Windows and Stations from St. Francis Xavier Parish

Here's the latest GREAT news about the glass and stations from St. Francisville described here.

The transfer is approved and official. If you haven't followed the Flickr link to photos, check it out. They really are fantastic. It's impossible to exaggerate the impact this glass will have on our church.

The plan, you may remember, was to install clear glass windows initially. Over time, as funds became available, the parish could commission stained glass to insert. Even in our wildest fundraising dreams, though, we wouldn't have been able to achieve glass of this quality. I don't know exactly what fabrication of similar windows would cost today, but I'm quite certain it would exceed $50,000 per window.

The windows have been seen and measured by a representative from Art Glass Unlimited of St. Louis. They are qualified to do the delicate work of removing, restoring, and reinstalling the windows. He seemed to indicate that the windows were in generally good condition and the restoration required would not be excessive. Still, I'm anxious to see the numbers. I haven't the slightest idea what to expect when it comes to the cost of this work.

We will also seek at least one other proposal for comparison.

St. Francis Xavier Parish (now merged into St. Lawrence Parish) is also providing Stations of the Cross, also pictured at the Flickr link above, and a nice sacristy cabinet. We investigated possible reuse of the pews in the church, but that didn't pan out.

Please pray for the people of the former St. Francis Xavier Parish, now members of St. Lawrence Parish, who have been so generous in the midst of a tough transition.