The faithful gather in newly-restored St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green as Bishop William F. Medley dedicates the church on Aug. 21, 2021. COURTESY OF JAMES KENNEY

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Growing up non-Catholic, Lori Million would often walk past St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green.

It was always there as a familiar, faithful landmark, even though it was not her church.

An artist restores an angel statue at St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green on Aug. 17, 2021. The angel is one of a pair that will hold electric lights in the completed church. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Years later, she came full circle not only by joining the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program at St. Joseph’s, but by helping to lead the restoration project for the historic church building.

“I always had a history with (St. Joseph Parish); I just didn’t know where it was going to take me,” said Lori Million, who serves as the parish’s director of finance.

On Aug. 21, 2021, following more than a year of fundraising, construction work and prayer, Bishop William F. Medley consecrated the new altar and blessed the new church, which had been restored to the original glory of its 1889 founding.

The church had been in need of significant repairs to the exterior brickwork, water-damaged plaster, worn carpet and more – which was made all more serious by the fact that St. Joseph Parish is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Structural engineers went over every aspect to see what we needed to fix,” said Bayne Million, Lori Million’s husband and the president of St. Joseph’s finance council. “These old churches – if you don’t restore them, they have the potential to crumble into dust.”

Under a campaign titled “Renew,” the people of St. Joseph’s set out to restore the historic building, which Bayne Million said is more than just a building to them.

“The project is called ‘Renew,’ since this is where we come to be renewed and restored,” said Bayne Million, pointing out that just as people care for their homes, this has been an opportunity to care for their spiritual home.

Contractors work on the marble center aisle of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green on Aug. 17, 2021. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Fr. Ryan Harpole, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, said they wanted to have something lasting: which the next few generations will not “need to worry about.”

The work done includes restoration of the original exterior bricks; repairs to the original stained glass windows (“The frames were custom made for the windows,” said Fr. Harpole); roof, gutter and downspout repair; interior plaster repairs; updated restrooms; restored main floor and crawlspace; various improvements to the interior design, and various miscellaneous repairs and refurbishments.

The project also featured a full renovation of the parish hall (including its restrooms and kitchen), a brand-new Reconciliation Room for the priests to hear confessions, and, notably, the restoration of the original lily designs on the ceiling of the church.

Bayne Million said that at the beginning of the project, parishioner poll results indicated that they wanted those lilies to be returned to the ceiling and for two historic angel statues to be returned to the sides of the altar.

Many parishioners “have been here since their childhoods and wanted those key things back,” said Bayne Million.

Both of these aspects have been restored, made easier by the unexpected discovery of the original lilies’ design under layers of paint. 

Bishop William F. Medley consecrates the new altar at St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green on Aug. 21, 2021. COURTESY OF JAMES KENNEY

The old carpet on the main church floor has now been replaced with gleaming wood floors, courtesy of Conrad Floors, a local business operated by Dcn. Larry Conrad, who also serves in St. Joseph’s parish leadership as a deacon.

“It’s my church and I want to take care of it,” said Dcn. Conrad, who has belonged to the parish for 30 years and was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2017.

And the new marble-tiled center aisle, said Fr. Harpole, “emphasizes its purpose as a focal point directing your attention to the altar – to the Eucharist.”

Bayne Million said he credits the parishioners for the success of the project, which cost $4,358,140.

Fr. Harpole said it was helpful that “we were transparent” throughout the Renew process, always being available to answer parishioners’ questions and telling them exactly how their money was being used.

“It has been a humbling experience to see the beautification of the church,” said Bayne Million.

Lori Million agreed.

“To see it like this, it’s like nothing I’ve ever imagined,” she said.  

Originally printed in the September 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.