Early in the new year, parishioners of St. Francis Xavier observed that the cross on top of the steeple in Cartier was no longer facing the road.  At first, the cross remained in its new position, but as time passed, we noticed that the cross was turning more freely, even on days when the wind was not bad.  We knew we would have to have the cross fixed, however, we wanted to wait until spring when the snow and ice had disappeared. 

As time passed, it was observed that the cross was not just rotating around on the steeple, but it was also starting to sway back to front whenever there was a strong wind.  Eventually, it became evident that we could not wait for the nice weather to have the cross repaired.  Should the cross break off, there was a real danger that the building could be seriously damaged, and worse yet, that someone on the ground could be seriously hurt.  Having worked with Strategic Roofing in Dowling, and not having the time to put the repairs out to a competitive bid (due to the urgency),  we contacted Strategic Roofing. Within two days, they had arranged for a lift crane to be delivered and the work was completed on March 21, 2024.

Once the work crew were in the air and had a good look at the cross, it was found that the cross had been fastened to the steeple with two bolts.  The one bolt had sheared off, thus allowing the cross to rotate around the steeple on the remaining bolt.  The remaining bolt was showing signs of fatigue and stretching.  It appears that we had the cross repaired just in time.

The work crew was able to use parts supplied by Keith Peddie (who lives across from the church) and reattach the cross to the steeple.  

While the lift crane was onsite with the work crew, we asked if they would be willing to drop a new rope for the bell tower.  The bell in Cartier has not rung for some time now.  The crew were kind enough to attach and drop a new rope for us.  The bell rang for the first time in a long time the following Sunday.

The cost of the repairs to the cross, including all the taxes, came out just shy of $4000.00.  A big portion of this cost was the rental and delivery/pickup of the lift crane.  If you would like to help the Parish out with the cost of this repair, and other repairs we have ongoing in the parish, please visit our donations page.