Extraordinary Saint Mary's Traditional Cache
Extraordinary Saint Mary's
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This is a unique geocache placed to bring cachers to the recently restored St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church in Florence, New York.
The History of St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church
Around the year 1800, the church was built to be a Baptist Seminary. Many immigrants from Ireland came to Florence, bringing their Catholic faith with them. The Catholics in Florence wanted a parish for themselves, so on September 30, 1845, the building was purchased and became St. Mary’s through much hard work and faith.
Saint Mary’s church switched from diocese to diocese several times in its early years. Catholics of Florence were first under the Diocese of Baltimore, and then they were later switched to the Diocese of New York. In 1847, Saint Mary’s was under the Diocese of Albany but in 1886, Saint Mary’s came to rest under the newly formed Syracuse Diocese. Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Church is one of the oldest churches in the Syracuse Diocese because it predates the diocese by several years.
Saint Mary’s Restoration
In October of 2006, major structure damage in Saint Mary’s Church’s basement was reported to the Vicar General at the Syracuse Diocese. The structure damage was so severe that the church was at risk of being demolished. The church celebrated its last regular Mass in 2003, but locals wanted to keep their monumental church anyway, even it was only considered a devotional chapel. In December 2006, a meeting was held in Florence to come up with a plan to save the church. Many concerned citizens travelled long distances to see what they could do to help.
At the first and second meetings, it was decided to research how much repairs would cost and where to find contractors who were willing to help. A committee was formed called “Friends of Saint Mary’s.” The committee’s goal was to restore and preserve Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Church. The committee made their cause heard in several newspapers statewide, asking for help. The committee met regularly and repair work finally began. The Friends of Saint Mary’s continued stating their cause across the nation. Reporters from television stations filmed the church and interviewed committee members.
Funding was raised through several efforts by the Friends of Saint Mary’s. First, an auction was held, with the profits being donated to the restoration process. Large donations from individuals were given as well. Next, sketches of the church were donated by a local artist and were given to any individual who donated a certain sum of money to the cause. Trips to Ireland were raffled, Christmas tree bulbs were sold, and entertainment events occurred; all to help restore Saint Mary’s Church.
Starting before the winter of 2008-09, repairs began on the basement of the church. Contractors from Camden were hired for the job. The basement went from being a cave to having a concrete floor, steel support posts, and new concrete wall reinforcements. A new furnace and a dehumidifier were installed. Insulation and ceiling fans were also installed to the interior of the church. A new roof was installed and a broken window was replaced. The church was nearly complete.
A Christmas celebration was held at Saint Mary’s on December 6, 2008. The bells of the church were rung. More donations were raised by a quilt raffle and a raffle for a trip to Ireland.
In May 2009, the interior of the church was scraped and repainted a light shade of green with dark green trim. Figures within the church were restored. The exterior of the church was pressure washed and repainted white with dark green trim. New steps were added to the entrance of the church and a new base to a statue was constructed. The cross on the steeple was repainted and straightened by September 2009. Finally, the structure repairs of the church were complete and Saint Mary’s looked great.
Preservation of Saint Mary’s
A mass was held on September 20, 2009 to celebrate the completion of restoration on Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Church. 500 invitations were mailed to those who helped restore the church. The church was filled and an overflow of people were standing outside on the day of the mass. Masses are held annually in September.
Although the church is now complete, the Friends of Saint Mary’s will continue to work to preserve the beautiful Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Church.
Since this cache is hidden near a cemetary, please be respectful and avoid night caching. This cache is uniquely camouflaged to look like it's surroundings. Please replace as found.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fnl tenpr ng gur onfr.