June 10, 2012

First Presbyterian Church
1910 Church
Fourth and Cedar

First Presbyterian Church
Spokane, Washington

"The Rev. Thomas G. Watson, a Presbyterian missionary from Waukesha, Wisc., stepped off the train in Spokane Falls, as Spokane was then known, in 1883 to start a new church in the dusty frontier town of 1,500... meeting in various downtown buildings..." (REF 2.)

One of these was the Bank of Spokane Falls.  In 1884 they moved because the  bank needed the office space.  (REF 1.)

Bank of Spokane Falls (REF 1.)

"... a new First Presbyterian Church was dedicated in December 1886 at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street.  The cost: $3,200.  Amid a real estate boom, the church was sold in 1889 for $21,000..." (REF 2.)

1886 Church (REF 1,)

"The congregation's first edifice of its own, erected 1886, where the Spokesman- Review building now stands, served the members until early 1889 when it was sold for $21,000 in a booming real estate market.

1890 Church (REF 1.)

"The second building, dedicated Dec. 21, 1890, was located at the south-east corner of Second and Jefferson Streets.  Church officers considered it a temporary place of worship since they envisioned a "magnificent stone church" to be built on an eligible site.

1890 Interior (REF 1.)

"Interior of Second and Jefferson church.  It was fitted out with 535 opera chairs.  The congregation worshipped here until 1910. (REF 1.)

The  new stately stone church that is used today was built  at Fourth and Cedar and  dedicated June 12, 1910. (REF 1.)  

The sanctuary arches around the distinctive exposed organ pipes at the back of the chancel.  Below the pipes are the chairs for the choir.   A large stained glass window is on the wall to the right of the pipes and a decorative screen on the wall to the left. The red draped area of the chancel in the photo below held the bells for the bell ringing choir that was playing to celebrate Easter.  The curved communion rail is below that.  The pews are banked with side aisles.  Large stained glass windowa also are on the east wall on the main floor and the south wall of the balcony. (See bottom photo.) Adjacent to the sanctuary on the west, below the wooden screen, is a room that can be opened for additional seating.

Sanctuary Easter Sunday 2012

East Wall of Sanctuary 2012

East Wall of Sanctuary 2012

(Center Detail)

Balcony 2012

In 1995 an education wing was added that includes a gym. A section of the exterior wall of the 1912 building was left exposed near the entrance to the new wing.   Today the First Presbyterian Church of Spokane serves a congregation of 2000.

Note: In Canada in the year 1925 The United Church of Canada was formed.  All the Methodist and Congregational Churches joined and most of the Presbyterian Churches.  Today there are still a few Presbyterian Churches in Canada, but only one in North Vancouver, St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church.  Suzanne Wilson attended this church for a short period of time and two of her children took piano lessons from the pastor's wife, Mildred Allison.

Thank you: To the ushers and women in the church library for their help.
Photos: Taken on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 by SW. 
                 Also from Reference 1. below.
REFERENCE 1: Many Lamps, One Light, A Centennial  History  1883-1983 
                       First Presbyterian Church, Spokane, Washington.
REFERENCE 2: The Spokasman-Review, February 20, 2012, page 5, 'Review Tower, Newspaper's home replaced Presbyterian church'.
Link: http://www.spokanefpc.org/

                                                                               Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

orld. Amen

                                                                                                                            6/3/12

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

1023 East Russell Avenue

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1023 Russell Ave. Entrance to church prior to 1959

(Published on Bay View Heritage Facebook)

According to the "1970 Photo Directory" of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, it was founded and dedicated in 1870.  The "1970 Photo Directory" which included the history of the church was published to commemorate its 100th anniversary.  The original entrance to the church was at 1023 Russell Avenue in the heart of the Bay View area on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The high vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary gave it the look of a cathedral.

