This time it is the church of St. Luke, located in St. Lucas, Iowa (Archdiocese of Dubuque). German farmers began this parish community in 1854 and built this stunning church in 1914-1915. The parishioners never could have imagined that nearly 100 years later, their original decorative scheme would be rediscovered and restored by a team of experts from the future.
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| Historic photo of an ordination at St. Luke's |
The fresh new look brings great joy to all (and will surely gladden the hearts of wedding photographers and brides alike). The project included purging the old institutional colors that reflected outdated palettes of the past (lime green and golden hues, typical of vintage government and healthcare facilities). Because of the dated paint scheme, the building failed to accredit itself to modern tastes.
The Restoration Work
St. Lucas is a small town with a population under 200. About 200 families from the surrounding area make up the parish which is today clustered with five other parishes. The need had been felt for some time for a proper restoration and that finally came in the Holy Year 2025.
Planning began early. In early 2022 bids were collected to restore the church and fundraising began. Plans were finalized and the church was closed for five months from May-October 2025 while the restoration crew worked in earnest.
Perhaps most exciting is that this specific restoration entailed bringing back to life certain elements of the original decorative scheme - including intricate stencil work - that had been lost and painted over decades earlier.
The original paint decoration had been first covered in the 1950s and the church was repainted again in the 1970s. The most recent restoration included retracing the original "vine and branch" motifs (as well as other stenciled wall decorations), seen in the images below. The end result was that 75% of what had been painted over was brought back to life.
The entire interior was repainted and the plaster was repaired. The carpet was replaced. Every pew was removed and re-varnished. Every light fixture in the church was replaced with new and updated technology.
In addition, new decorative elements were added, such as the creation of 14 stunning angel medallion murals in ceiling arches, a nice touch (recreated from old photographs) -- an example of the living tradition of sacred art.
The main theory behind such a restoration project is that all ornament should consist of enrichment of the essential construction of the building. In other words, the art and architecture should ideally match and be a consistent expression of the same mind and period. All in good taste, while the ultimate goal is the glory of God and the sanctification of the Christian faithful.
The end result is a church imbued with classic beauty, not as a servile imitator of previous fads of functionalist design or color, but a monument to God that reflects the excellence of the of great ages of faith, consistent with the spirit of previous great ecclesiastical architecture and design of the past. Catholics are unique -- they build and paint to reflect theological principles, as old men and women have sought to do in all ages of Christian history.
The Theological Value
Indeed, a church building has an intrinsically symbolic character. The church is the royal hall where we have our audience with the King. The house of God mirrors the edifice of Heaven. It is the mystical banquet hall where we meet God.
The crude obtrusiveness of later periods of paint and decoration took away from the original atmosphere of St. Luke's with its imitative art that effectively tied the experience of visitors to something of the transcendence of God, showing in some way the magnitude and totality and comprehensiveness of the one who created the cosmos and adorned the universe.
For Catholics, art is a theological category. Therefore, we take the decoration of churches most seriously. While architecture is primarily related to the science of construction, it must be beautiful. Therefore, Catholics have an instinct to decorate appropriately in obedience to the approbation that the church is the house of God and the gate of heaven (Gen. 28:17).
It is especially nice to see in this instance key elements of the original sequence of design restored. Church construction and design should always evolve in sequence of design, matching harmony with balance, from the inside outwards, with everything pointing to the holy of holies, the altar of sacrifice with the fixed tabernacle.
The building itself is there fundamentally to cover the altar. A church will "look like a church" if it is designed and decorated like a church and not a garage, a factory, a classroom, a bank, or a health care facility. The primary decoration of Catholic churches should not change much because after the course of many centuries it does not need to be changed. The classical architecture emphasizes its function with other-worldly expression.
A Look to the Future
There is great hope for the future. In no sphere of building in the past 60 or so years has there been so much dishonest architecture as in the construction of churches. A large number of ecclesiastical buildings put up in the decades since the 1960s can best be described as dystopian and soulless experiments that have failed to resonate in the template of young souls.
Let us pray in gratitude for every church that was build and has been well maintained as such. It is no small feat to initiate these projects and to carry them to the finish line. And a big thank you to all involved, including those generous souls who donated to this worthy project. Hopefully this will give other pastors the courage and grace to do the same.
And may this great community continue to flourish under holy priests. A big thank you to Fr. Nick Radloff, the pastor, who is doing amazing work!
As a side note, there have been 27 priestly vocations that have come from this parish. That is truly inspiring. Let us pray for more vocations from this fertile soil in the heartland of America.
The most well-known vocation from the parish was Fr. Aloysius Schmitt (1909-1941), a recipient of the U.S. Navy Silver Star. He is known as the first priest who died in World War II, at the attack on Pearl Harbor, where he was stationed as a Navy chaplain.
On board the USS Oklahoma, while assisting shipmates exiting from the overturned and partially submerged hull of the stricken battleship, he refused to abandon ship through a porthole while he had a chance. Instead, he chose to stay and help others, becoming the first chaplain to die in the war. He celebrated his first Solemn Mass atop this same altar.
