Kevin Grabowski is preserving a sacred rose.
Grabowski, a craftsman and project director at Conrad Schmitt Studios, is leading a team of roughly a dozen people restoring the historic rose window at Gesu Parish in Downtown Milwaukee.
Gesu is a 116-year-old Gothic landmark on the campus of Marquette University, and a pastoral ministry of the Jesuit community. The church's magnificent stained glass window is huge, nearly 28 feet in diameter, positioned in the rear choir loft.
It features the seal of the Society of Jesus in the center, surrounded by various saints of the church while a guardian angel and child are depicted at the top.
Grabowski is especially impressed by the faces.
"The faces are very large and so well done. It's just an absolutely beautiful window. "
The rose window was imported from Germany, and created under the supervision of noted artist Franz Xaver Zettler and is one of the most recognized pieces of art in the church's interior.
It's also one of the last religious images the faithful notice when exiting onto Wisconsin Avenue.
The presiding priest and others assisting at Mass all have an inspiring view when facing the congregation.
Grabowski and his team removed all 29 panels of the stained glass from Gesu's loft in early summer and have been undergoing restoration at Conrad Schmitt's New Berlin studios ever since.
During a recent visit, Grabowski described the meticulous effort.
It begins with documentation, then taking apart each panel, fixing the cracks, rebuilding, cementing, reinforcing, touch-up painting, and final inspection.
Documentation, he says, is the most important phase of restoration.
"If you didn't do the documentation, you've already been painted in a corner," says Grabowski. "The information is lost as to how to put that back the way it was supposed to go."
Documentation actually begins at the church by rubbing outlines of the stained glass onto carbon paper, creating a map of the project. Digital photographs are also taken to help establish an overall record and focus on specific problems.
"I think the most challenging part of this project was the technical part, understanding why the windows failed, and making sure we can correct those things without disrupting the original aesthetic value," says Grabowski, who says, to him, the technical aspect is the most rewarding part of the project.
"We know when we put that window back, it's now how it was originally intended to be, and it's going to last a long, long time, certainly out-living the rest of us," he says.
The removal of the rose window has left a void in the church.
"It feels in the church like something is missing," says Gesu Parish Executive Director of Operations John O'Brien. "We are really excited to have back one of the signature stained glass windows that we have in the parish."
Work on the rose window is actually part of an estimated $2 million loft improvement program.
The space is currently being remodeled while the church's 115-year-old pipe organ is away for restoration, a project being handled by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio.
Audio and video equipment are also being installed as part of the upgrade.
O'Brien says as good stewards, Gesu parishioners feel a responsibility to maintain a tradition.
"The music, the environment, the beauty of the space, the inspiration that comes from it, the spiritual awareness, it's something that's at the heart of Gesu. It's part of what we are," O'Brien says.
The rose window is scheduled for return early next month.
Installation of the restored organ will begin in January, and completed by Easter.
A series of related celebrations and events are being planned through next year, including a blessing of the loft by Archbishop Jerome Listecki on March 27.
Grabowski is looking forward to putting the stained glass panels of the rose window back in place.
He says typically a small crowd of people will drift in a church to witness the event.
"When we're putting it back in all its glory, and they see that, it's really, really rewarding. It's a lot of fun."
It's all in a day's work of helping preserve a sacred rose.