Sanctuary Stained Glass Window

Later additions to the church included the stained glass windows.  The primary window faces east and the church's school building.  The other five major windows depict the "Mysteries of the Rosary".  A new entrance, in the photo above,  on Kinnickinnic Avenue the main commercial street of Bay View, was built in 1959.  It features four Greek columns.  Sometime after 1959 the most spectacular feature of the church building was added.  This was the 2 1/2 storey high mosaic mural behind the front altar of the sanctuary.  It depicts the family tree of Jesus from Adam and Eve to Mary and Joseph.

Mosaic Mural behind the Front Altar

Today 500 families  are registered as member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.  The Pastor is Rev. Ronald E. Kotecki. 

Thank You: To Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Youth Minister Bob Boehm for the information references from the "1970 Photo Directory" regarding the history of the church.  .

Photos: Exterior photo taken in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2006  by SW. Interior photos taken by Myron Thomsen 2012.

Link:  http://icbayview.wordpress.com/

Note: Suzanne Wilson grew up on Logan Avenue (See Blog Post August 4, 2010.) two blocks from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, (or "IC" as the neighbors called it). 

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

Kaukauna, Wisconsin 

On April 15, 1877 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized with 22 charter members in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. The minister was Rev. Reinhold Pieper of Wrightstown and the services were conducted in German. The next year they built the small wooden church with the single steeple that (shown in the photo below) on the 800 block of Grignon Street. In 1885 the Rev. William Hinnerthan was installed as the first official pastor and in 1889 a charter was granted to the church. In 1917 the Rev. Paul Oehlert became pastor and the following year a Sunday School was started. The present red brick church with the two square steeples was dedicated in 1915. Starting in 1920 services were conducted in English as well as German. In 1965 the Rev. John Mattek became pastor and in 1969 the new front entrance was built onto the 1915 church. (Link. )(See photo above.)

1878 Small Wooden Church on right (Link.)

It is interesting to note that the 1915 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kaukauna, Wisconsin and the Emmanuel Lutheran Church (See March 21, 2010 blog post.) built in neighboring Seymour, Wisconsin in 1915 are of a similar style. Both are red brick and have two square steeples. The street that the Kaukauna church is on, Grignon Street, is named for Charles A. Grignon who obtained the first land deed in Wisconsin.

Sanctuary Altar (Link.)

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was the home church of Marie Juergenmeyer when she, her husband Martin, and daughter Hazel lived on Taylor Street in Kaukauna in the late 1920's and early 1930's. The family then moved to Seymour where she attended the similarly styled Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Following Martin's death in the 1950's she returned to live in the Taylor Street house in Kaukauna and again attended Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Marie and Martin Juergenmeyer were the grandparents and Hazel the mother of Suzanne Wilson.

For more information on Kaukauna, Wisconsin see Blog Post from Demolition Mama, April 3, 2010. 

Thank you: To Irene Luehring and Bill Roerig of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran  

               Church, Kaukauna, Wisconsin, for the information and the memories.

Photos: Colored taken in 2006 by SW.

               B and W probably taken shortly after 1915. See Link.

Link: http://www.trinitykaukauna.com/index.php?pg=pages%2ftrinity_history.htm

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day
The Wall

This is a story of my family.  My grandmother, Marie,  was born on a farm in Petasky, Michigan.  She had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.  She moved to Wisconsin as a bride and died in 1952 at age 67 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  My mother kept in touch with several of her brothers and sisters.  One of these was her Uncle Charlie who had moved to Rapid City South Dakota. In 1956 when I graduated from high school and my brother graduated from grade school my mother took us by train and then bus to visit the Black Hills, Yellowstone Park, and her Uncle Charlie.

I had heard about her Uncle Charlie over the years.  He and his 1st wife Kate had never had children.  Then in his 60's they were divorced and he married his second wife, the young Kate.  Kate had been a nurse in the Korean War.  Her 1st husband had been a pilot who was killed in that war.  She had a son, Alan, from that marriage. Kate and Uncle Charlie also had a son, of course, named Charlie. Charlie had red hair and freckles, was rambunctious and looked like "What me worry?"  This great gift to Uncle Charlie so late in his life became his life.  Alan was 9 and Charlie was about 5 when my mother, brother, and I visited this family.

