The Journal-Pioneer newspaper website features the following article today: http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-05-21/article-2984497/Painting-the-chapel/1
Painting the Chapel:
Interior transformation taking place at St. Patrick's Church.
by Eric McCarthy, May 21, 2012
A shot from the gallery of
St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church shows some of the old and some of the new
colour schemes. The interior painting job started April 2 and is expected to be
completed by the end of May. P.E.I.’s second oldest Roman Catholic church
celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2014.
GRAND RIVER -- As a member of the heritage committee for St. Patrick's Roman
Catholic Church in Grand River, Helen MacKinnon has made many weekday visits to
her church to see how a major painting project is progressing.
"The most amazing thing is on Sunday," MacKinnon said, "when you walk in and
see everybody looking to see what's happened from one Sunday to the other, and
the excitement."
From her seat in the choir loft, organist Mary McGuire has noticed the
interest in the project, too. "They come earlier and they walk around," she
commented.
The interior painting project by Atlantic Cathedral Painters Ltd. started on
April 2 and isn't expected to wrap up until around the end of May.
The work is part of the build-up to the church's 175th anniversary
celebrations in 2014.
"It's an amazing project, and it is going to be so bright and beautiful and
clean," MacKinnon marveled.
A crying room in the back corner has been removed, exposing another of the
church's stained glass windows.
"Another dream come true," said parish priest, Fr. Albin Arsenault.
It is the third such project he has been involved in during his ministry and
follows projects in Tignish and Miscouche.
"I knew it had to be done."
Fr. Arsenault said no work had been done to the interior of the province's
second-oldest Roman Catholic church building in 40 to 45 years.
"It brings like a parish revival or parish renewal: it's so uplifting," he
said.
The project, which also includes antique-looking light fixtures, upholstered
antique seats for the sanctuary, repainting of the Last Supper which is set into
the front of the Table of the Sacrifice, and sealing the exterior of the stained
glass windows, is estimated to cost about $80,000.
A parish drive has already raised $60,000 for the project and more activities
are planned including an evening of Island music in the Grand River Hall from 7
to 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 27.
On Thursday, May 24 the parish is hosting a Mass of Thanksgiving in
celebration of the project.
"We need to celebrate," said Fr. Arsenault, acknowledging the many people who
have helped make it possible. "It is quite a big undertaking." Members of the
congregation of the decommissioned Union Corner United Church have been invited
to take part in the celebration. They donated six antique light fixtures from
their church to the side chapel of the Grand River church.
The painters are going with three shades of green - lunette on the ceiling,
pistachio on the walls and shaded spruce gingerbreads and outline. There's gold
marbling for behind the main altar and on the end wall in the gallery, gold
decals and white pillars and frames.
So many fine detailing in the William Critchlow Harris church design were
hidden behind like-coloured layers of paint, observed Fr. Arsenault.
"They're bringing out details we weren't aware of before," MacKinnon agreed.
"They just sort of faded in before."
Organist Mary McGuire enjoys watching the transformation of her church.
"There's a great sense of community and helping one another in the parish,"
she said.
Fr. Arsenault added, "There's so much pride that it's taking place; that (the
church) is not taken for granted."
Below are photos I took during my recent visit.
Below: Photos of Parochial House.
Below: Interior Photos.
Below: BEFORE - The wall has been painted green - soon to receive trim colours.
Below: AFTER - The side walls accents painted.
The interior painting was carried-out by ATLANTIC CATHEDRAL PAINTERS LTD. of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. They also painted the interiors of St. Simon St. Jude Church, Tignish and St. John the Baptist Church, Miscouche. The day of my visit I met Bill Gottschall, the owner of Atlantic Cathedral Painters. Bill's forefathers have been painting cathedrals for more than 600 years - originally from Germany, Bill's grandfather emigrated to Canada prior to WWII and re-established his family's painting traditions here in Atlantic Canada. See their Facebook page and some of their other projects: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlantic-Cathedral-Painters-Ltd/289022579488#!/pages/Atlantic-Cathedral-Painters-Ltd/289022579488?sk=photos
You have transformed our church, St. Patrick's into a work of art. There was allot of beautiful detail that was not notice because of prior paint jobs but with your expertise in cathedral painting it has brought out every original little detail, all with tasteful colors and fine execution.
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