JamesFor some time, I’ve been documenting the ongoing renovation work at Saint Stanislaus Parish and Oratory, one of Milwaukee’s most historic churches. At its heart, this project is about restoring what our city’s Polish immigrant community left behind: a beautiful church in which to worship God through the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It’s really exciting to see what’s happening at Saint Stanislaus. Here’s a collection of photos showing the progress of the restoration of the sanctuary, which suffered terrible damage in the name of the “modern liturgy” during the 1960s. This extensive work has been funded entirely by the generosity of the parishioners of Saint Stanislaus. There is still a lot to do, so if you are interested in supporting this worthy cause, click here.
The sanctuary is returning to its original dimensions, which required a lot of work. A temporary altar is in place for Mass, and a marble Communion rail from Italy will be installed soon.
The new marble steps leading to the restored, original high altar.
This is the original tiling in the sanctuary that was buried for fifty years under concrete and carpet. It was heavily damaged and will be replaced with elegant new tiles that match the narthex, which you can see further down.
The two side altars also received marble steps.
Stunning marquetry in the sacristy. Incredibly, this was covered with an ugly purple carpet in the 1960s. What were they thinking?
The restored narthex, with new tiling.
The beautiful baptismal font was taken out of hiding and installed in the back of the church. Note the new floor which replaced the old carpet. This will eventually cover the entire church floor.
Here are some extra photos of the interior. The 1960s-era windows are going to be replaced with traditional stained glass.
This statue of Saint Joseph is from the 19th century and was recently brought to Saint Stanislaus from France by Canon Jayr.