Sacristy Renovation at St. Christopher Church

In the Spring of 2014, Henninger's Inc. was contacted by St. Christopher Church in Rocky River,
Ohio to look at their outdated and non-functional priests' sacristy.  After some water damage to the sacristy that needed repair and with the renovations that had taken place in the previous years to the Church, the only remaining part of the plant that needed an upgrade was the priests' sacristy.  Because of a lack of space for vestments, a too-small sacristy sink, a dated cabinet that was too deep and a wall that was non-functional, St. Christopher tasked Henninger's with coming up with a design to renovate the cabinetry and transform the sacristy, done in concert with repairing the water damage, re-painting the sacristy, and outfitting the room with new light fixtures to brighten up the space.

In looking at the existing furniture, the determination was made to remove the sink cabinet and replace it with a more functional cabinet with a new granite top, incorporating both a new, larger and more functional sink and an additional vestment case.

In looking at the cabinet that held the liturgical books, linens, paraments, and stoles, the determination was made that the current design was fine, but that replacing the current nicked-up wood top with a granite top would bring the design of the room together as it would more closely match the new vestment case/sink cabinet that would be constructed.

Finally, a wall that provided no additional storage was examined, with a design created to match the paneled doors in the room and the new cabinetry that would be created.

With the designs approved, Henninger's craftsmen went to work fabricating the cabinetry and cutting the new granite tops to fit into the space and accommodate the new sink:

Once all of the furniture was completely constructed and the granite tops were ready for installation, Henninger's went to work repairing all of the water damage in the sacristy, then painted the sacristy to brighten up the room.  When the repairs and painting was complete, Henninger's installers arrived to replace the top on the cabinet that would be staying in place.

With the granite top set, Henninger's crew turned their attention to removing the existing cabinet that would be replaced, then to installing the newly created cabinetry, complete with new sink, a place to "hide" the sacristy fridge, and the extra vestment cabinet.  Once in place, Henninger's matched the stain of the other furniture in the sacristy, waiting until it was in place to ensure a perfect match.

Finally, Henninger's crew went to work installing the newly created cabinet under the statue of the Holy Family, providing the Church with more storage and with a piece of furniture that properly finished the space.

Ultimately, the renovation achieved the goal of providing the Church with a more functional sacristy that was more aesthetically pleasing while incorporating design elements from elsewhere in the Church.  The result was a "new" sacristy that looked as if it had always looked that way - perfectly fitting into the rest of the Church while giving the priests a much more suitable and functional sacristy.

Stained Glass Windows for St. Edward High School Chapel

Henninger's was contacted by St. Edward High School in Lakewood, OH to beautify their school Chapel with stained glass windows.  The Chapel's large clear windows on both sides of the Chapel looked onto a busy street and a parking lot and the school administration felt that stained glass could block the view to the street and the adjoining parking lot while creating a more serene, prayerful place...a space more appropriate for a school Chapel.

Meetings between school officials and Henninger's resulted in the conclusion that the two large windows on each side of the sanctuary should be the first priority with the subjects for the window being Mary and Joseph.  It was decided that the depiction of Mary would be Our Lady of Sorrows, for whom the Brothers of the Holy Cross hold a special devotion and that St. Joseph would be depicted as a guiding father with a teenage Jesus, appropriate for the all boys high school founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross.

After some color selection for the glass and working through various designs, the final drawing for each window was approved incorporating the idea of movement into the glass to tie all of the glass in the chapel together with the depictions of Mary & Joseph that stayed within the school's mission.  With the sizes finalized, the colors selected, and the glass ordered, the artists at Henninger's went to work on fabricating the windows for the Chapel.

As the first step, Henninger's artists laid out the windows in real-size on the wall by drawing the figures and the shapes of the windows to allow them to cut and paint the glass in the correct sizes.  This process allows the artist to get a sense of the figures in their actual size to work out the specifics of the folds of clothing, the posture of the figures, and the spacing between the subjects.  In a wonderful gesture, the officials at the high school asked if the face of St. Joseph could be modeled after a longtime Brother, who had served at the school in different capacities for nearly 5 decades.  Henninger's was able to draw St. Joseph's face based on old pictures of the Brother and - with the design portion nearly complete - was able to move onto cutting glass.

The glass was laid out on the real-size drawings and cut to size by the stained glass artists, who then moved onto the painting portion, where the figures were brought to life on the glass.

