The light inside the church is different now.

Where once the nave of the historic St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in downtown Bend was lit by electric lights, the cool bulbs are rendered irrelevant and lifeless in a landscape of color.

This time last year, the church’s original stained glass windows were dimmed by a layer of plexiglass installed in the ‘70s to protect them. That protection had degraded into a translucent layer of dirt and grime that warped the glass below.

It kept light out and hid the colorful glass from view.

But the windows have been restored to a brilliance not seen in Bend for decades as part of a larger restoration of the church.

Only half of the original windows have been reinstalled at the church after being sent to Deprato Rigali Studios in Chicago for restoration, but the difference is already palpable.

The windows have brought life back into the church, said Deacon Phil McCarty, both structurally and spiritually.

“It obviously brightens it — the light and the colors just make the space so much more vibrant — but I think in many ways it’s more prayerful because the light of Christ is coming in,” said McCarty as he gazed up at the jewel-toned panes.

A larger restoration

The restored windows were returned by Deprato Rigali Studios last week and are just one component of the restoration project undertaken by the local parish. The goal is to bring the historic church closer to its original look from a hundred years ago while still honoring the legacy of those who contributed to the church throughout the last century.

“A hundred years ago, people we don’t know, people who are probably long gone and in some ways forgotten, put their hard earned money into building this beautiful church in the middle of nowhere …,” McCarty said. “And we honor their legacy by investing our time and our money into making it beautiful again.”

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Much of the restoration is being conducted by Deprato Rigali Studios, which is the company that created the original décor and stained glass installed in 1920. By the machinations of luck — or perhaps fate — the company is still in business and often works with historic building owners to restore the studio’s own work from the past.

“We still do new stained glass and decoration, but … restoration and preservation has become, I think, one of the biggest components of today’s world because people really want to continue preserving some of the quality work and the beautiful work that was done back in the day,” said Lisa Rigali, a fourth generation family member running the business.

Rigali has been working with her family’s company since she left college. Most of the skills she has learned, such as gilding and how to make stained glass, she learned from company veterans who had decades of experience in the craft.

Refurbishing an old widow

In an interview with The Bulletin, Rigali revealed how the company works to restore stained glass panels like those removed from the Old St. Francis church.

The first step, she said, is to have the glass shipped to the company’s studio in Chicago where technicians remove the protection glass.

“If you have protection glass on the exterior, if it’s not vented correctly — which these were not — then you have a buildup on condensation and water that will eventually wear the lead and cement down and create some bowing and some damage to the stained glass,” Rigali said.

Once the glass arrived at Deprato Rigali Studios, expert technicians took three rubbings of each pane before removing the damaged lead and mortar. Then, they put them all back together like a puzzle using traditional stained-glass-making materials and techniques.

Deprato Rigali Studios made the St. Francis stained glass look like new, but the parish decided to add a new dedication panel to the bottom of each window to honor those who donated the funds that made this restoration possible.

A legacy for the future

Carl Natalizia is one of the donors who invested in the restoration project. His window isn’t up yet, but when it’s installed, the dedication at the bottom will be for his two daughters who died several years ago. When he comes into the church every Sunday, Natalizia feels it will give him a way to feel close to them.

“It makes me think that a hundred years from now there will be something to keep the memory of our two daughters,” Natalizia said. “Words cannot describe that feeling. It’s indescribable and the important thing is when I come in … I’m going to see that.”

The remaining stained glass windows will be returned to the church sometime in March. Once those are installed, Deprato Rigali technicians will also return to finish the final touches on the restored altar and install the restored statues.

Unfortunately, even though the aesthetic side of the project will be complete in March, the first mass might not be until the end of April, said McCarty. That’s because in the process of renovations, the parish also decided to complete a less glamorous update to the building: a new heating and cooling system.

“It’s possible we may be able to reopen before the heating and air conditioning system is in with a temporary system, but we haven’t made that determination yet,” McCarty said.

In the meantime, all services previously held at the historic church will be conducted at the St. Clare Chapel on 27th Street. Mass can also be viewed through a live stream on the church’s website.