Simple maintenance ‘blossomed’ into substantial remodeling project
By Philip A. Janquart
ICR Assistant Editor
Father Jorge Garcia’s voice carried and echoed as he made his way from the back to the front entrance of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Weiser, where the ICR was waiting to interview him.
He wore priestly black and seemed to huddle inside his thick black winter jacket, the collar pulled up to protect the back of his neck. Atop his head nested a Scottish flat cap, black, of course.
“Everything was out; all the power … for about three hours,” he said, looking at his watch. “Five minutes before you were here, it came back on.”
Reaching his destination in the vestibule, he stretched out a hand, and with the flick of a switch, the splendor of the church’s 112-year-old interior came into full view.
A spectrum of traditional Catholic design detail was revealed, including a cadre of vibrant stained glass, a marble baptismal font with glass bowl on a wood base, a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, wood beams, period-correct chandelier lighting, statues of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, a combination of marble and carpet flooring and pews with engraved stylized palms that, in the ancient world, represent victory and well-being.
The windows, original to the church, are captivating. Intricate symbols and images reflect the life of Jesus Christ, the Holy Family, and various saints.
The altar was designed by architect Charles F. Hummel and constructed by John Studebaker of Boise.
In a community of roughly 5,000 residents, St. Agnes is a testament to its strong Catholic faith, first present in the area in 1875, and reflects an expression of love and devotion to the Lord.
Now lighted, Father Garcia strode back into the main church and gazed from left to right before commenting on the church’s design: “Father Funke said this church is a small St. John’s Cathedral.”
Fr. Garcia noted the similarities between St. Agnes and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise, specifically the five small windows adorning the half-dome apse behind the altar and the choir/organ loft above the main entrance.
The eight-foot diameter “Rose Window” depicts a red cross over a stylized sunburst.
Mounted on the nave's east, south and west walls are canvas-printed Stations of the Cross, and the reconciliation chapel is located at the southeast corner of the church.
Father Garcia was clearly impressed by the renovation work undertaken by his predecessor, Father Gerald Funke, and the St. Agnes community.
Father Garcia suffered through back-to-back bouts with COVID after arriving at St. Agnes in July. Most recently, he had been serving at Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Pocatello after retiring from his pastorate at Immaculate Conception in Buhl.
It was as if, perhaps, it was his first chance to quietly take in the sight following his illness.
The work brought the red brick church back to its original grandeur following a period that, in part, reflected a 1970s design scheme, particularly in the form of red carpet and red upholstered pews.
Father Gerry Funke, now retired, served as pastor at St. Agnes from 2019 to July 2024, simultaneously serving the parishes of Holy Rosary in Cambridge and St. Jude the Apostle in Council. Father Gerry took a special interest in the church, which was built in 1911 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2023, he wrote a short manuscript on its history.
In 2000, the late Deacon Francis Wander (d. Apr. 2015) wrote a history of the Weiser Catholic community. Father Gerry’s and Deacon Wander’s manuscripts, which contain more detailed information about the church and the parish, can be found below.
The historic church
St. Agnes was constructed between 1911 and 1912, using brick from a local manufacturer and stone from a quarry not far from town.
It was formally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30, 1911, by Bishop Alphonse J. Glorieux (1844-1917), the first bishop of Boise, according to Father Gerry’s roughly 50-page manuscript.
In 1863, Weiser was not much more than a Pony Express station, but the Oregon Short Line railroad built a train stop near the confluence of the Weiser and Snake Rivers. With the arrival of mining and farming operations in the area, the town eventually began to take shape.
The Catholic community in Weiser was established as a “Station” in 1885, with the original St. Agnes located on East Second Street. The wood-framed church was nearly completed by Nov. 1900 when Weiser was elevated to a parish, according to the historical narrative of Deacon Wander.
Eventually, there was a need to build a new church that was big enough to accommodate Weiser’s growing Catholic community. The “new” St. Agnes was constructed to accommodate 225 persons.
Today, St. Agnes is located on the southwest corner of Liberty and Second Streets, at 214 East Liberty, just a couple blocks north of its original location.
