ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — After years of planning, the renovations to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine are finally underway.
Instead of soft hymns, the sound of drills now floods the historic sacred space as dozens of workers start on the $4 million project.
"To have it completed and to have it shining and new, it's going to be tremendous," said Father Thomas Willis, pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.
The church is now gutted, the altar floor is down to bare bones where Italian marble will be installed and scaffolding is in place.
Baker Liturgical Art moved its project manager, Jim Pecorelli, to St. Augustine for a year to oversee the project.
The company's president, Brian Baker, said it was an honor to be chosen to do the work.
"This one was a big one to get, we are very proud to have it and we will do our best to make it shine," said Baker.
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Workers found a time capsule in the main altar that was buried back in 1966, which was the year the church was last renovated.
Among medallions, old newspapers, a coin blessed by the Pope Paul VI and a photo of the previous pastor, Monsignor John Burns, at the Vatican, there was a letter penned by the previous contractor to future contractors.
"He hopes the next contractor has as much fun as he did renovating the church," said Baker. "It means a lot, we always put a time capsule in when we finish."
The church is widely regarded as a pillar not just of St. Augustine but of the entire Catholic community.
Willis hopes the work will help keep the legacy alive.
"We are one of the very few places in the entire world that can trace the founding of our city to the religious event of the first Mass being celebrated on Sept. 8, 1565, and this cathedral, this parish continues that journey down to today," said Willis.
Work is expected to last three months. Meanwhile, Mass is being celebrated at the Bishop Baker Parish Center.
The goal is to finish in time for Easter and well before the 450th commemoration in September, when a visit from Cardinal O'Malley, a representative of Pope Francis, is expected.
Workers also potentially discovered where the graves of two priests and one of the original contractors are. They are believed to be buried underneath the main altar. Workers plan to clearly mark these sites once the work is complete.
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