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September 12, 2022Content shared by St. Patrick Parish, Bisbee
On Saturday, September 10, 2022, the St. Patrick Parish community in Bisbee celebrated the completed restoration of their iconic stained glass windows. The original AND refurbishing work were both completed by Emil Frei Studios. Over the past two years, the stained glass was restored under the guidance of Stephen Frei, great grandson of Emil Frei Sr. who installed the windows when St. Patrick was originally built in 1915-1917.
Fr. Joe Saba shared, "Our motto for the Window Restoration Project has been: 'Imagine What We Can Do, When We Do It Together.' Together we completed the task and fulfilled our goals by the grace of God."Early seeds were planted back in 2014, when Stephen Frei visited St. Patrick Church for the first time to see work of his great grandfather that he had not seen before. He spent a few hours in Bisbee and was able to get a good look at the 100 year old windows in the church, and noticed the repairs that were needed.
"We could scarcely imagine what the church appearance would be after the entire restoration was completed," said Fr. Joe. "And at that moment, we could not begin to fathom how we would pay for it. But we knew that the work was necessary, as part of the legacy we would leave to future generations."
So the planning began, knowing that the parish had about two years before St. Patrick Church could be worked into the schedule of Emil Frei. An ambitious $500,000 fundraising campaign was launched in July 2019.
The windows of St. Patrick Church hold a surprising amount of stained glass — 2,377 square feet. Every piece of glass received a close-up inspection to determine any necessary repairs needed. During the restoration process, the entire glass was carefully cleaned, and all necessary repairs were completed to bring the windows back to near pristine conditions.
The exterior work on the windows presented some real challenges. The weight of the windows and strong winds caused bulging of the windows. The wood frames had deteriorated in the hot Arizona sun. To correct various problem and prevent further such developments, square steel tubing was installed for reinforcement on several of the upper windows. The exterior side of the windows were covered with clear tempered glass for protection, but still allow for the windows to be seen from the outside.
The windows on the west side and the front of the church were completed from January to March, 2021. The final phase of restoring the windows on the east and north sides was completed in January to March 2022.
"Now at the end, it seems appropriate to tweak our campaign motto just a bit: 'See what we were able to do - because we did it together.'"Stay tuned for a video about the Window Resoration Project coming soon from the Diocese of Tucson's communication office.