Many years after this visit I heard that Charlie, the great gift to my mother's Uncle Charlie, was killed in Vietnam.  My prayers went out to Uncle Charlie in his grief and Kate who had suffered such a loss in the Korean War.

When the Vietnam War Memorial was installed in Washington D. C. an accompanying "Moving Wall"  went on tour.  The replica was true to the original, a long rambling wall of black with the names of those that sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.  A soldier stood on guard with eyes on the wall. This "Moving Wall" came to Vancouver in 1988 and was mounted in Sunset Beach Park.  It was here that I visited the "Moving Wall".  I approached the soldier on guard who took me to the spot where "Charlie Reberg" was carved into the black surface.  I touched his name and thought of the little five year old with red hair and freckles and his parents who adored him.  And I prayed for them and all the other parents who had such a loss.

In 1998 the US Government offered rubbings of the names of those on the wall on request.  I gratefully received a copy of "Charlie Reberg" as it appears on "The Wall".  It can be seen in the photo below.

Each Remembrance Day, I remember.  I remember the sparkle in Uncle Charlie's eyes as he watched his five year old Charlie play in the front yard of their Rapid City home.  I remember that quietness of 9 year old Alan that seemed to reflect the death of his father in the Korean War. I think of the grief of young Kate and her double sacrifice.  And I pray for all the other families that have made this sacrifice.  Let us remember.

Photo: Taken of Suzanne Wilson's copy of "Charlie Reberg's" name on the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall."
Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                   August 28, 2011

16409 East Broadway Avenue

Calvary Chapel
Spokane, Washington

























"Calvary Chapel is an evangelical association of Christian churches with over one thousand congregations worldwide. Calvary Chapel also maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. It presents itself as a "fellowship of churches" in contrast to a denomination...

"Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of churches grew out of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Calvary Chapels place great importance in the practice of expository teaching, a "verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book" approach to teaching the Bible. Typically, Calvary Chapels operate under a senior pastor-led system of church government, sometimes referred to as the "Moses" model..." (Link 2.)

"Calvary Spokane grew out of a series of informal meetings held at the Ridpath Hotel in 1981 by a small group of Christians from Idaho.  Jim Kempner, an evangelist with the Calvary fellowship in Costa Mesa, led these initial gatherings and became the first pastor as the group moved to Willard Elementary School in September 1981.

"Soon, over 400 people were attending, and the group purchased an old church at 708 W. Nora Street in May 1982.

708 W Nora Street (2011)

With this move, attendance soared to over 700, necessitating a second Sunday morning service. In September 1983, Jim Kempner returned to the pastoral staff at Calvary Costa Mesa as Ken Ortize left that staff to become the new pastor in Spokane.

"God blessed this ministry as the church grew in numbers and spiritual maturity. In 1986, the church added a daily radio program, Matters of the Heart, which was heard on a number of independent radio stations around the country until December 2009.

"Expanding as far as possible in this facility and believing God was leading, in 1989, Calvary Spokane purchased a major portion of the Fairwood Shopping Center which offered the potential for 80,000 square feet of space for a sanctuary, meeting rooms and classroom spaces. With severely limited financial resources and mostly volunteer construction help, the first phase was completed in seven months with initial church services beginning in October 1990. Services were held in this "temporary" facility until our new sanctuary was complete. In November 1997, with the Lord's blessing, we completed our new 1,500-seat sanctuary.

"Today, many changes have taken place, but our focus remains the same – to bring glory to our Lord through the study of His Word, and having been impacted by His Word, to make His name known "to the ends of the earth." (See Link 1.) 

Fairwood Shopping Center at 511 W. Hastings Rd. in the Mead area of North Spokane has been adapted well to serve the needs of Calvary.  The dove outline above the front entrance is the symbol of the Holly Spirit. (See photo above.)
The sprawling maze of room makes possible the 1500 seat sanctuary. 

