The project which won this year’s award was the renovation of the Convent building at St. Francis de Sales. After years of disuse and neglect, the Convent was in a seriously dilapidated condition. In an effort to make the building habitable by the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest, renovation began in August of 2009. It involved  complete cleaning, stripping and refinishing of old floors, complete overhaul of the kitchen, the foyer and several rooms, repair of broken windows and window frames, re-plumbing of sinks and bathrooms, installation of new cabinetry and light fixtures, and repainting of walls and moldings.

With the help of more than one thousand man-hours from many volunteers, sisters, and a generous company, BELFOR USA, the renovation effort so far has produced a completed foyer, several rooms in the sisters’ living and sleeping quarters, dining room, a modern and functional kitchen, new stair case, new floors, and newly painted walls in the hallway and in many rooms. Due to the scope of the project, renovation continues today.

This occasion marks the second time in three years that St. Francis de Sales Oratory has received public recognition by the DeSales Community Housing Corporation for its renovation efforts. (The first time was for the renovation of the sacristy in 2008.)

Formed in 1976, the Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the renewal of the Fox Park and Tower Grove East neighborhoods of St. Louis. It bestows the Golden Brick Award to individuals and businesses who have demonstrated a commitment towards improving these neighborhoods.

The recurring award underscores the fact that restoring St. Francis de Sales has significant consequences for the renewal of the entire vicinity around the church, because it has always been and will be the anchor of the neighborhood. The multiple awards also highlight the high level of commitment of the Oratory and its members to continue the restoration effort of St. Francis de Sales.

On behalf of the St. Francis de Sales Oratory, Canon Michael K. Wiener, Rector of the Oratory and Episcopal Delegate for the Implementation of the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum,” in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, accepted the Golden Brick Award at a presentation ceremony on Wednesday evening, June 30, 2010.

Canon Michael Wiener accepting Golden Brick Award 2010

Dining room of the convent after extensive renovation

Foyer of the convent after renovation

A room in the convent before renovation

All photos of the convent courtesy of Mark Abeln of Rome of the West.

A look at the history of St. Francis de Sales church reveals the hardships and sacrifices which accompanied the building of the present church. Delayed by a catastrophic cyclone in 1896, the parishioners, led by Father Lotz persevered.  The building of the new church continued with Father Holweck after Father Lotz’ death in 1903, and was completed and dedicated in November, 1908. The following photo and text are from the 1917 Jubilee booklet.

The old church building destroyed by the cyclone of May 27, 1896

The laying of the corner stone [of the new church] took place August 11, 1895, at which almost the entire Germanic population of St. Louis and many outside delegations were present.

 On May 27, 1896, a cyclone swept over St. Louis and destroyed the old church, leaving only the sanctuary and the main entrance. This caused a great draw back in the prosecution of the Father Lotz’s plans, since many of the parish members suffered extensive material losses. The hall in the third story of the school building had to be used for services until the basement of the Church could be equipped in such a way that the Holy Sacrifice could be celebrated therein (July 1896).

 A postcard (c. 1908) showing the new church after it had been built in spite of the difficulties.

An old postcard showing the newly completed St. Fancis de Sales church in 1908. (Source: St. Louis Public Library)

The present church building of St. Francis de Sales was completed and dedicated in a solemn ceremony on Novermber 26, 1908. This photo of the church appeared in the Golden Jubilee Souvenir Book published  in 1917.  (The first church building was erected in 1867, and destroyed by a tornedo in May, 1896.)

The following message to the parishioners of St. Francis de Sales was recorded in the Jubilee book:

We congratulate you to-day for the harmony and unexcelled co-operation that you have in the years gone by ever shown in the interest of your church.  May this grand spirit that to-day finds a place in the heart of every parishioner, continue in the years to come. May we in the future work together as we have done in the past, so that the next Jubilee of St. Francis de Sales church may find, if possible, even greater reasons for rejoicing than the past fifty years have offered.  Our parish to-day, on the day of its fiftieth anniversary, stands pre-eminent among the parishes of our diocese. The spirit of religion, the frequency with which our parishioners approach the Sacraments, your devotedness to your church, your sacrifices in her behalf, your real, genuine Catholic Faith stands as a shining example to all who have occasion to know the inner life of our parish. This it is, after all, which carries greatest weight before the Eternal Judge. Our good wishes to you to-day are that these grand and noble conditions may continue in our parish, and that each succeeding year may find you more worthy of the name you bear. That you continue walking in the footsteps of those noble men and women, who, by their sojourn in St. Francis de Sales parish, have merited the “Crown of Glory.”