The windows were then built, leaded, cemented, and fitted with bars to strengthen all of the panes of glass before they would make their way into place in the school Chapel.  While the windows were strengthening in Henninger's warehouse, our carpenters went to work building the frames for the Stained Glass panels.  Due to some structural aspects of the window openings, Henninger's carpenters built trim and molding to match the wood in the Chapel as well as to conceal structural steel beams that passed directly through the middle of the large windows on each side of the Sanctuary.  Once all of the rough cutting and staining was done on the frames, and the trim-work and moldings were complete, the Stained Glass was strong enough for installation, so the installation crew went to the Chapel to erect the scaffolding necessary to install the frames and the finished Stained Glass panels.

Once on site, Henninger's crew began to build the frames and move the Stained Glass panels into place up the scaffolding, starting with the upper portions of the St. Joseph side first:

Once the St. Joseph window was in place, the crew went to work on installing the Mary panels on the other side of the Sanctuary:

Once both windows were in place, the crew went to work installing all of the custom trim-work and molding that had been fabricated to fit the space and match the wood already in place in the Chapel.  Once complete, the windows were finished, immediately and completely transforming the environment with prayerful images and soft colors that diffused the activity behind the window and providing a serene space.

With Phase I of the Stained Glass project complete, the sanctuary and the space have been transformed by the presence of the Stained Glass windows, generating more excitement for the Stained Glass that will be fabricated to fill the space behind the crucifix as well as the other windows that will depict various Brothers of the Holy Cross in a style that will match the new windows in the Sanctuary.

The project was a tremendous example of the collaboration between the school and Henninger's artists and craftsmen as the school year begins with the school Chapel transformed into what was imagined for it to be, leading St. Edward High School President Jim Kubacki to write this in appreciation for the collaboration and in anticipation for the rest of the project to be completed:

I just want to thank you and your team for the wonderful stained glass we now have in our Holy Family Chapel.  It is stunning. You have been terrific collaborators as we have tried to develop the vison and message and unify the look for the chapel.  It clearly is Holy Cross and St. Eds as well as great art. Thank you for all your efforts.  I look forward to the day when it is completed.  The Chapel will be our jewel and a daily reminder of why St. Edward High School exists!  Thanks again.

Church Rebuilt Two Years After Fire

Church destroyed by fire

A tragic fire in July of 2012 left the community at St. Mary Magdalen of Kentwood, Michigan without a church.  A fireworks accident caused a fire that destroyed the sanctuary and most of the church building.  All items in the church were lost, including books, pews, altars, and vestments. St. Mary Magdalen parish worked together to plan and build a new church.

The church hired Gilbert Sunghera, SJ as a liturgical consultant for the new church.  Gilbert visited Henninger's to see its warehouse and determine if there was anything useful to the project.  What he found was a travertine Altar that was originally from St. Christine Church in Euclid, Ohio. 

St. Christine Altar

Gilbert designed an Altar of Sacrifice, Tabernacle Altar, and Ambo for St. Mary Magdalen Church.  The design incorporated the mensa from St. Christine and used its shape as an inspiration for the other pieces of furniture.  Each element featured a travertine top with a wood base and steel reveal.

Ambo design

Altar of Sacrifice design

Tabernacle Altar design

Species of wood and finishes for the wood and steel were selected.  The Altars and Ambo were built in Henninger's shop and packed for delivery and installation.

Work in Henninger's shop

Each of the pieces were installed during the week of June 2nd.  Henninger's crew was able to meet the pastor, Rev. Godfrey Onyekwere and learn about the rebuilding process.  The church brought together a very skilled team of architects, craftsmen, labors, and and artists to create its new worship space.

Installation

Most. Rev. David Walkowiak, bishop of the Grand Rapids Diocese, dedicated the new church and its Altar.  Bishop Walkowiak is a native of Cleveland, and formerly a priest in the Diocese of Cleveland.  When he learned that the mensa from the Altar was originally from St. Christine Church of Euclid, he recognized the stone and remembered saying mass on it years before. 

Altar of Sacrifice

Altar of Sacrifice

Tabernacle Altar

Tabernacle Altar

Ambo

Henninger's is proud to have been a part of this wonderful story.  St. Mary Magdalen Church will stand tall for many years and its parishioners have an impressive worship space to celebrate the mass.