MICHIGAN CITY – St. Stanislaus Kostka parish has been awarded $650,000 as part of the parish’s capital campaign to preserve the century-old structure that has been a beacon for the community.
Perched on the highest elevation in the city, the Michigan City parish recently received two grants to be part of a $3 million fundraising effort to address significant construction needs.
“We’re so excited,” said Rosemary Bunton, one of the steering committee’s co-chairs. “When we started this, we felt, as a parish, because we have such an emotional attachment to this church, that this was a doable undertaking. It appears we were right.”
Early in the year, the parish received a matching $400,000 on behalf of Sacred Places Indiana Fund, which is funded by the Lilly Endowment and administered through Indiana Landmarks.
The letter from Indiana Landmarks congratulates the parish on their award and for their commitment to accomplishing “important historic preservation work.”
In October, the parish received word that they were the recipients of the prestigious National Fund for Sacred Places grant. The $250,000 grant is a two-to-one match, with the parish needing to raise $500,000.
Bunton shared that the grant is very competitive as 489 letters of intent were received. Of those 36 were selected to submit full applications and 24 were awarded different grant amounts.
“We were amazed when we received the National Fund for Sacred Places grant,” said Bunton.
Repairs will be split into two phases.
Phase one will address repairs to the bell towers, which includes repairs to the precast columns and cracks in the walls of the towers from mortar joint failure. Cost is estimated between $1 million - $1.3 million.
An engineering report revealed an improper mortar used during a 1960s tuckpoint project is contributing to the deterioration of the building. “Apparently they used the wrong type of mortar which allowed moisture to seep behind the brick- with the weather we have here in Indiana, the thawing and freezing, it has caused damage,” said Bunton.
The inspection also revealed the original mortar color, a darker brown, which will be used in the renovations.
Phase two will focus on the remaining masonry walls of the church, which include all other spalled bricks and tuckpointing the rest of the church façade. An evaluation and required repair will be conducted to secure the 87 stained glass windows, with the two rose windows being the most vulnerable.
Bunton is surprised by the support the parish has already received. Although they haven’t yet approached parishioners for any kind of donations, she said that alumni and visitors, from as far away as Australia, have been “very generous.”
“It’s been really gratifying to see how much St. Stan’s means to people,” she said.
For many of the parishioners, the attachment runs deep, actually right down to the footers.
The parish’s roots date back to 1890 when the area was part of the Fort Wayne Diocese. The then-Fort Wayne Bishop Herman Alerding appointed Father Emmanuel Wrobel to start a parish for the Polish residents of the city.
The current pastor is Father Walter Ciesla.
In 1916, construction on the current church began, built mostly by parishioners who donated their time and talents – from hand digging the basement to laying the brick for the Renaissance revival-style church. The church was completed in 1926. The bell towers can be seen from miles away.
“There's an emotional attachment to the church. That’s why this project is really near and dear to all of us,” said Bunton.
Bunton was certain the parish would meet the monetary goal to complete the projects, especially with the three co-chairs (herself, Camille Higdon, and Jane Eisele) having something in common.
“Being of predominantly Polish descent, we don’t give up. We can be pretty stubborn people. We’re confident we’ll do it.”
Caption: St. Stanislaus Kostka in Michigan City recently received two grants totaling $650,000 that will go towards much needed repairs of the structure's bell towers and brickwork. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)