Sunday, March 21, 1999
Historic church gets ready for 150th year
BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
With all the scaffolds clogging St. Francis De Sales Church these days, it's hard for the Rev. Ed Jach to get a good look at his parishioners during Mass.
“I feel like I'm in a crowded kitchen,” Father Jach said.
But when he's not joking about the dust and scaffolding, he speaks seriously about how the restoration project will help attract more members to the diverse 200-fami ly East Walnut Hills parish, which includes parishioners from 34 ZIP codes. He says the spruce-up also will bring “a little more warmth” to the German and French Gothic-style place of worship.
The painting and cleaning of the stained glass windows is being done in conjunction with the church's sesquicentennial, which officially kicks off in September. The project's $200,000 price tag — which is what it cost to build the church — was made possible by a bequest. The project should be wrapped up by Easter.
“It's a dramatic improvement. They've (the painters) stayed with the former colors and just made it look more enriching,” said Father Jach, who has led the church since 1990.
The church is rich in intricate carvings and architectural detail. And that point hasn't been lost on workers, who are careful to maintain the church's original look of gold, pink, and beige and light
brown stencil designs.
“And being careful not to break anything — that was another big part of the job,” said supervisor Daryl Smith of Norwood-based E.B. Miller, a painting contractor.
A unique feature of the sanctuary is a wooden pulpit attached to the first pillar above the congregation. It is where priests preached before the sound system was installed. The large church also includes a center marble altar.
When the restoration started in February, the marble was among the first tasks for workers. They washed the altar with a marble cleaner and sealed it.
In addition to when the church was built, it was painted again in 1961. There may have been another paint job in between, Father Jach said.
In all, it will take about 250 gallons of paint to coat the church, Mr. Smith said.
Interior designer Michael Bourke of Hyde Park-based Greiwe Interiors Inc. is serving as a volunteer consultant for the restoration project. Mr. Bourke said he is almost certain that Greiwe gave the church an earlier coat of paint for several reasons: when the company was founded in 1881 it started off doing business with churches and St. Francis' interior design favors something his company would've painted.
Father Jach, who was not aware of this coincidence until recently, said the reason the church sought Greiwe's help is because “we wanted some experts.”
“It's wonderful to be back so many, many generations later to paint the church again,” Mr. Bourke said.
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