ADDING MORE COVERAGE!

One of the most dramatic changes in the church was the painting of the walls and ceiling.  Conrad Schmitt Studios did an amazing job of creating a new color palette and custom stencils to highlight the beautiful Gothic architecture of the church. 

Other areas needed to be painted as well.  The entrance off of Highway 50 and the area by the new baptismal font needed to be painted because of the new construction.  Some areas hadn’t been painted in very long time….the sacristy not only needed painting but lots of plaster and wall repair.  Parishioner Matt Huml, along with his partner Antonio, completed this work for us.  This past week they also painted the parish center (lots of wear and tear was fixed and patched) and gave the parish offices a fresh new look as well. Volunteer Madeleine Engerman painted the ceiling in the breezeway, and our maintenance staff painted the walls of the parish library (downstairs). Parishioner Chris Weber stained the concrete in the breezeway to give it a clean, new look. The stucco by the parking lot entrance was fixed and painted.  Everything looks so nice!

You will also notice that in that past few weeks that new flooring was put into all of the offices and meeting rooms of the parish center.  New carpet squares were placed in all except for the Jonah Room (which doubles as the art classroom for our parish school) where a new vinyl floor was installed. Check it out!

Thanks to our vendors and volunteers for all of your work!   

WHAT'S THAT WHATJAMACALLIT?

You've seen it.  You might have hung your bulletin on it or pushed the button to see what it does. Some people use it to hold their envelope while waiting for the offertory basket.

 

This vintage item was recently re-installed onto our pews.  They are usually referred to as "hat clips" or "button clips".  They are made of brass or copper, are spring-loaded and say "Dennings" on them with several patent numbers.  According to a recent Ebay posting on the internet of a similar item, these were probably manufactured in the early 1900's and  invented to hold a man's hat during Mass.

 

As you know, we used a company that specializes in antique pew restoration to restore our church's original (125 year old!) pews.  Of course they had to take the antique hat clips off during the refinishing process and we had to do some convincing to have them put back on!  It was fitting to advocate to keep this little part of history from a bygone era, don't you agree?

 

We also have had combination envelope/pencil holders (these are new) installed in the pews at this same time.  This is a neater looking solution to have offertory envelopes readily available for the many visitors that come to Mass on the weekends. 

 

How can you help?  The pew areas tend to "collect" old bulletins and programs.  If you see anything that doesn't belong there or needs straightening up, please help by tidying up your pew on your way out! 

 

OUT OF DARKNESS

Of course one of the main architectural features of our beautiful church building are the original stained glass windows.  The male saints are on the west side and the female saints are on the east side.  If you have been inside at different times of the day you have seen that the sun can really highlight the colors and textures of the glass, creating stunning portraits of the saints. 

During the 1950's there was hope that a school could be built and that dream became a reality in 1952.  The decision was made to construct it on the east side of the property and join the buildings together with a convent.

The connection of  buildings  blocked the sunlight from two of the original windows and one of them was modified to be positioned above the door.  Over the years there has been an attempt to backlight the windows with fluorescent tubes. The light didn't look natural and it was complicated to change the bulbs when they burned out.  And of course, someone had to remember to turn on (and off!) the switches.

Our Project 2017 lighting designer worked on finding a natural looking solution that would mimic sunlight.  Our electrician installed LED rope lighting behind the windows and came up with the idea of putting them on timers so that the light comes on in the morning and turns off at dusk.  



Before

After

This window is of St. Catherine of Sienna, the patroness of Italy.  She was canonized in 1461 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1970.  She is holding a feather pen and a book--these indicate her writings and the fact that she is a Doctor of the Church.  The dagger through her heart symbolizes her great love for Christ.

St. Helena graces the window over the door to the breezeway. Born in Bithynia, Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), circa 248, St. Helena was married to Roman Emperor Constantius and had a son who would become Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to become a Christian. St. Helena, who converted as well, oversaw the construction of churches on Holy Land sites. She would later be credited with discovering the cross upon which Jesus Christ is believed to have been crucified. St. Helena died circa 328 in Nicomedia (present-day Turkey).   She was known for her kindness to the poor. 

Each window tells a story.  Would you be interested in learning more about the saints and symbols of our church?  We will soon be offering church tours and literature.  If you would like to volunteer to be a docent or help to work on a brochure, please contact Martha at stewardship@sfdslg.org.