LYNN — To preserve the beauty of St. Joseph’s Church, a major stained glass window restoration project is underway, with a price tag of more than $200,000.
The Rev. Israel Rodriguez, administrator of St. Joseph’s Parish, said the stained glass windows in the church on Union Street depict different parts of the Bible, including the life of Jesus, Mary, and some saints.
“They are very beautiful and we wanted to preserve the beauty of this place and of the stained glass windows,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said there are three phases to the project, which is primarily to refurbish the stained glass windows’ exterior frames, which have deteriorated over time. Work started last month on Phases 2 and 3, refurbishing the window frames in the upper church, where Mass and other religious services are held. The cost of the upper church project is $164,000, and work is expected to be completed next month, he said.
Rodriguez said the church did two years of fundraising to pay for the project, but $23,000 still needs to be raised for Phases 2 and 3. Phase 1, the renovation of the lower church’s windows, is estimated to cost $52,000 — more fundraising is required for that portion of the project as well. The lower church’s windows renovation has been put on hold, he said. The lower church is a meeting and events space.
Rodriguez said there’s also a necessary cost not included in the project, which is the $35,000 required to paint and renovate the big stained glass rose window in the back of the church, which depicts the largest Star of David of any church or synagogue in Lynn.
The windows are more than 140 years old. The church was founded in 1874 and is the oldest Catholic Church building in continuous service in the city. St. Mary’s Church is older, but the original building had to be rebuilt after burning down, he said.
St. Joseph’s Church is unique, because it is mainly an immigrant community — about 96 percent of its parishioners are Spanish-speaking. St. Joseph’s is the the only Catholic church in Lynn that has Spanish Mass, which is much more heavily attended than English Mass, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the restoration work is on the outside of the windows, renovating frames that have become worn with time and the weather. Some broken glass has to be replaced in some areas as well, and some of the glass was bowed and had to be straightened out, because it can fall off.
In between the glass is lead, which has a lifespan of about 100 years, and is now more than 140 years old. He said work is being done to relead the windows. Some scraping of the old paint and repainting has to be done.
Rodriguez said the plastic protective covering on the windows outside is yellowed, which happens over time. New aluminium frames, with a better plastic material that doesn’t get discolored because it is a harder material, are being put in. He said the aluminum frames cover the wood and are able to preserve it better.
Rodriguez said the renovations were undertaken for three reasons, to preserve the beauty of the stained glass windows; for safety, as the worn out frame can fall and harm someone outside; and for practical reasons, because if the vents cannot be opened, air doesn’t circulate. He said it’s important to provide a “safe, beautiful and good environment for our people.”
He said a quote from famed Russian poet, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot” comes to mind, when he wrote that “Beauty will save the world.” He said that idea pertains to the restoration work in the church.
“When people come to a place that is beautiful, they feel loved,” Rodriguez said.