Left half of Sanctuary

Two areas are set up in a lounge cafe style, one of which is designed specifically for the use of the large teen congregation. There is also a  gym that can be used for social and community outreach events.  The Sunday School rooms have been decorated in Bible themes, such as the Noah's Ark room for the 2 year old's. (See photo below.)

2 year old's Sunday School room

The large parking lot facilitates the congregation as well as being available by the teens for car washes and in the summer for outdoor Bible School events.

Photos: Taken in 2011 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.calvaryspokane.com/home/about-us/
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary_Chapel

*************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

Note the flying buttresses on the rear of the church

Notre-Dame Cathedral
Paris, France

"Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair), of the Archbishop of Paris, currently André Vingt-Trois. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. It was restored and saved from destruction by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture.

Rose Window and panel windows beneath

"The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state." (See Link.)

"Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses (See top photo.) around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern.

Tourists in front of church, note rose window and panel windows

Construction: Ground breaking in 1163 and completion in 1345.

Photos: Copies of 1978 post cards.
                 Photo of tourists, Laura Wilson who had her 8th birthday in Paris that
                 year, and brother Richard Wilson age 9 taken by mother Suzanne
                Wilson in 1978.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris

HAPPY

100th

BIRTHDAY

Dear Sid,

Happy 100th birthday!  What a wonderful celebration for you, your family, and 100 years of friends.

We all thank God for those 100 years.  And we thank you for your friendship, guidance, and spiritual mentoring during the years we have been privileged to know you.

For me it began when you moved to Bay View and Trinity Methodist Church.  Your daughter became my dear friend and you were my MYF leader. Whenever we met since, your friendship and spiritual mentoring has continued.   Thank you for both.

Happy 100th birthday,

Suzanne (Frank) Wilson-Alan sends his congratulations, too.

Photo: Taken at Bay View United Methodist Church in 2006 by SW.

Note: For further congratulations see

            Blog http://www.churchesonsundays.blogspot.com/ post July 3, 2011.

*********

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                         7/3/11

2772 South Kinnickinnic Ave.

Bay View United Methodist Church

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"The Methodist denomination organized the first church in Bay View. (An area on the south side of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.) It was a small wooden church built in 1868 by English immigrants on the land donated by the Milwaukee Iron Company at what today is 2471 and 2473 Wentworth Avenue. In 1887 the congregation moved to this (at 2772 South Kinnickinnic Avenue) Victorian Gothic cream city brick edifice designed by parishioner William Davelaar." (See Link 1.) 


On Sunday mornings in the 1940's and 50's the church bell door would be opened from the stair landing in the front hall and the rope would be pulled. The bell in the steeple would ring out signaling to the community that the church service at Trinity Methodist Church was beginning.

The inside of the church was unique. The sanctuary of dark wood was designed "in the round". The church chancel, altar, and communion rail were a semi-circle at the front of the sanctuary. A large array of tall organ pipes formed the backdrop for the altar.

1950's Trinity Methodist Church

Confirmation Class

(Note: Organ pipes and semi-circle wooden communion rail.)

The five aisles were arranged like spokes on a wheel. At Christmas the choirs with their candles filled these aisles, surrounding the congregation, as they sang Christmas carols. On the east side of the sanctuary tall two storey dark wood folding doors separated the sanctuary from the Sunday School area. This area also had a balcony. On special days the doors could be opened to facilitate a larger capacity in the sanctuary. Downstairs were two halls. One with a terrazzo floor and kitchen which could be used for church dinners. At Christmas in the 1950's all four choirs would sit around large rectangular tables and sing Christmas carols. Featured would be the singing of "Christmas is Coming" and the presentation of the "figgy pudding". The other room was not only used for rummage sales and square dances, but also had a stage for performances.


