St. Joseph, Petersburg, completes $350,000 project
After years of planning and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, Bishop Barry C. Knestout dedicated the newly- renovated St. Joseph Church, Petersburg, on Saturday, Jan. 8.
St. Joseph Church has existed since the 1890s and is a testament to Victorian Gothic architecture with its grand stained glass windows, detailed statues and soaring arches.
Nearly 130 years of worship had left its mark on the building, inside and out, and a plan was developed by former pastor Father Brian Capuano, who now serves as the diocesan vicar for vocations, to complete substantial renovations to the church.
Instead of trying to “modernize” the church, the parish decided to honor its traditional roots by restoring and highlighting the original architecture.
Father Capuano worked closely with the parish financial council and liturgy committee to bring these ideas to life. The $350,000 undertaking included painting the ornate tin ceiling, restoring the high altar, grinding and polishing the soapstone floors, refinishing the wood floors, repairing and refinishing the pews and kneelers, and other projects.
St. Joseph’s Deacon Bob Young said, “Father Brian Capuano was the main architect with the dream and vision . . . His dedication and willingness to work the long and arduous hours to accomplish this was the reason that all this was accomplished.”
A labor of love, Father Capuano said that it’s a duty to preserve the church building, “not simply because of its architectural qualities, but principally, because of what it ‘speaks’ for the sake of the salvation of souls. Remember, churches were often built recognizing the need to catechize the faithful in an organic way. Structures can literally speak. Let’s continue to dignify and beatify this inheritance that was offered as a sacrificial offering to the glory of God by those who came before us.”
This was echoed by Father Gino Rossi, who has served as pastor at St. Joseph since July 2021 and oversaw the renovation work. He was installed as pastor of the parish at the dedication Mass.
He explained why the physical place of worship is so important: “In a time when Catholic identity and beliefs are becoming more and more countercultural, individuals who still embrace the faith want it in its fullness, including how they worship. The Catholic Church is a treasure chest of tradition and beauty, in its spirituality, its music, its art and its architecture.”
The planning began five years ago, with smaller projects, such as installing the Stations of the Cross and repairing the choir loft, being completed earlier in the process.
Deacon Herb Funk, who is a lifelong member of the parish, said, “These smaller efforts gave people something tangible in the present and kept alive the vision and promise of the future.”
Deacon Funk also commented on how the parish community, which has seen an influx of younger, more traditional members in recent years, widely supported the renovation plan.
“I find that many younger folks seem to be searching for the more formal liturgical expressions and value the sense of the sacred they seem to find,” he said.
Like most projects undertaken in the past two years, the pandemic hindered its progress. Supply chain issues delayed and halted construction; problems were revealed during the renovation that needed to be addressed and repaired. Mass was celebrated in the parish hall for several months while awaiting the completion of the renovations.
The most cumbersome project was the renovation of the original high altar area. This required the disassembling of large marble pieces, working to locate and repair missing original pieces of the altar, and finding workers who could construct matching pieces for portions of the altar that were completely lost.
This took a considerable amount of time and talent. The altar is now restored to its original position in the center of the sanctuary, displaying the Eucharist for all to see.
It was a fitting time for renovations to take place at St. Joseph, as Pope Francis declared 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph – the 150th anniversary of the saint being declared patron of the Catholic Church. St. Joseph was a carpenter who worked with his hands, and in his apostolic letter “Patris corde” (“With a father’s heart”), Pope Francis wrote that physical work “is a means of participating in the work of salvation” and that “those who work are cooperating with God himself.”
The work was finally completed the week before Christmas, allowing parishioners to celebrate the birth of Jesus in their renovated worship space.
The impact was immediate.
“There is no mistaking you are in a Catholic Church when you enter St. Joseph, and people love that,” Father Rossi said. “Just last week, a visitor paid us a great compliment after Mass, saying, ‘If I were going to bring someone to Mass to introduce them to the Catholic faith, this is exactly how I would want it to be shown to them.’”
Editor’s note: To learn more about St. Joseph Parish, visit https://www.sjcpetersburg.com.