The scaffolding is now up, and work has begun on a nearly $2 million interior renovation project at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Morris. So, according to Fundraising Chair Carla Riley, they are “ready to rock and roll.”

The last time a full interior renovation was done at the Catholic church was in 1993, according to Brian Giese, Chair of the church’s Renovation Committee. At that time, the church was repainted and recarpeted, and a handicap accessible entry was added. This current project on the 115-year-old-plus building includes repairing plaster walls, new flooring, a new paint scheme throughout the entire interior, upgrading the sound system, sanctuary improvements, and installing air conditioning in the basement. While Michelangelo was unavailable, there will be a mural painted in the chapel area.

“It’s going to be a pretty church,” said Riley. “It’s a pretty church now, but it’s just wearing.”

While things constantly pop up on the to-do list of an older building, Giese said, “it’s easier to do this scale of projects all at once rather than piece by piece because they’re all interconnected.” The renovation has been discussed since 2022, and Giese noted that “there’s been a tremendous outreach of prayer and people to help. It’s been a wonderful experience, really.” 

The people who comprise the Renovation Committee haven’t changed since those initial discussions four years ago. Besides Giese and Riley, they include Jackie Dripps, Peter Boyle, Hayley Jay, Paul Rhoda, and Father Todd Schneider. After initial discussions, Riley said, they eventually decided to employ Walsh and Associates to do a feasibility study, which then led to a capital campaign. 

Initially, Riley said, there were three different financial goals with varying levels of the project being completed depending on the amount raised – $1.2 million, $1.5 million, or $1.8 million, which Riley said would allow them to do “absolutely everything we wanted.” With the congregation celebrating its 150th anniversary this fall, the fundraising came in at the highest level. “So we should be covered if the pledges hold,” she said, adding that such projects often raise more money than the projected goal. A three-year pledge period was offered to donors.

Besides the finances, Giese noted that the church has been “super lucky” to have a lot of volunteer labor from congregants. Pews were taken out in about two hours, which required much heavy lifting, and volunteers also moved hanging pieces and statues to make the walls and ceilings accessible. 

The main contractor for the renovation is Conrad Schmitt Studios out of New Berlin, Wisconsin, who are doing the stenciling and paint scheme, as well as plaster repairs. Unger Furniture will be laying down some carpet, with Armquist Flooring out of Alexandria doing the tile work. An additional wood furniture company will be constructing the rerodos, a hand-painted backdrop that houses the tabernacle. 

Giese estimated the paint and plaster work to be done by the end of August, with flooring and scaffolding done by mid-September, when all the furniture and statuary will be moved back. In the meantime, all services will be held in the church’s basement level. 

While he will feel some relief when the project is finished, Giese said it was “so refreshing to see the new energy” at the church that the renovation has sparked. “I think there will be a lot of excitement. I’m expecting to see pure happiness when it’s all complete.”