"After WWII, husband and wife Lillian and Willis Leenhouts designed an educational wing and remodeled the church interior, installing new stained glass windows." (See Link 2.)These renovations were completed in the early 1950's. The church sanctuary now had a traditional layout with the chancel and altar in the front backed by modern stained glass windows. The dark wood was replaced with light blond wood. A formal parlour in honor of Mabel Bullock and a small chapel were also established on the main floor of the church. Later the parlour was moved across from the doors leading to the sanctuary to facilitate morning coffee following the service. An addition was constructed on the front of the building to provide for a church office. An education wing was also added.


In 1968 the Bethel Evangelical Church congregation merged with the Trinity Methodist Church congregation to become Bay View United Methodist Church. Bethel Evangelical Church was built in 1897 at 2392 So. Woodward St. In 1968 it was sold to the Assembly of God for $40,000. That congregation outgrew the building and again sold it in 2001.

Photo: Top photo taken in 2006 by SW.

Link 1: http://www.bayviewumc.org/
Link 2: http://www.sois.uwm.edu/dl/2006/bvhs/walkingtours/tmw.pdf
Note: Suzanne Wilson attended this church as a child.

CONGRATULATIONS

TO

SID CARTER

ON

HIS

100 BIRTHDAY

Sid Carter
(Taken by SW in 2006 at Bay View United Methodist Church.)

Sid Carter has been a member of Trinity United Methodist Church for 60 years.

Today he will be celebrating his 100 birthday with family and friends in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Happy 100th Birthday, Sid!

**************

U S A Memorial Day

The Wall

This is a story of my family.  My grandmother, Marie,  was born on a farm in Petasky, Michigan.  She had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.  She moved to Wisconsin as a bride and died in 1952 at age 67 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  My mother kept in touch with several of her brothers and sisters.  One of these was her Uncle Charlie who had moved to Rapid City South Dakota. In 1956 when I graduated from high school and my brother graduated from grade school my mother took us by train and then bus to visit the Black Hills, Yellowstone Park, and her Uncle Charlie.

I had heard about her Uncle Charlie over the years.  He and his 1st wife Kate had never had children.  Then in his 60's they were divorced and he married his second wife, the young Kate.  Kate had been a nurse in the Korean War.  Her 1st husband had been a pilot who was killed in that war.  She had a son, Alan, from that marriage. Kate and Uncle Charlie also had a son, of course, named Charlie. Charlie had red hair and freckles, was rambunctious and looked like "What me worry?"  This great gift to Uncle Charlie so late in his life became his life.  Alan was 9 and Charlie was about 5 when my mother, brother, and I visited this family.

Many years after this visit I heard that Charlie, the great gift to my mother's Uncle Charlie, was killed in Vietnam.  My prayers went out to Uncle Charlie in his grief and Kate who had suffered such a loss in the Korean War.

When the Vietnam War Memorial was installed in Washington D. C. an accompanying "Moving Wall"  went on tour.  The replica was true to the original, a long rambling wall of black with the names of those that sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.  A soldier stood on guard with eyes on the wall. This "Moving Wall" came to Vancouver in 1988 and was mounted in Sunset Beach Park.  It was here that I visited the "Moving Wall".  I approached the soldier on guard who took me to the spot where "Charlie Reberg" was carved into the black surface.  I touched his name and thought of the little five year old with red hair and freckles and his parents who adored him.  And I prayed for them and all the other parents who had such a loss.

In 1998 the US Government offered rubbings of the names of those on the wall on request.  I gratefully received a copy of "Charlie Reberg" as it appears on "The Wall".  It can be seen in the photo below.

Each Memorial Day, I remember.  I remember the sparkle in Uncle Charlie's eyes as he watched his five year old Charlie play in the front yard of their Rapid City home.  I remember that quietness of 9 year old Alan that seemed to reflect the death of his father in the Korean War. I think of the grief of young Kate and her double sacrifice.  And I pray for all the other families that have made this sacrifice.  Let us remember.

