Following months of closure due to extensive renovations, St. Bernard Church will officially reopen its doors Dec. 18 — just in time for Christmas worship services.
The church has been closed since April 1 while craftsmen restored paint, plaster and carpet amongst myriad other things that needed repair in the historical structure, which was built in the 1890s.
In the interim, services have been held at St. Francis of Assisi Church. After Dec. 18, all Mass services will be moved from St. Francis back to St. Bernard.
For the Rev. John Jacquel, the journey has been a long one. He is overjoyed to see the project come to a close in time for one of Christianity’s most important holidays.
“The exciting part will be seeing it all come together when all of the people are finally here to enjoy it,” Jacquel said. “We will definitely be in there for Christmas.”
Members of the church hope to have a “soft opening” on Dec. 15 for afternoon confessionals.
“We will be holding the Sacrament of Reconciliation and hopefully a few people will come in for that,” said Jacquel.
The church will have a move-in day Dec. 16 and are asking for the community’s help to transport furniture and other items from St. Francis. They are also asking for a group of volunteers to get the new church polished and spotless for the grand opening.
“It is looking really good so far,” said Jacquel.
He explained that there were just a few last-minute projects still underway.
“They are just finishing up the carpeting and the sanctuary,” said Jacquel.
He explained that organizers had always planned for the project to wrap up before this Christmas, but at some points in the restoration that seemed like an ambitious goal.
“It has been a large undertaking and a stressful one in terms of trying to get people all together,” said Jacquel.
While he is thrilled with the entire restoration, he is most excited for his flock to experience their new pews.
“The new pews are nice and comfortable — a little more roomy,” he said. “The old pews we had were lacquered and they would stick to you in the summertime so I appreciate that you don’t have to pull these ones off of you when you stand up.”
He believes that people will be happy with the results, stating that there will be a mix of the old and the new. “We kept things like the statues and the things that were beautiful about the church.”
Much of the renovation was done by Swiatek Studios. Among other tasks, artists from there have hand painted 24 karat gold stars along the ceiling and restored the plaster work.
Jacquel hopes that the remodeled church will put people in mind of the spirit of rebirth this holiday season and inspire them to come check out what the church has to offer.
“I hope we build a stronger church — meaning the people themselves,” said Jacquel. “I pray we deepen our own commitment to the Lord and our commitment to welcoming others who want to hear His word.”
