Byrne Residence renovation in full swing

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

On a hot, sunny day in late July, workmen found a shady spot to cut siding for a west-facing wall of the Leo C. Byrne Residence in St. Paul. Their work is one task on a list of repair and renovation needs at the residence for retired priests.

Built in 1995, the 29-apartment residence located next to The St. Paul Seminary needs stucco and other exterior work; a new roof; balcony repairs; upgrades to lighting, heating and cooling systems; repairs for water damage; updates to apartments and to the building’s kitchen, dining room, community room and laundry facilities; and door and window replacement, in part to improve energy efficiency. The chapel on the third floor will be renovated. Work is expected to be completed by spring 2024.

“I like to say that we’re bringing it into the 21st century,” said Father Patrick Kennedy, a resident and a trustee of the Byrne Residence Charitable Trust, which owns, maintains and operates the residence. Replacing windows with more energy-efficient ones is “probably the biggest part of the project,” he said.

Renovations are needed now because the building was neglected along the way for a variety of reasons, Father Kennedy said. “This is a real opportunity to not only bring it up to snuff, but to provide for the next generation of priests who will live here.”

In an interview with The Catholic Spirit in November 2021, Deacon Phillip Stewart, administrator for the Byrne Residence, said about 80% of the priests at the residence remain active in ministry in some capacity, such as helping with Masses and confession.

As of Aug. 15, Deacon Stewart will reduce his time at the Byrne Residence, and Father Kennedy will assume the administrator role on an interim and volunteer basis.

People driving down the street may not notice a difference once renovations are complete, Father Kennedy said. “But when you walk through the building or when people move into the building, hopefully they will be able to plug things in and turn lights on that will last (longer),” he said, in part due to use of LED technology. And though “no one looks at boilers,” the new ones will be “much more efficient” than the ones installed in 1995, Father Kennedy said.

In late 2021, Michelle and Patrick Fox, parishioners of St. Olaf in Minneapolis, led a fundraising campaign — using announcements from the pulpit and in parish bulletins, and special envelopes in the pews — that raised about $1.5 million for repairs from parishioners across Minnesota.

This fundraising effort has been further strengthened by a group of generous donors who have come forward and are helping to meet the $6.5 million goal, along with raising additional funds to create an endowment to help cover future capital expenditures at the residence, said Father Kennedy.

Father Jack Long, 73, who retired five years ago and first lived at a rectory for three years with two