Parish renews worship space

The prize was given by a local group that sponsors tours and architectural lectures, and presents awards to groups that restore historical properties.

Rev. Anthony Ligato, pastor of Holy Family, said the project began in 2000 with replacement of the roof. "Our parishioners were extremely generous," he said, and restoration work continued with re-pointing of the surface stone.

Historic site

Father Ligato said that "this church is the oldest church building in the Mohawk Valley and made of native stone," a source of pride for parishioners.

The structure, which seats up to 1,000 people, has large stained glass windows; part of the restoration included re-leading two of them.

"We also eventually replaced the outdated boiler system with an entirely new system," he said. "We hired an engineer who was able to design the new system so that it connects to the 19th-century radiators throughout the church. It really is state-of-the-art technology."

Uncovering art

In the 1970s, when the interior of the church was painted white, the wooden relief ceiling, and the scroll-work and Gothic arches on the ceiling and walls were hidden. Parishioners wanted to restore the interior as close to the original colors as possible.

"After consulting an expert," Father Ligato detailed, "it was decided that we could never recover the original patina of the wood ceiling, so we spent a lot of time figuring out what to do with it.

"We decided on three colors that would bring back the original warmth of the space: restrained gold for the scroll-work, ivory for the ceiling deck and Navajo white for the walls. The result is a warm, sunset hue that accentuates all the painstaking handiwork of the original artisans."

Checklist

Other projects continue to bring the stately building back to its original glory. According to Father Ligato, the parish:

* replaced the red carpet in the sanctuary with hardwood flooring, done by a local artisan who carved and placed inlaid walnut crosses around the foot of the altar and installed new hardwood flooring with inlaid crosses leading to the altar in all the aisles;

* removed two rows of pews from the front of the church to allow more room near the sanctuary for Sunday worship and special liturgies, such as weddings;

* added an "aesthetically pleasing" handrail made from the former altar rail that allows for handicapped access to the main altar area; and

* enlisted the skills of a parishioner, Bob Boepple, who followed a hand-drawn sketch by the pastor to design and build a new pulpit from the leftover pews, altar rail, and Gothic arches and carvings found in the church basement.

He also built two tables, one to hold the Lectionary and Scriptures, and another that serves as a credence table in the sanctuary. And he constructed two new presider and deacon chairs for the altar, and rebuilt the original marble baptismal font, which had been dismantled.

Big changes

"The ecclesiology of the church from its original form to what it is now is very different," Father Ligato enthused. "Through this restoration process, we have made the worship space much more accessible to the laity. It has been a work of dedication and love by those involved.

"This church can now continue to provide a wonderful place of worship for future generations of Catholics in the Mohawk Valley."