St. Christopher Parish Family,

The hazardous material removal phase for our parish campus is proceeding on schedule. You may have noticed the yellow hazard tape surrounding the buildings and the removal of the siding. We anticipate that phase will finish next week, and then we will move forward with the demolition.

On the morning of Thursday July 11th, the workers discovered that the natural gas meter at the former hall had a broken seal, slowly leaking gas. The fire department was immediately contacted as well as Southwest Gas, and gas service to the property was shut off within minutes. The fire department assured us that the church building is safe for occupation, and Mass was celebrated as usual at 8:30. The same day, Southwest Gas removed that gas meter and capped the gas line, shutting it off permanently.

The gas company proceeded to check our entire property for leaks and found another under-ground leak in front of the office building (former rectory). They proceeded to "vacuum" the underground of the area, dissipating any gas that may have accumulated. The natural gas lines to the parish campus, all buildings, are now shut off indefinitely until we determine the best course of action to take.

This is an example of the challenges we face with our facilities, having been in relative disrepair for some time. The good news is that gas leaks we did not know of before have been discovered and any threat eliminated.  I assure you all parish buildings are now safe from any gas leaks. We will continue to look forward as we build St. Christopher parish in Marana, always remembering that it is the people who make Christ's Church, not the buildings.

Fr. Edson Elizarrarás