Stained restoration: St. Joe windows to be updated

Kevin Slager, foreman on the project, prepared to remove a 10-by-3 pane from its frame.

As the tall stained glass windows at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church are removed for restoration, parishioners will experience a worship service similar to the first Mass held there on November 21, 1880.

Due to the cost and to allow for some heat from the sunlight, the church had clear windows when it was first built. The church wouldn’t receive its signature and historic stained glass windows for another 18 years in 1898. And, as Wisconsin based Conrad Schmitt Studios completes the restoration of the windows, services will be well lit with sunlight streaming through the clear storm windows left in place.

Mike Hagerdon and Father William Traylor observed as workers with Conrad Schmitt Studios removed the panes of stained glass Tuesday morning.

Now 118 years old, time has taken a toll on the windows which had an original life expectancy of about 100 years. According to Kevin Slager, foreman on the project, the windows have weakened lead frames, faded paint and are bowing from the stress of temperature changes through the years.

On Tuesday, the company removed the 10-by-3 panes from the southwest corner of the sanctuary as well as the two vents at the base to transport them to the company’s headquarters in New Berlin. There the company will complete a rubbing of the pane to ensure it’s artistic integrity is maintained and then begin the arduous process of taking the window apart to clean it and repair broken pieces and replace glass that is irreparable.

According to Slager the studio that specializes in restoring and designing stained glass windows is about as old as the windows themselves. Additionally, finding the matching glass to replace those pieces too aged to repair will be easy since the company that manufactured the glass, Kokomo Opalescent Glass Works, is still in business.

These first panes will be used as test panels to determine the extent of the project. They will be gone about four months as the company completes the process. After returning and reinstalling the window, the company plans on returning in January of 2018 to remove the remaining windows to complete the project.

The stained glass windows of Saint Joseph are recognized on a National level including the “Nativity Window” that was selected by the United States Historical Society and distributed in their annual Christmas Plate series.

For the past three years, a Saint Joseph Parish task force has been engaged in assessing the historic church with respect to the condition of the windows and other aging interior surfaces. The top priority was to address the stained glass windows.

Church officials estimate the restoration of the windows will be between $500,000 and $900,000. Funding for the project is largely from the recently completed Stewards of God’s Grace Capital Campaign orchestrated in cooperation with the Diocese of Evansville.

“They are part of the historical fabric of the building,” said Father William Traylor. “To replace them with new you would be paying a great deal more. Its significance is that it creates an ambiance in the space. It reminds the people of the saints and their stories. It’s all conducive to what we do in the building which is worship.”

Father Traylor said he enjoys the two windows on the northeast corner of the sanctuary that depict the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary to inform her she will be the mother of the savior. “That’s the one I enjoy the most because that’s the beginning of the redemption story,” he said.