Clearer sunlight is greeting parishioners and visitors at St. Alphonsus Rock Church as restoration continues on 28 of the historic church’s 120-year-old German-designed stained-glass windows.
Last February, the church received a $500,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to support the restoration work.
The project is about 60% complete and is expected to be finished in March, said Monica Huddleston, grant compliance administrator — ahead of Easter on April 5.
Restoration work is continuing through Willett Stained Glass Studios of Winona, Minnesota, with some windows removed and shipped to the company’s facility for more detailed repairs.
Once restored, the windows are fitted with protective acrylic coverings. Peeling paint on the ornate wood frames has been removed, and the surfaces repainted.
Olivier Fournier of Paris, France, and his assistant, Mark Hice, are conducting much of the on-site restoration using scaffolding, boom equipment and specialized tools.
The grant covers only part of the overall stained-glass restoration. The project is part of the church’s capital campaign to raise $1.5 million for major infrastructure repairs and replacements, including tuckpointing, roofing and other improvements.