The Province Center Mission Partners have completed the Herculean task of clearing the four-story Province Center building.
Since the sale of the Normandy property was announced last September, Sisters and Administrative Staff have been
identifying, sorting, packing, labeling, and finding new homes for furniture and other items that had accumulated throughout 50-plus years at 7654 Natural Bridge Road.
While managing the closure of the province center, Toni also coordinated the temporary relocation to Maria Droste on the
Province Center campus. Additionally, she handled the leasing contracts for the new office space and worked with contractors to design the layout.
The new office is about seven minutes from the Normandy property, which brings us that much closer to Mason Pointe. It is
located in Olivette, between I-170 and Lindbergh Boulevard, off Olive Boulevard at Olivette Executive Parkway.
We hope to move in by the end of May. Our Province Center Mission Partners have toured the new space and are pleased with
the openness of the floor plan, kitchen area, and quiet room that will contain some of the stained glass windows and statues from the Province Center.
We will plan an Open House to celebrate, bless, and name the new space. We will send a Save-the-Date when we know the
schedule.
In the meantime, Sisters Madeleine and Mary Carol will each have a temporary office at Droste. We will also have a workroom and a few office stations for Administration staff for tasks like processing mail and checks. Staff will continue to work mostly remotely during this time. If you need to reach a staff member, it is easiest to reach us by email or our cell phones.
Until further notice, our MAILING ADDRESS WILL REMAIN THE SAME, 7654 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis MO 63121.
We are excited about creating something new and ask for your continued prayers to guide us.
Many hands working together
Clearing the Province Center was done in multiple phases.
First, Sisters and communities were asked if they wanted any items from the Province Center. Those items were removed and
delivered.
Province Staff sorted everything from kitchens, closets, cabinets, offices, and bedrooms and marked furniture for Home Sweet Home, a local nonprofit that helps women and families transition to new living environments.
We sold the larger equipment, such as the commercial freezer and refrigerator. The Reclamation Center of the Archdiocese
came to take relics and other items from the chapel.
Emil Frei removed the stain glass from the fourth floor and main floor chapels. The glass will be stored and ultimately repurposed in the new office space.
Staff took items they wanted. A friend of Jeanette’s sells antique and vintage furnishings. He and his crew spent two days clearing much of the remaining furniture, including all the pews in the chapel. Finding a home for the organ turned into a lovely community effort.
The finance office shredded nearly 150 boxes of files. In the process they found many mystery keys and miscellaneous items.
Monte and helping staff members assembled and packed more than 700 boxes of heritage materials. Monte spent weeks moving
the boxes to Droste. He and the staff also bubble-wrapped countless statues, paintings, textiles, framed photographs,
crucifixes, and other archival items.
Throughout all of this, we had shared lunches and quizzical questions like, “what exactly is this?” We took many trips to the store for boxes and tape, and more boxes and tape. Surprisingly, we only had one minor casualty in our flurry with scissors and sharp blades to cut strapping tape. We are happy to report that Lizzie’s finger is healing fine!
Hats off to the entire province team! Monte Abbott, Vicky Barshis, Yolanda Camp, Tracy Chartrand, Pam Fisher, Gabe and Lisa Fox, Jeanette McDermott, Alice Monroe, Toni Ponder, and Sisters Madeleine, Mary Carol, Marta, and Tram.