Conrad Schmitt Studios have provided us with yet another 'before and after' project, this time coming out of the parish church of St. Francis Borgia in Cedarwood, Wisconsin. The present church building was originally constructed in the year 1870 and over the century it underwent at least two renovations; one around the mid-century period, and another following the Second Vatican Council. In the mid-century period it obtained a renovation which essentially modified the church's altars and decoration programme to something more akin to the fads and fashions of the twentieth century liturgical movement; what came in the latter part of the twentieth century was far more radical with decorative paintwork being white-washed over, altars stripped out, and the sanctuary ordering completely changed.
That is the particular face of the church that constitutes what came immediately before the restorative works undertaken by Conrad Schmitt Studios:
BEFORE
As you will see, there was some painted work in the apse at this time, but otherwise it was a very plain and neutral decorative scheme. (Some of these elements may have been added later, representing some of the changes that began to be seen in the later 1990's and early 2000's) The ordering followed a typical "post-conciliar" style arrangement, with the side altar stripped away, the baptismal font brought out of its symbolic place near the entrance of the church (where it symbolized the Sacrament through which one entered the Church proper), and -- oddly -- the statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph where clustered together to the one side.
Turning our attention to the after, the parish and Conrad Schmitt seems to have taken their inspiration from the original, pre mid-century church, bringing back similarly styled altars and reredoses to where they had once been, and further adding a beautiful palette of colour and new ornament. As Conrad Schmnitt reminds us, "Liturgical decoration is far more than ornamentation; it is a language of beauty that speaks when words fall short, reminding all who enter that sacred beauty is a gracious invitation to encounter the divine."
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Quite impactful to say the least. Here are some further details of the beautiful stencilling for your further consideration and enjoyment:
Now whenever possible, we like to provide our readers with 'before the before' photos to show what the original parish church decorative programme and ordering looked like. In this particular case we have fortunately been able to source two instantiations of that, the first being the original Victorian era form of the church and the second being a renovation done in the mid-twentieth century.
 |
| St Francis Boriga as it would have appear in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century. |
 |
| St. Francis Borgia, circa 1950-1970. |
For more information on this project, we'd invite you to visit Conrad Schmitt's website or find them on social media.
-------
Do you like Liturgical Arts Journal's original content? You can help support LAJ in its mission and vision to promote beauty in Catholic worship either by:
You choose the amount! Your support makes all the difference.
