From the desk of the pastor for May 25, 2025

The Lord be with you! I want to give an update about what we hope to do for our church’s roofs this summer. Although we know a great deal, we still have a few open questions.

St. Thomas More church has three distinct roof systems. There is a lower flat roof that surrounds the church’s nave and can be assessed by an internal ladder. On top of the church’s nave are two different roof systems: the dome and the upper ring roof, which I sometimes call the “doughnut.” The doughnut is a standard membrane roof, but the dome is unique. Composed of multiple layers the dome appears to have an original asphalt layer, several layers of insulation, and an original grid matrix for coatings.

In 2014 Legacy Roofing installed the present lower roof and the upper ring roof using a rubberized membrane. These roofing systems have a twenty year life span and should continue to function even beyond that, which definitely appears to be the case for the lower roof. Both the upper ring and lower roof use internal drains to get the water off the building. The lower roof appears to be in a good order and the water drains away in a normal way.

Unfortunately, the upper ring roof has not been draining water correctly. If you look at the upper roof deck - the structure of the building that looks like the rim of a hat - anyone can see the parts have fallen out. Obviously, water made its way into the roof deck and damaged it, but when and how are questions that we cannot answer. Our maintenance staff have witnessed water flowing over the side retaining wall during especially heavy rains. Such water flow should not happen and strongly suggested that the upper ring roof has drainage issues or a flawed membrane.

What about the dome? We have evidence that its outer layer is beginning to fail - moisture has been found inside. Also, a visual inspection of it reveals discoloration that strongly suggests that the outer layer has been compromised. Every roofer who has gone on the roof also points to the flashing bridging the upper roof and the dome as being in need of replacement.

If the upper ring membrane is sound, the upper ring needs its drainage revised or repaired. If its membrane is not good, then we need to replace that membrane. Once that is established, we can move forward with replacing the dome roof. We must not void a warranty on the upper ring roof when replacing the dome, so we have to make sure that work is well documented.

As so often happens when you have interconnected systems, a problem in one might seem like the problem in another. Roofing systems usually only last 25 years. With three different roofing systems, St. Thomas More church will usually be dealing with a major roof revision every eight years. That is just the law of averages. If we use the same kind of membrane for each roof, we should have an easier time diagnosing issues in the future. Moreover, if we take the time to inspect the roof annually, we should be able to extend these membranes beyond their warranty. By the middle of June, I hope to have a definitive plan for the roofs of our church. When I have more information, I will share it here. God bless.

In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John