Its bell tower stretches skyward 70 feet. The bell was cast in 1901 and was moved from the original church to its current location when the new St. Agnes was built. A complete history of the bell is contained in an article Father Gerry wrote for Idaho Magazine in July 2023 and is included in his manuscript.
Weiser architect Herbert W. Bond designed the building, which was built by Lynch & Watkins. Father Lambert C. Godschlax, a native of the Netherlands (1874-1929), served as pastor (1902-1917) during construction.
“Through the past 112 years, various modifications were made: excavation of a partial basement, centralized heating (replacing three potbellied stoves) and, later, air conditioning, protective and insulating exterior windows over the 1912 stained-glass windows, installation of bathrooms, new pews (1970s), several lighting upgrades, and repairing of the exterior brick and mortar,” wrote Father Gerry in his manuscript.
Despite exhaustive research, no record indicates where the windows were made or who made them.
In 1984, during the pastorate (1981-1987) of the late Fr. Joseph A. Muha (d. Mar. 2024), St. Agnes underwent a major renovation reflecting the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican Council. Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen, fifth Bishop of Boise (1962-1988), rededicated the renovated Church on Passion Sunday, April 15, 1984.
It included remodeling the sanctuary area, its furnishings and church entry, a project developed and executed by Boise architect Charles F. Hummel, formerly Tourtellotte and Hummel, the firm that designed St. John’s Cathedral and the Idaho State Capital.
By 2021, the interior paint, especially on the ceiling, which is believed to have been the original coat, needed attention.
The Remodel
When Father Funke arrived at St. Agnes in July 2019, the finance and pastoral councils let him know renovation was needed.
“One of the things they had been wanting to do was repaint the church's interior,” Father Gerry explained in a phone interview with the ICR. (He now resides at the St. John Vianney Center for retired Idaho priests.)
“It was something they wanted to do, but just never got it done, and it needed it,” he said. But what began as a maintenance project quickly swelled into something more substantial.
“It all started as a simple plan … and then it just blossomed,” said Father Gerry.
“We said, ‘Well, the carpet and the flooring need to be changed because the carpet was ripped up in a number of places. Then we said, ‘Well, the lighting isn’t good; we need to do something about that.’”
It turns out St. Agnes’ lighting consisted of three different systems installed over the decades, and there were other issues, as well.
“And then, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, over the years, became very faded, and the colors had, sort of, washed out to where it was almost black and white,” Father Gerry said.
The pandemic hit in 2020, putting plans for the project on hold. In 2022, as the pandemic was winding down, Father Gerry and his councils began pushing forward once more.
They enlisted the help of St. John’s Cathedral parishioner and building committee member Pam Pavelek to serve as the interior design consultant. Pavelek, owner of Pavelek Planning and Design, previously served in the same capacity for the construction of St. Paul’s Church in Nampa. “I invited Pam to come over, and that’s how it all began,” Father Gerry said.
“A simple plan to repaint the church’s interior evolved into a second renovation and restoration project, which came to include repair of cracks in the interior wall plaster (from 1911), refinishing of the dark wood beams and trim, new flooring, new lighting, New ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ shrine in the east transept, new benches, a new baptismal font . . . and the originally planned repainting,” Father Gerry stated in his manuscript. “This was done with the original craftsmanship and time period in mind so as to make the project a true restoration of the beauty of the church’s interior.”
Father Garcia is optimistic and looking forward to his time at St. Agnes. “Everybody is welcome to St. Agnes, Catholic or no Catholic; they are the people of God, too.”
Visit catholicweiser.org for more information about St. Agnes or call (208) 549-0088.
If you enjoyed this story and would like to read more like it, please consider buying a subscription to the Idaho Catholic Register. Your $20 yearly subscription also supports the work of the Diocese of Boise Communications Department, which includes not only the newspaper, but this website, social media posts and videos. You can subscribe here, or through your parish, or send a check to 1501 S. Federal Way, Boise, ID, 83705: or call 208-350-7554 to leave a credit card payment. Thank you, and God bless you.
Opmerkingen