Joann Comeaux Rohloff
February 25, 2015
Serving, giving back to area
February 25, 2015
Saws are buzzing inside St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in downtown Houma now, but soon bells will be tolling.
The historic church, located at the corner of Belanger and Barrow streets, was devastated by fire in late 2011. It is nearly rebuilt and will be housing parishioners in three to six months, Rev. Craig Dalferes said.
Investigators determined the fire started when an electrical surge from the breaker panel caused a spark under the church, which was situated on pillars.
St. Matthew’s was adopted shortly after the by Grace Lutheran Church, where parishioners have been worshipping for more than four years.
But St. Matthew’s congregation has been worshipping in their own parish hall for four weeks now, a welcome homecoming for churchgoers.
The original cypress wood church was built in 1872 to replace an older church that was also damaged by fire.
The original church was on the National Register of Historic Sites, but, sadly, was recently removed from the registry because the actual structure must be historical, Dalferes said.
The new church replicates the historic one as much as possible, with a number of improvements.
“It will look a lot like the old church,” Dalferes said. “I wanted people, when they see the new church, to say, ‘Wow, it’s St. Matthew’s.'”
The original structure, consisting of the church and parish hall fused into one, could together house 200 people. Now the church can house 200 people by itself, with the parish hall accessible via a connecting corridor.
The parish hall also serves as the St. Matthew’s Episcopal School’s cafeteria. The added degree of separation granted by the new construction means that the children can now eat lunch without disturbing funeral services being conducted in the church, Dalferes said.
One of the few things that survived the fire was the historic bell that now hangs yet again in the church steeple.
St. Matthew’s bell was forged in 1872 by Meneely and Kimberly bellworks in Troy, New York. Meneely and Kimberly bellworks also forged the Centennial bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell forged in 1876 from four cannons: two from the American Revolution and two from the American Civil War.
Dalferes says that the bell will toll again once the church reopens along with the bells of other local churches and cathedrals, as a triumphant announcement of the return of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.
Unfortunately, the historic pipe organ did not survive the fire. It was one of the only remaining pipe organs in Terrebonne Parish, Dalferes said. The costs of buying a new one were astronomical, so the church bought a digital one instead.
The old church had 24 stained glass windows, the largest being the nativity window, depicting the birth of Jesus.
St. Matthew’s kept extensive documentation of the windows for appraisal and insurance purposes. Of those, 12 have been completed by Rohlf’s Stained & Leaded Glass Studio in New York. Rohlf’s happened to have bought the company that glazed the original windows, Dalferes said.
The nativity window has not yet been finished, but Dalferes is hopeful that it will be done by Christmas. It will be a spectacle for passers-by as it will be illuminated from within the church.
“It’s going to be a really beautiful jewel downtown as you drive by at night,” Dalferes said. “We are inviting any and everyone who would like to contribute to it…to do so.”
There will be a book kept in the foyer of the church to recognize those who donated. Donations can be made in the name of a loved one past or present and donation amounts will not be printed.
The Nativity Window will be renamed the Community Nativity Window after it is installed.
The inside of the church is shaping to be a beautiful replica of the historic original.
The wooden trusses were modeled after the original ones that once supported the massive church roof.
“In fact, when the first one went up and I saw it, I got a little choked up because it really reminded me of St. Matthew’s original church,” Dalferes said.
Even the pews were replicated, Dalferes said.
The new church is entirely wheelchair accessible and is also insulated with polyurethane foam
making it a truly modern building.
“We have a number of older parishioners who had a little more trouble with mobility, and this is going to be so much easier for them to manage,” Dalferes said.
The church and school also now features a porticature for children to be picked up and dropped off beneath a covered area.
The new church will also boast a prayer garden featuring a columbarium in the shape of a cross. A columbarium is a respectful place for public storage of cinerary urns. It will hold 28 urns.
REBUILDING COSTS
Insurance did not cover the entire cost of construction. St. Matthew’s had to fundraise a great deal to raise the money needed to rebuild.
St. Matthew’s still needs to raise about $350,000.
The total project cost $6.2 million.
Aside from accepting donations for the Nativity Window, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is also raising funds to complete the church through a brick paver project.
Community members can donate a brick inscribed with a message to be installed in the breezeway. Bricks cost $100 each and 500 have been sold so far.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so by visiting http://stmatthe wshouma.org/rebuild-stmatthews.
The brick paver order form is available online now, but the Community Nativity Window donation form isn’t.
CHALLENGES IN CONSTRUCTION
The project had many challenges, Byron E. Talbot Construction Vice President Marvin Gregory said. At the onset, rain delays slowed construction, and the “tight-nature of the property” made maneuvering workers and equipment difficult.
The project is now in the process of finishing some painting before installing the ornate Cypress wainscot paneling throughout the church’s interior.
Gregory said that he’s come to know the St. Matthew’s community well but it’s “time to bring the entire project to completion and let ’em start enjoying it.”
For more information, call St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church at 872-5057.
Rev. Craig Dalferes stands in the new St. Matthew’s church. The church is nearing completion after being completely razed by fire.
A view of St. Matthew’s Church from Barrow Street. Reconstruction is nearing completion after the original church burned down. It should reopen within six months.
