Around 1983, the parish of St. Joseph removed the center two sanctuary gates (circa 1909) along the communion rail. Thankfully, the parish declined to remove the remainder of the altar rail and the two side chapel gates.
Although rumors persisted for many years that the center gates had been lost, they were rediscovered in the basement of the original St. Joseph School (now the Good Shepherd Room). Despite sitting on the mud floor against the brick walls for over 30 years, the gates were remarkably in good condition.
With the support of the pastor, the Latin Mass Community began to gather quotes to restore the gates and reinstall them. In March 2019, the Latin Mass Young Adult Club hosted a swing dance on St. Joseph Day to benefit the restoration project. To date, we have raised over $1,300 towards the cleaning and re-installation of the gates. The gates were on display during the fundraiser. Photos below:
The following steps remain:
- Clean the gates
- Fabricate two poles on which the gates slide. This is the most expensive part of the project. Although the gates were located, the poles were lost over the years. Luckily, the side altar gate poles still exist and two reproductions will be made from them.
- Reinstallation of the poles and gates.