Our beloved original church is an iconic historic landmark that’s deeply rooted in Lake Forest history and has stood to grace our beautiful city for over 100 years.  This is our fifth church building which was dedicated in 1910.  Each stained glass window is a treasure that has it’s own unique story and connection to the founding families of St. Patrick parish and our community.

 

Our Facilities Manager, Gianfranco Isaia, led the mission to preserve and restore these windows so generations of parishioners and members of the Lake Forest community can enjoy their beauty and historical value for years to come.  The services of Jon-Lee Art Glass were procured to restore our windows.  The Jon-Lee Art Glass team (pictured below) lead the detailed and careful restoration project. The process began in June, 2016 and was completed in August, 2016.  

 

Each window was carefully inspected.  The old external protective plastic pane removed, the ‘came’ (the element used to join each pane of glass) repaired or replaced and the window was cleaned.  The frames and sills were scraped and sanded down to their original wood and any repair work needed was done.  The frames were oiled, primed and painted, the window re-caulked, and a new external protective window installed. Each new external window is similar to a car windshield and is shatter proof to guard the stained glass from any debris that could damage the window.  Vents allow the air between the stained glass and the protective window to breath and moisture or hot air to escape.  Below are photographs of an old and a restored window.

 

The restoration was possible through the gifts of our parishoners through the “To Teach Who Christ Is” campaign.