By Anne Marie Amacher
DAVENPORT — After about six weeks of celebrating daily and weekend Masses in three different locations, parishioners at St. Alphonsus were expected to be back in their redecorated church this week.
Father Thomas Parlette, pastor of the parish, said the project began with an inspection to look for any structural damage to the 96-year-old church. “None was found.”
Some plastering patchwork was done and the entire interior received a new coat of paint. Fr. Parlette said the last major work done in the church was about 25 years ago. Since the colors that were used at that time are no longer available, tones from within the same color family were used. New gold leafing was done throughout the church, which glistens in the light.
The pews got a good cleaning, too.
On Sept. 17, workers from Murphy Decorating in Kieler, Wis., were hanging plaques and the holy oils holder. The entire project cost about $57,000, Fr. Parlette said.
During the renovation, daily Mass was held in the parish hall. Weekend Masses started in the school cafeteria, but Fr. Parlette said some parishioners had trouble navigating the steps to the school basement, which is not handicapped accessible. So Masses were moved to the school gym. It was accessible, but was not air conditioned.
Fr. Parlette looked forward to celebrating Masses in the church. The carpet was not replaced during this project. “We can start talking about that for the future.”
