In 1963 the Parish had sold the Hall to the , and from then onward was obliged to rent the School Hall for any functions such as, suppers, bingos, etc. In January of 1977 work got underway to renovate the church base¬ ment as a Parish Centre. Aided by an L.I.P. Program the cost to the parish was kept down to $29,000.00. A large bingo fund at that time provided the amount of $21,000.00. A contract was signed between the Parish Council and the Recreation Commission to divide the bingo money as follows: 10% of the gross receipts to be set aside as a sinking fund and all the other expenses to be deducted from the remaining 90% before dividing the net profits equally between the Parish and the Recreation Commission. Like Father Corcoran, so, one could also find Father Murnaghan working at the Wednesday evening bingo. The official open¬ ing of the new Parish Centre took place on Nov. 27, 1977. Renovations to the Parochial House were also carried out in the Spring of 1978. The kitchen and two bedrooms were remodeled, closets put in and carpets laid. An open house was held on June 4,1978 so that parishioners could view the improvements. Almost at the same time major repairs to the Church were undertaken. The lightning rods were re-installed, the church was painted and roofing and shingling were done. A generator was purchased in Dec. of 1977 for the parish house. Mostly because of freezing rain or "a silver thaw" as it is poetically called, there may be considerable damage to power lines. If one pole breaks under an immense weight of ice on the lines, a number of poles are likely to go down, somewhat like dominoes. This can cause power failures that last for weeks. Pre-School religion classes for 3,4, and 5 year olds were begun in the Fall of 1980. These are held every second Sunday in the church basement or Parish Centre during the 10:00 A.M. Mass. Great appreciation is owed to the teachers and young people who help them, for their patience, kindness and love, shown to our little ones. Father Murnaghan is well remembered for his numerous visits to the sick of the parish. His presence at these very trying times brought spiritual comfort to many. A parish retreat given by Father Robert Coady was planned for the Spring of 1981. Instead of the scheduled two evenings he was able to come for only one, but the Family Life Committee got him to promise to come back in the Fall for another session. He came back sooner than anticipated! In August of 1981, Father Robert Coady , better known as Father Bob , was named parish priest of Stella Maris . 21