100^th Anniversary Apparel

As the altar is the church, as it is the reason for the existence of the wonderful fabric that has gradually developed into the most exalted and highly organized of the buildings of men, so is it from an architectural standpoint the centre, the climax of the structural church.  To it all things are tributary; and whether you say that the church itself flows from it as from the center of life, or that the visible organism develops cell by cell, until it completes itself in that for which it exists, in that which is the subject of its being, the result is the same.  The altar stands forth as the great dominating energy that controls and vitalizes all; it is the soul of the marvelous organism that is as nearly a living thing as anything man is permitted to create.

The altars are triptych altars.  They have folding doors that swing from an ornamented frame surrounding the altar, which, by the way, has an exquisite carved grape and vine motive in high relief.  These doors, or wings, are intended to hide from view all the paintings and statutes and ornaments during Passion Week, to symbolize the sorrow of the Church.  The custom of draping statues with purple cloth is a best cumbersome and inartistic.  The side altars are designed in a similar manner, so that when these doors are closed, the wealth of are and beauty and sculpture, carving and color decorations are entirely hidden from view.  The altar proper is built up of precious marbles, inlaid with enameled glass mosaic, verte antique and Conamara marbles being used, which show in beautiful contrast the gold and red mosaic.

The reredos is built of oak stained a dark brown and picked out with crimson, azure and gold, the effect of which must be seen to be thoroughly appreciated.  The richly decorated sanctuary and the glorious Crucifixion window over the altar demanded that some color be introduced into the altar, to make it harmonize with the color scheme of the entire sanctuary, and so the color not only picks out with beautiful emphasis the carven statues and ornament, but completes the color scheme of the whole sanctuary.

The carver of the statues was discovered by a Reverend Father in a mill town of Pennsylvania.  This young man was indeed a great find.  He came to this country, a stranger to its customs and languages, to avoid serving in the army abroad, and turned to day laboring as the nearest work at hand.  His spare moments were employed in the exercise of his art.  So adept was he that the architect's attention was called to his ability, and he forthwith secured a position with the Fond du Lac Church Furnishing Company who are the makers of the altars, confessionals, pews and organ cases, and whose fine workmanship is justly admired.

To increase the color interest of the high altar, a painting of the Last Supper was introduced, not below the altar table as is usually done, but in the reredos proper so that it can be seen from all over the church.  The painting is a copy by a distinguished artist of the celebrated work by Leonardo da Vinci, now going to ruin in the church of St. Maria del a Grazie in Milan.  The panels of the wings on either side of the reredos also contain conventional paintings of the angels holding shields on which are depicted the emblems of the Passion.  Two carved angels whose wings are touched in gold and color, holding a chalice, surmount the top of the reredos and appear on the axis line of the end panels of the memorial stained glass window.  An interesting feature of the high altar is the bronze tabernacle door containing a solid gold cross, the gold of which was contributed by members and friends of the congregation in the shape of gold trinkets and jewels, which were melted and refined, cast into the cross and rechased by a skillful carver.  It is ornamented with a grape and vine motif.

The surrounding passage is screened from the sanctuary by means of a Gothic screen of the same material as the reredos.

All of the confessionals are recessed in the walls, thereby allowing the sided aisles to retain their full width of five feet, which is so desirable for processions.  Scriptural texts relating to the sacrament of Penance are introduced on their frieze.