This interior view of the Church is as it appeared when Father Paul Teroerde, O.F.M. became the first Franciscan pastor of St. Francis Borgia parish in 1894.
Note the high altar, the angels in the sanctuary, the position and style of the pulpit, the lighting, the communion rail, the windows and the wall decorations.
In the year 1902, Reverend Father Alphonse Bergener, O. F. M., succeeded as Pastor. During the years of his pastorate (1902-1915) many improvements were made on the church, including a new roof of galvanized shingles, gilding the cross on the steeple, and frescoing the interior of the church by George Hoepfinger of Chicago, Illinois. He installed pictorial stained-glass windows (Emil Frie, of St. Louis, Missouri) in the church, procured a new set of Stations of the Cross (A Kaletta, of St. Louis, Missouri), new pulpit and altars, confessional and communion railing. He introduced a steam heating system and electric lights for the church. Rev. Fr. Alphonse being a great musician and lover of church music, procured and blessed in February 1909, a new pipe organ, procured from Wm. Schuelke, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(Exerpt from the "Golden Jubilee of the Franciscan Fathers 1894-1944." dated May 28, 1944.)
Following the 1910 tornado which ripped into the church roof and steeple, the damage repair included taking down the old turrets from the steeple, and reroofing the church roof and steeple.
During Rev. Fr. Ignatius Classen's pastorate (1927-1932) the church interior was redecorated and upgrades were made to the heating system from the original steam heat to oil burners.
After the $8,000 fire in the old school building on Main and Cedar Streets, he remodeled the entire buidling and made it a most suitable parish hall for all parish activities.
In 1928, he erected a new reinforced concrete wall on Cedar Street following it caving in as a result of heavy rains.
While Fr. Sebastian Krempel was pastor (1936-1942), the altars, communion rail and stations were marbleized, the bronze light fixtures and padded kneeling benches were installed, the church roof repaired, glass panels placed in the vestibule doors and a new crib for the church was purchased. New concrete steps were also constructed at the church entrance.
Father Erwin Huntsha (1942-1957) made many improvements to the church during his 15-year pastorate, namely: the new cushion kneelers, the loud-speaking system, the ventilation system, new stokers, the indirect lighting system, the built-in confessional and baptistery, the beautiful redecoration of the church and priest's oratory.
(As described in the "Golden Jubilee of the Franciscan Fathers 1894-1944." dated May 28, 1944.)
The original classical style of the Church was never taken into consideration when the interior was decorated. The decorations as well as the altars and windows were executed in the Romanesque style. Later a change was effected in the altars, the pulpit, the sedilia with the addition of rich carved Romanesque ornaments. The latter fact encouraged the supervising decorator, Mr. Gottfried Schiller of St. Louis, to follow up with the Renaissance character in the present redecoration. In consequence improvement of the general outlines of altars, pulpit and stations was justified.
The number “seven” always known to be a sacred numeral,
was the fundamental rhythm introduced in the decoration. In the dome of the sanctuary is portrayed the symbol of God the Father and “Seat of Wisdom.” From Him go forth seven doves, seven streams of gold, and seven fiery tongues, symbolizing the Holy Spirit and His seven Gifts. They focus on the main altar with his majestic crucifixion group. The background of the altar is ornamented with seven palm trees, symbols of faith and fortitude.
In the vestibule two angels with the vessels of incense point to the sacred place over the entrance of which is written: “This is the House of God, the Gate of Heaven.”
After entering the church, one first notices the imposing high altar and tabernacle, then the eye meets on the balcony ceiling
In the nave of the church pictures of the twelve apostles by Tzncatisky in 1904 adorn the vaulted ceiling. These were retouched and restored.
It is to be hoped that visitors to St. Francis Borgia Church will receive the impression of pleasing quietness, clearness and unity. The new indirect lighting system is an important asset in achieving harmony in the church.
While pastor at Borgia, Fr. Tom Cashman (1957-1963) completely renovated the church interior from the classical style to the Romanesque. The ornately decorated wooden altars were replaced by a marble one. Wood paneling was installed throughout the church. The pulpit, stations and windows were also redesigned to match this design style. The dome of the sanctuary was recreated to portray the symbol of God the Father and “Seat of Wisdom.” The pictures of the twelve Apostles were retouched and restored.
After the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960's, many changes occured in the Catholic Church. The liturgical reforms included the use of the vernacular language in many parts of the Mass and sacraments. It was in January 1965, during Father Ethlebert Harms pastorate, that a new marble altar was erected in the church facing the people.
While Fr. Armand Lubanski was pastor (1983-1990), he oversaw another major church project redecorating the church interior to its’ present form with changes to the sanctuary dome theme, and the barrel ceiling beautifully painted to accentuate each Apostle canvas.
The border underneath the Apostles and around the top of the sanctuary, which originally held a Latin verse from Psalm 84, now highlights oak leaves, wheat and grapes, symbolizing the scripture verse: “…when we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come in victory.” With the oak leaf being a victory symbol in the German tradition, our distant heritage is carried forward to present day.
The side altars became the focal points for the statues of St. Francis Borgia and St. Francis of Assisi on the east, and the Holy Family on the west side. The sanctuary wall received a beautiful filigree-painted backdrop for the new altar, lectern and baptismal font. The pews were angled to provide a more comfortable worship space for everyone.
The church was airconditioned in 1993 when Fr. Robert Banken was pastor (1990-1994). During Fr. Jack Costello’s pastorate (1994-2005), the steeple of the church was renovated and lighting was installed, dedicated at the 160th parish anniversary in October 1994. The choir loft area was redesigned for better accessibility and the organ restoration was also completed in 1995.
Following the rededication of Notre Dame Hall as the new parish office and meeting space in 2004, all three bells in the church tower were rung for the first time in about 10 years. They had been equipped with two clappers, so the bells no longer actually swing, eliminating stress on the church tower.
During Fr. Andrew Sigmund’s time at Borgia (2005-2013), the renovation and expansion of Jesuit Hall was completed with its’ dedication taking place on March 18, 2007. The building was named after the Jesuit Order and the courtyard named the Franciscan Courtyard, in honor of the priests who came to serve our parish for so many years.
In 2017, during Fr. Joe Wormek's pastorate, restoration work was completed on the church’s historic stained-glass windows. The process included removing the old, 40-year-old storm windows, washing each window by hand, making repairs as needed, and the installing ¼-inch thick tempered glass covers. This new covering allows visitors to see the windows’ details from outside the church and provide a beautiful lighting to the church interior.
The front of the church and steeple received much needed tuckpointing in 2018. During several weeks in February 2019, temporary repairs were made to several Apostles canvases that were pulling away from the ceiling.
With the dedication from many over the years, this historic church has been loved and well-maintained. Each project was completed with prayer, commitment, sacrifice and hard work. We are blessed to call St. Francis Borgia Church our church home and pray that future parishioners also find in this place a sanctuary where they find inspiration, peace, and the courage to live a holy life.
St. Francis Borgia, pray for us!