By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher
Any remodeling project is a leap of faith. Whether the project is to restore an historical structure to its former glory or simply to bring an outdated home up to modern standards, we are never quite certain that the result will match our dreams.
But when that project involves the oldest Catholic church in Monroe County and an iconic symbol to so many, the risk takes on a special meaning.
Such was the case for the parishioners of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, better known as St. Mary’s, for the ridge between Cashton and Norwalk on which it is located.
Several years ago, the parish received a windfall from the estate of Mary Ann Brueggeman. With that chunk of change and additional fundraising efforts, the parish decided to tackle a project that would last nearly three years and restore the sanctuary from what had turned out to be a disastrous attempt at painting in 1980.
Geralynn Klinkner, whom Father Michael Klos called the parish historian, recalled that within a year, the new paint job had begun to peel and crumble.
Determined to have a long-lasting decorative restoration that would honor the rich history of the building, the parish turned to Affiliated Artists of Milwaukee.
Seasoned professionals, the company has done projects at Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Chicago, the Wisconsin Electric Power Company headquarters, the Henry Ford Museum, the Marcus Center for the Performing Art and the Pabst Mansion Museum, along with a multitude of churches throughout the Midwest.
With scaffolding filling the sanctuary, church services were moved to the basement for six months.
It took seven coats of a fiberglass-based paint, Klinkner said. The beige tones create a perfect backdrop for the gold filigree that accents the ceiling and walls. The company went far beyond brush and roller, adding biblical symbols across the ceiling, between the beams, and doing restorative work to statues and the Stations of the Cross.
Like the end of all painting projects, the next area to address was the floor. New carpeting replaced the drab 1980s carpet, but the best was saved for the alter area. When the former St. Mary’s School building was razed several years ago, the hardwood flooring was placed in storage. Refurbished, it is a symbol of the rich heritage of the parish and possibly of a time when the church dominated life on the ridge.
The parish has about 120 families, according to Father Klos. The consolidation of farms and the explosion of the Amish population led to a steep decline in members that has since stabilized. Klos, a Westby native, not only serves as priest at St. Mary’s, but also at Sacred Heart in Cashton and St. Augustine’s in Norwalk. In addition, he is the principal and a music teacher at Cashton’s Sacred Heart School, which serves about 40 students
Klos confessed he also slips into St. Mary’s at odd times and plays the organ. And what musician could resist? A complete overhaul of the organ’s inner workings has just been completed, and it will now provide stunning music to match the newly restored sanctuary.
Overall, the cost of the entire project topped $300,000.
All of this will be duly noted at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, when Bishop William Patrick Callahan of the La Crosse diocese will make a rare visit to the church to bless the newly renovated organ and the restored church sanctuary and altar.
The day before, the parish will celebrate with its annual fall dinner, serving from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The dinner features smoked and roasted pork dinner, twice-baked potatoes, rolls, vegetable salads, fruit salads and pie.
The 19th century immigrants who carried their faith across the ocean to a windswept ridge in Monroe County would be simply amazed to see what has grown from the seeds they planted.