Parish unites to remodel small church
WORLEY, Idaho – A stained-glass glow ahead and an angel behind new pews has the parishioners in awe of the change at St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
Ray Haeg, project manager and member of the parish, expects oohs and ahhs as the influx of summer crowds set their eyes on the new chapel.
“It’s really beyond their wildest imagination of what this would look like and turn out to be,” said Haeg.
The parish, made up of about 12 families, worked together to renovate the church and bring in a plethora of Catholic regalia. The parish typically doubles in the summer because of families with vacation homes in the area.
“For two or three years now, we’ve just been bursting at the seams during the summer,” Haeg said.
The church set out three years ago to draw up plans for a new church. Members raised $100,000 through donations and fund raising, and received a $75,000 donation from the Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States for the project.
The church, which was built from a refurbished house, hadn’t been changed since 1970. Construction included a 33-foot extension, new carpeting, insulation and electrical system. Outside additions include new roofing, siding, handicapped access and a cross over the entryway.
During construction, the church sought out 20 solid oak pews in storage at the Sisters of Providence Chapel in DeSmet. The convent has been boarded up since 1974. But stored inside were an alabaster set of the Stations of the Cross, a 6-foot stained-glass window depicting Christ and the Sacred Heart and a 5-foot angel guiding a small child.
The final touch was in place Friday when the 100-year-old angel arrived back from Issaquah, Wash., after six months of refurbishing. It was raised to a pedestal near the church entrance.
Each piece added a special value to the renovation because the Worley church didn’t have much more than a cross and an altar before.
“It’s what signifies, like a reminder,” said Patty VanTrease, a church member who helped with the project. “And it’s decorative. It’s pretty.”
The Sisters of Providence and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe donated the equipment to the Worley church. Most of the pews had aged and some artwork was vandalized, including a bullet hole between the eyes of Christ and red nail polish on the angel statue. But parishioners worked together to refurbish what they could, including stripping and staining the pews by hand.
Professionals at Reflections Stained Glass in the Spokane Valley repaired the stained glass.
In addition, Susan Kim, owner of Reflections Stained Glass, used elements from the recovered stained glass to create 12 matching windows now lining either side of the chapel. Each is made of 312 pieces and beam an image of the cross with radiating lines from the center. They also contain art elements from the ceiling of the DeSmet mission designed by Henry Aripa, a Coeur d’Alene Indian. Aripa, 83, attends the Worley church and hopes to add more accents to the remodeled chapel.
Kim said the window work was complex, but the best part was refurbishing the 6-foot window, made in 1911.
“It’s kind of like you’re touching a part of history,” she said.
Construction started in July, the pews were ready by December and windows were in place by April. The angel marked completion.
“We keep saying we were flying around on the seat of our pants and the Holy Spirit must have been guiding us because everything seemed to be falling into place,” said Haeg.