Traditional craftsmanship helps preserve a historic Kansas parish

St. Lawrence is tied to one of the most enduring stories in Christian martyrdom.

During a period of persecution under the Roman Emperor Valerian around A.D. 258, authorities ordered the Church to surrender its wealth. Lawrence instead presented the poor, widows, and children of the community, declaring them the Church’s true treasure.

Tradition holds that he was executed for his defiance, a story that helped cement his place in church history for centuries afterward.

Nearly 1,800 years later, Ecclesiastical Studios & Sons had the opportunity to restore St. Lawrence Catholic Church, a historic parish in Kansas with roots dating back to the 19th century.

The project began with a walkthrough that revealed plaster failures and cracking along architectural lines. The crew developed a fixed-price proposal with a defined timeline and a hand-rendered concept to show how the interior could come together. Once approved, they mobilized scaffolding across the space to reach the ceilings, arches, and ornamental work that defined the project.

The scaffolding itself became a major part of the operation. Full interior access had to be built carefully around pews, altars, and decorative elements without damaging the space below. Tight areas such as the choir loft and sacristy slowed production further, forcing the crew to sequence work carefully while maintaining steady progress throughout the sanctuary.

They scraped and feathered loose coatings, cut out damaged plaster, and rebuilt it so repairs blended seamlessly into the surrounding surface. Cracks were opened, stabilized, and reformed so they would not return through the finish. It was methodical work, the kind that determines whether a restoration lasts or begins to fail again.

The crew treated the building with the respect it demanded. They protected or relocated altars, statuary, and the organ while maintaining tight control over each work area. Crews cleaned as they worked, not just to stay organized but to meet the expectations that come with working inside an active place of worship.

They handled detailing with careful brushwork, keeping edges and transitions sharp. Just as important, they completed the work from full-height scaffolding, often operating in confined areas where access dictated both sequencing and pace.

The project was bid at 16 weeks, but the team worked ahead of schedule and returned the church to the parish four weeks early, allowing services to resume in time for Christmas Eve Mass.

“The best part of working on the St. Lawrence restoration was managing the combination of technical complexity and logistical constraints inside a historic sacred space,” said company co-owner Alex Wendt. “There was a real sense of purpose in honoring the church’s history while giving the parish a space they could be proud of again.”