

Since there was absolutely NO way we could fit our dishwashing operation into the cloth room, some Sisters came up with this creative setup in the loggia

The plastic sheeting has been removed, so now we have a great view of the progress! For instance: Luke from JMJ Construction, installing the acoustical ceiling for the refectory.

The new dividing wall is looking great!

That large arch on the wall will frame our refectory crucifix

Work continues on the dishwasher room. On the ceiling, you can see the hood vent for the new industrial dishwasher - which will replace our “temperamental,” often-malfunctioning old dishwasher!

Looking into the new serving area with cabinets installed. (You can also see some of the new faux wood flooring that was just installed in the refectory and serving area. It’s covered with protective paper for the time being, to avoid construction damage.)

This cabinetry will hold our breakfast cereals, teas, coffeemakers, etc.

These glass-fronted cabinets will hold some of our nicer dinnerware that is used only for special occasions.

The empty spots? Those are for fridge/freezer drawers that will hold some of our frequently-used cold foods!

Installing the pretty herringbone backsplash tile in the serving area

One of our first meals in the completed serving area!

A look at the finalized serving area, complete with custom-built wooden dish cart

The kitchen is getting a fresh coat of paint in the areas that won’t be covered by cabinets

The floor surface is leveled (a surprisingly labor-intensive job!) and ready for the new poured epoxy flooring.

Christ broke down the dividing wall between us … and JMJ did the same for the dividing wall between pantry and kitchen! A new counter island will take its place.

April 15th, 2025 - installation of the poured epoxy floor in the kitchen! The workmen had an ingenious manner of keeping their feet from sticking to the wet epoxy: big overshoes with nails in the bottom, almost like soccer cleats!

The second stage of the flooring installation - scattering small flakes on the wet epoxy to give color and texture.

After drying and smoothing the initial layers, a coat of clear epoxy is applied to seal the floor and make it shiny and durable.

Wallpaper installation beginning in the kitchen

Sr. Mary Andrea with her mother Carol and her brother Mike, who built and installed this lovely custom ambo for table reading in our new refectory!

A view inside the ambo - shelves for books and articles to be read aloud during meals.

Installing the sound system in the ambo, so that everyone can hear the readings clearly!

A view of our beautiful FINISHED refectory, decorated for the Easter Octave!!

The refectory seen from another angle

Jumping forward in time a bit …

October 2025 - Completed dishwasher room!

October 2025 - Completed kitchen!