New Air-Cleaning Technology Installed at Saint Mary’s Church and School

Dear Saint Mary’s Catholic School community,

The community at Saint Mary’s Church & School has undertaken extraordinary efforts to ensure the health and safety of everyone who enters our buildings during the COVID-19 outbreak. Parish and School leaders have worked throughout the summer to implement the hygiene regulations which have been promulgated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Diocese of Richmond. These efforts have allowed us to safely gather for the public celebration of Mass, and for our school to reopen with all of our students and teachers in the classroom.

In addition to these efforts, our parish has made significant investments in technology, training and equipment which will permanently enhance the safety of every person who comes into our buildings.

We are happy to report that professional HVAC technicians have completed the installation of a Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization system in all of our air handling units to significantly improve air quality in every part of our church and school.

This technology is currently used at locations such as Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University, the White House and Charlotte Airport. This same technology has recently been installed in Richmond-area schools including St. Catherine’s and St. Edward-Epiphany Catholic School.

Bipolar Ionization Technology works to safely clean the air inside commercial and residential buildings. The patented technology uses an electronic charge to create a high concentration of positive and negative ions. As these ions travel with the air stream they attach to particles, pathogens and gases, making them filterable. The ions kill pathogens by robbing them of life-sustaining hydrogen. The ions travel within the air stream into the occupied spaces, cleaning the air everywhere the ions travel, even in spaces unseen.

Most importantly, this technology has been proven to kill airborne bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19.

The installation of this technology will cost the parish and school over $50,000. This is a significant financial investment, but we know that this is the right decision because it is an investment in the health, safety and well-being of every child and adult who spends time within the buildings of Saint Mary’s Church and School.

If you have any questions about this information, please feel free to contact us.

May God bless you and your loved ones.

In Christ,

Fr. Michael Renninger, Pastor

Mr. Brandon Hess, Principal