New Spire to be Raised Next Thursday

The new steeple at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church will be raised next Thursday, according to church officials.

Repairs to the bell tower are finishing up this week and and structural reinforcement has been put in place. The church spire will arrive in three parts on Wednesday and fencing for the roof has already arrived.

The three parts will be unloaded on Thursday morning, Aug. 28, which will mean that Summer Street will be blocked near the church.

The base will be assembled, raised and secured before brief speeches at about 12:15 p.m. After that, the top of the spire will be raised about 12:30 p.m.

“Celebratory cake” will be eaten on the lawn at 1 p.m. The final step will be to secure the spire and attach the weathervane in the mid-afternoon.

The church is the oldest Episcopal church building on its original site in New England and is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year.

This story has been updated and corrected to indicate the day the new steeple will be raised.