Welcome to
Old Saint Joe's
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Welcome to Old Saint Joe's |
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Sarah Mc Cann, Star Tribune
October 20, 2004
Dorothy Peterson stops by Old St. Joe's church to figure out how to rotate 26 pews and two front kneelers that she's been refinishing in and out of her garage.
The Ham Lake resident knows she'll find answers because it's Wednesday evening. Every week at this time people across Anoka and Ramsey counties are coming together to restore Old St. Joe's, a 115-year-old Catholic church in Lino Lakes.
The church is the second-oldest in southern Anoka County and one of the few prairie churches that remains in the state, said Betsy Friesen, Lino Lakes city historian. If it weren't for this project, it would fall apart soon, she says of the church that has been mothballed and used for storage for several decades.
"It's going to cost a ton of money, but to me it's so important to be able to preserve our history," Friesen says.
Volunteers say the project has brought together Lutherans, Methodists, Protestants, Catholics and nonbelievers and residents from Shoreview, Circle Pines, Coon Rapids, Blaine, Lexington and even Edina. Once the church is finished, they hope its 19th-century atmosphere will serve as a center for the community, Friesen says.
Visions of old-fashioned picnics, quaint weddings, recitals, story tellers, speakers, community meetings, education classes, a history museum, and an outside garden and gazebo dance around the dimly lit, unheated and empty church even on this cool October evening.
The volunteers say neighborliness has begun.
"This is bringing everyone together as a community," Peterson says. "You look around and you go, 'Wow!' because people see what you're doing and they want to join."
"I help sand the pews," pipes in Austin, Peterson's 9-year-old son.
Everyone's bringing something to the table.
"It's been all volunteer labor -- that's what's neat," says Terry Meyer of Circle Pines. "A lot has moved on faith -- that we're going to get the money and materials and we'll keep working until we run out."
For Meyer, the best part was when they were taking down tiles that covered the original ceiling and uncovered a painting. "Little angels started appearing one at a time," he says. "I came down from there and I was pumped."
His wife, Jan Meyer, says she's had fun uncovering the workmanship of wall stenciling and paintings. "It's like a buried treasure," she says.
Sarah McCann is at smccann@startribune.com
1889: Old St. Joe's was built by members of the congregation.
1894: Much of it was rebuilt after blowing down.
1930s: The Catholic church adopted a more austere approach and covered stenciling and paintings on the walls and ceiling with tile. They also added a bell tower, sacristy and alcove.
Mid-1960s: The old church was closed and parishioners moved to the new church and school kitty-corner from the old church.
2002 and 2003: Then-deacon-intern the Rev. Paul Jarvis took groups on Halloween excursions of the tiny building complete with flashlights, real spiderwebs and a bat-friendly belfry. The tour sparked more interest in renewal.
Spring 2003: Ted Brausen, a parishioner from Lino Lakes, and Betsy Friesen, Lino Lakes city historian, began cleanup.
August 2004: Parish festival gets more people involved.
WHERE IS IT? Volunteers have shipped off three dumpsters worth of garbage. The church has been cleaned, the pews have been removed, the old ceiling and wall tiles are down. Specialized help is needed for rebuilding the bell tower and doing insulation, heating, plumbing, lighting and electrical work.
PITCHING IN: The project is estimated to cost $400,000, but it depends on contributions. For example, now cement work and roofing have both been donated in material and labor.
HOW TO HELP: Send donations to Friends of Old St. Joe's, c/o Lino Lakes State Bank, 7449 Village Dr., Lino Lakes, MN 55014
Call Ted Brausen at 612-598-8661 for more information.