Once hidden but now recovered , original imagery of chapel vestibule inspires again .
Jeff Duchene paints delicate imagery stenciled along the ceiling arch of the main chapel ’ s narthex . A generous donation from St . Vincent Ferrer Parish funded the project .
Restored to Glory
Once hidden but now recovered , original imagery of chapel vestibule inspires again .
No one at the seminary remembers when it happened exactly .
Regrettably , it did happen . The walls , decorative molding , arches , and barrel-vaulted ceiling of the narthex , or entrance vestibule , of the main chapel were at some point painted over . The white paint covered up delicately stenciled and hand-painted images of birds , praying angels , flowing grapevines , floral patterns , Eucharistic symbols , tiny crosses and stars , along with the original teal color of the ceiling — presumably for all time .
All remained hidden , that is , until this summer . Duchene Miller LLC , a restorative painting company from Haslett , Michigan , has just completed a two-month project to recover the original imagery and original colors and bring the narthex back to its former glory .
The decorative images were rediscovered only by chance . The narthex suffered major water damage in 2008 when its roof flashing failed after a heavy rain . As Sacred Heart ’ s painter , Robert Fellenz , began to peel away damaged plaster and paint , his scraper revealed the fine details of religious imagery in colors of beige , rusty red , salmon , deep blue-green , and even gold leaf .
“ The stenciling looked original ,” says John Duncan , director of facilities management , “ which was an exciting find from a historical perspective .” But since the discovery did not directly affect the life of the seminary , “ we had to let it go .” But nature would intervene again . Another heavy rain caused water to leak into
Daniel Gallio
the narthex ceiling . The water caused ugly “ effervescence ”— whitish minerals began to seep from the arched limestone window surrounds of the narthex . The seminary administration decided in the summer of 2015 to have the surrounds thoroughly cleaned . Seminarian Craig Marion , who has a lively interest in historic preservation , noticed the work going on — which reminded him of the stenciling beneath the narthex ’ s paint .
“ Would you mind if I found a donor to pay for the narthex to be returned to its original condition ?” Craig asked Mr . Duncan . “ Not at all ,” Mr . Duncan replied .
Craig asked his pastor , Sacred Heart alumnus Fr . John Esper of St . Vincent Ferrer Parish in Madison Heights , if he would be open to covering the restoration costs . “ We were happy to do it as a parish ,” says Father Esper . “ The seminary deserves to be taken care of . We were happy to help out .”
“ When you come into a project like this and are asked to ‘ take it back ’ to what
it once was , you get a good feeling about this type of work ,” says Jeff Duchene , coowner with his daughter , Jaqueline Miller , of Duchene Miller . Mr . Duchene has been doing restorative painting and repairing of historic structures for thirty years . His many projects include churches throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit .
Mr . Duchene , Ms . Miller , and team member Kenneth Tudrick began work in June first by researching the decorative designs and colors popular in the 1920s , the decade the seminary building was completed ( 1924 ). “ The hand-painted motif and stencil work is in the Arts and Crafts style ,” Mr . Duchene explains . “ The crosses on the ceiling field are English . The grapevines are Romanesque . All combine well with the chapel ’ s Gothic Revival architectural style .”
Next came the hard work : scraping away paint , sanding , repairing plaster , and laying down base paint . Although much of the original ornamentation had been lost to water damage , Duchene Miller was able to re-create the ornamentation by tracing the remaining designs onto transfer paper for hand painting and onto clear vellum for cutting stencil board .
“ We went back to the Arts and Crafts era to match the colors , too ,” says Mr . Duchesne , who is a purist for maintaining historical accuracy .
“ The narthex is an area of the chapel that is not often noticed , but it has its own beauty and purpose ,” says Msgr . Todd Lajiness , Sacred Heart ’ s rector . “ The narthex prepares our hearts to encounter the Lord as we enter the sanctity of the chapel .”
Monsignor invites guests to examine the restored designs . “ I think you ’ ll agree with me that it looks fantastic .”
Daniel Gallio is Mosaic ’ s editor .
Sacred Heart ’ s building earned a place on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1983 . Please contact Marita Ladosenszky , Office of Institutional Advancement , 313-596-7409 , to help with other preservation projects .
36 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2016