The historic St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church has been a fixture of Downtown Bend since 1920, but no building can escape the ravages of time. Over the last century, alterations and age have changed the church, inspiring the parish leadership to undergo a $2 million restoration effort that began in July.

There are three main components to the project, explained Deacon Phil McCarty: repairing the brickwork and stucco on the exterior of the building, restoring the original stained glass windows and altarpieces, and renovating the sanctuary.

Repairing the exterior of the building at the corner of NW Lava Road and NW Franklin Avenue would be relatively straightforward, said McCarty, but restoring the church’s original altars and stained glass windows would be another undertaking altogether. Luckily, serendipity shined on St. Francis of Assisi Church when Pastor Father Jose Thomas Mudakodiyil discovered something interesting behind the main altar.

“We discovered a plaque in the back of the sanctuary from Daprato Regali Studios. After we found it, we did some research and found that they were still in business. And they were really interested in working with us, “ said McCarty. “I think one of the really cool things about the restoration is (that we are working with) the same company that did the work originally… And they do a lot of restoration work for churches around the country.”

The Chicago-based company submitted three proposals to St. Francis of Assisi Parish — a total renovation of the interior and two partial restorations. After receiving feedback from the community, the leadership elected to have Daprato Regali Studios restore the original sanctuary, as well as the stained glass windows, which had to be removed and shipped back to Chicago.

“When (Daprato Regali) came in, they took (the stained glass) out one panel at a time,” said McCarty about the two-week process to remove the windows. “They’ve clearly done this before, with a crew that knows what to do with them. It was really impressive.”

In Chicago, the stained glass is in good hands — and the altarpieces that have remained in the church are equally so. Leo Gaona, the foreman on-site at the church, has worked with Daprato Regali Studios for 38 years. Since he started with the company at 18, he has worked on more than 100 restorations, including a few cathedrals in Atlanta and Southern Illinois.

Gaona never thought he would end up in this line of work. He was originally only meant to come on to one of Daprato Regali’s restorations as a painter for two weeks, but “two weeks turned into 38 years,” he said.

“You learn something new every day. I was raised Catholic, but (I wasn’t) a devoted Catholic. Now, I’m in church every day of my life. I’m closer to God than I’ve ever been. I love this … I like coming in here and bringing stuff back to its original form,” Gaona said.

Gaona’s main job is to direct the restoration of St. Francis of Assisi’s sanctuary. When Gaona and his team began their restoration work, the altarpieces in the sanctuary were yellow. After a good cleaning and some restoration magic, they shine bright white with gold-leaf accents, just as McCarty said he imagines they did in 1920.

A central component of the interior restoration will be to remove renovations installed in the 1960s. At that time, the Catholic Church underwent canonical reforms that allowed services in languages other than Latin. As a result the orientation of the priest changed to face the congregation, requiring many churches to renovate their sanctuaries and install new altars.

The work done in the 1960s was awkward and poorly designed, said McCarty, and several different platforms were created in the sanctuary that proved neither functional nor safe. So, the church decided to re-renovate the sanctuary floor to be simply two tiers with new marble flooring. As for the marble used for the 1960s altar, the church had it shipped back to Daprato Regali studios to create two new credence tables.

“An altar is a sacred object, a holy object that’s been part of our sacred liturgies for decades … So we are going to convert those. Instead of having wooden (credence) tables, the (converted) altar will still be a part of our weekly and daily worship,” McCarty said.

McCarty said the congregation is excited to see the finished product. The church has been closed to the public since scaffolding first went up in July, and it will be some months before it’s open again for regular services. It’s a beloved place for parishioners, especially on the holidays and for wedding ceremonies.

In addition to their enthusiasm, McCarty said the parishioners have been generous in helping fund the project. Times have changed, reflected the deacon, who said the original construction cost the parish $55,000. Even since the project started, pandemic supply chain shortages drove the costs up another $500,000 from the originally estimated $1.5 million.

That doesn’t mean the church’s leadership has shied away from its vision for the future. Once this project has been completed, McCarty said the parish will set its sights on restoring other sections of the building’s interior.

“This is a beloved church, not just in our parish community, but in the community of Bend. It’s an iconic landmark. We wanted to preserve that legacy,” McCarty said. “I think this is one of the crown jewels of Bend — whether you’re Catholic or not religious, you can look to this building for the history of our city.”