Sacred Places grant update

Facilities Director Mike Italiano, Jane Prescott-Smith, and Senior Warden John Bremond attended the Sacred Places training in Philadelphia last month.

At the training, they learned about a range of resources Sacred Places offers in addition to the $150,000 grant, including technical assistance, planning support, network referrals, and capital campaign guidance.

Senior Warden Bremond shared, “Our trip to Philadelphia was very worthwhile; we gained a great deal of information about the grant qualification and funding processes. The trip also allowed us to interact with other grant recipients and learn about their experiences and challenges.”

This information will help Saint Philip’s as it plans for the upcoming capital campaign. Grant funds will be applied to stabilizing the church’s primary facade—the most urgent priority identified for the campaign.

Over the past 90 years, the south-facing wall—originally constructed in 1936—has begun to bow outward, creating a gap of seven inches at its widest point. Work on this wall is scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

Facilities Director Italiano added, “We’ve made considerable progress this year in identifying and addressing long overdue requirements for maintenance, repairs, and replacement of critical systems and structural deficiencies.

We replaced the tile roof on the Chapel, the cloisters on the south campus, and above Saint Anne’s Center. Over 20,000 square feet of flat roofing on the school, atriums, and music center were replaced to address water leaks and wood rot throughout the building. A third major project was relining more than two hundred feet of failed sewer lines.”

He added, “There are still many critical items that need to be addressed, and the capital campaign will help us identify, prioritize, and execute all the additional work that needs to be done over the next few years.”