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| St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Beloit recently completed a renovation of its historic church, which was dedicated in 1886. The renovation included cleaning and painting of all church walls and repainting of statues and the corpus on the crucifix (above). A stylized tree of life design was created as a background for the crucifix. The tabernacle, formerly on a side altar, was moved to the center of the altar area and placed on a custom-made table. (Catholic Herald photo/Pat Casucci) | ||
BELOIT — The rejoicing, joy, and peace of Easter Sunday was enhanced for St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners.
After a major $335,000 renovation of the church interior, it was the first time in almost three months that a Mass was celebrated by Pastor Fr. John Hedrick in the historic church built in 1885.
The church had been closed since January 8, 2018.
The regularly scheduled weekend Masses for St. Thomas were held at St. Jude Church. Father Hedrick is pastor of both parishes.
In a recent interview, Father Hedrick said, “We have had lots of positive comments about the renovation. On Easter Sunday, there was a sense of awe as parishioners looked around the church, seeing how beautiful it is.”
Necessary renovation
Father Hedrick said the renovation was necessary after significant plaster repair was needed on a church wall and part of the ceiling. “The church walls also looked in need of cleaning, and it was decided to not just paint them,” he said.
“After a couple pieces of plaster fell, we knew we had to take care of this 133-year-old building, not let it deteriorate,” he explained. The last time the walls were painted was in 1975.
Extensive planning for the project included a fund drive with parishioners contributing about $175,000. In addition, Father Hedrick said two memorial bequests and parish funds made the extensive renovation possible.