Photo: Taken of Suzanne Wilson's copy of "Charlie Reberg's" name on the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall."
Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial

***********

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                         March 13, 2011

330 Boone Avenue

St. Aloysius Catholic Church at Gonzaga
Spokane, Washington

Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington sits on the bank of the Spokane River just north of the downtown area. Gonzaga University was started by the Jesuits in  1887 on a 320 acre of land purchased in 1881 for $936 by Fr. Joseph Cataldo. "It was named Gonzaga College after Italian Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron saint of youth." (Link 2) When the building was completed it was the largest building in Spokane except for the County Courthouse.  The tuition and board for the 20 students at that time was $250 for the ten month term.  A second building was added in 1892. Today 5,000 students attend Gonzaga University. "The campus now includes 94 buildings on 131 acres...Gonzaga employs over 1,200 people " (Link 2)  making it one of the major employers in Spokane.  The university is not only known for its academic excellence, but for its basketball team, the Bulldogs,  affectionately called the Zaggs, and for one of its alumni, Bing Crosby.  Bing Crosby grew up in the area and at age 13 served as an altar boy at the campus church, St. Aloysius.

St. Aloysius Catholic Church is at 330 Boone Ave. and is the eastern anchor of Gonzaga University.  A framed church was originally built in 1881.  It could accommodate a congregation of a few hundred people.  The church and the University recreation hall were moved in 1899. And in 1911 a new St. Aloysius Church designed by Preusse and Little of Spokane was dedicated. This church seats 1100 people.  It is190 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 124 feet high.

"The bell in the east spire was constructed by the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, New York.  It was dedicated on Christmas Day, 1913 and it is named Catherine." (See Reference.)

"The present St. Aloysius church was dedicated October 12, 1911.  It has the largest seating capacity among Catholic churches in Spokane, able to accommodate 1,100 worshippers.  The church, which replaced an original wooden structure, was designed by the architectural firm of Preusse and Little of Spokane.  In an adapted Romanesque style, its many rounded arches and graceful circular features help to soften construction lines.  The church, begun in 1909, took almost exactly two years to build at a cost of $176,125.

Nave and High Altar

" Interior features of St. Aloysius church include oak woodwork, altars and ambo of matching Italian marble.  The high altar was designed and built by the DePrato Studio in Italy.  It stands 26 feet high and is 18 feet wide at its base. The true pipe organ with 37 ranks of keys was acquired in 1927 and rebuilt in the early sixties.  The beautiful gold pipes are ornamental and conceal the actual working pipes behind them." (See Reference.)

Pipe Organ, Balcony, and 3 of the Stations of the Cross



The Stations of the Cross, in three-dimensional plaster, were made by the Mayers’ Studio of Germany.  This firm was also responsible for the magnificent stained glass windows (25 by 12 feet) flanking the nave, the great rose windows surmounting the east and west balconies, and the smaller niche windows, depicting Jesuit saints and the life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, positioned around the apse. 

In recent years, four new windows have been added depicting  St. Jude, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.



"The distinctive twin spires, housing the great bell Catherina, rise 164 feet  above the surrounding area. The crosses topping each spire add another 10 feet, and are visible from vantage points throughout the city."(Link 1.)

The east Rose Window acquired through donations of the Irish community.

The church is open for visitors and for private prayer during daylight hours throughout the year.  Brochures providing a self-guided tour are available in the narthex near the main doors and near the Visitors' Guestbook, and guided tours are scheduled at intervals after the Sunday Masses.   Docents can be available for group tours throughout the year by appointment; call 313-7006 to schedule.

Photos: Taken in 2006 and 2011 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.stalschurch.org/aboutus/index.htm
Link 2: http://www.gonzaga.edu/Academics/Libraries/Foley-Library/Departments/Special-Collections
/exhibitions/GonzagaHistory1887.asp
Link 3: http://www.gonzaga.edu/Academics/Libraries/Foley-Library/Departments/Special-Collections/Collections/Bing-Crosby-Collection/CrosbyandGonzaga.asp
Reference: Pamphlet, Welcome to St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church.

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