Piece by piece: Community celebrates as St. John’s Catholic Church completes seven-month renovation

St. John's Catholic Church is tucked away in the rolling hills of Bollinger County, just past rows of fence posts greeting motorists with the verses of "Hail Mary." The church has been a central point of the unincorporated community of Leopold, Missouri, since its formation in 1865. Though Leopold is home to fewer than 100 residents, there are 373 families who call the parish home.

For the past seven months, Mass has been held at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Glennon, Missouri, while St. John's underwent a face-lift. But parishioners have not been absent from their home church during that time.

Parishioners check out their newly remodeled St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold, Missouri between masses on May 29.Laura Simon

Construction of the church began in 1899 and was completed in 1901. With the last major work being done to the church in 1956, the building was ready for an overhaul. The St. John's Renovation Committee was formed about a year and a half ago by former parish priest Rev. William Hennecke Jr. Using funds raised over the past 10 years from the famous Leopold Picnic, it took the committee about a year to put the renovation plans together.

In early November 2015, some 30 to 40 volunteers from the community emptied the church in a matter of hours, making room for construction and paint crews, scaffolding and a large cherry picker to transform their church. The stained-glass windows cast colorful light on the crews as they worked, following them in each hour it took to piece the church back together, one step at a time. Community members popped in throughout the day to check on the remodeling.

While the major work was done by professionals, volunteers had a large part in the remodel.

Nick Elfrink trims the base of an altar inside St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold, Missouri, on Feb. 11. Elfrink and his wife, Geri, repaired and painted the altars inside the church.Laura Simon

"Church members contributed hours of time," said Sharon Hopkins, a member of the renovation committee.

The more than 100-year-old pews were repaired and refinished, right down to the new coverings on the kneelers -- and it was all volunteer work. The ornate pipe organ, a standout in the choir loft, was taken apart piece by piece, cleaned and then reassembled by music director Daniel Seiler. Nick and Geri Elfrink rehabbed the communion rails and altars in great detail. Many more volunteers worked countless hours to make their church whole and beautiful once again.

Scaffolding was taken apart and reassembled many times daily so the painters could reach the very top of the vaulted ceiling, covering it in a blue paint color that mimics the bright blue of a cloudless sky. From the rich blue ceiling to the ornate gold stenciling high above the altar, no detail was left behind, and no task too daunting.

Finally, at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 29, the doors to St. John's were opened, welcoming parishioners to pack the pews for the first Mass, led by Rev. David Coon, inside their beautifully remodeled church.

During the renovation, murals were uncovered where stained glass windows once stood. The next step for the church will be to replace these areas with stained glass windows, as it was originally built.

A young parishioner looks up from his father's shoulder during the first Mass at the newly remodeled St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold, Missouri.Laura Simon