Please pray for the people of St. Francis Parish in St. Francisville, IL. St. Francisville is right up Rte. 1 and sits beautifully on the Wabash. Along with several other parishes in our Diocese, St. Francis has been merged into a neighboring parish. In a way, every Catholic in Gallatin County can relate because every Catholic in Gallatin County has had to say goodbye to their parish as formerly constituted. But in another way the situation doesn't compare. St. Francis Church had its last Mass this Sunday.
Out of great sadness, the people of St. Francis have found in their hearts an incredible, profoundly Christian love. Knowing of a parish nearby who is building a new church, their wish was to contribute whatever they could. Even in their loss, they find a generous spirit.
They also hope to find some comfort knowing that the treasures they've guarded and loved for so long will be treasured by others, and not sit in a warehouse somewhere. And it's not so far to drive... I hope they will visit from time to time and see what they've given and what it means to our parish family here!
I was excited to see the Stations of the Cross at the parish. They are by Daprato and are cast in plaster and painted. They're somewhat smaller than the stations destroyed in St. Joseph, Ridgway, but similar in design. This is a most welcome development for us. There are nice stations in our chapels but they aren't available since the chapels remain in use and need to have stations. Acquiring a set of fine quality like these would probably not cost less than $10,000.
We will look into a few other possibilities. The pews might be able to be used, but it's a bit tricky and we're working on it. The same goes for some nice interior doors and decorations.
But the crown jewel of St. Francis Parish is the truly remarkable set of stained glass windows. I am almost certain that they will fit into our openings, and that any slight modification in the openings needed can be accomplished. When we took the measurements it was almost spooky. These windows are considered by many to be the finest in our diocese, perhaps next to the Cathedral.
There are plenty of details to work out and it won't be inexpensive to transfer the windows, but I feel we can find a way. I've posted many photos of the stations and windows and a few other things, you can view the photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93102373@N04/sets/72157641241101545/
Were the angel holy water fonts no longer at the church in St. Francisville. St. Mary's Church in Mount Carmel, IL donated them many years ago. They were standing angels holding large sea shells with their arms in support, the shells holding the holy water.
ReplyDeleteMissed them in the pictures and found no note of them in the descriptions. Thank you
They don't seem to be on sight. Perhaps the parishioners have found them a new home already. - Fr. Steven
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