St. Mary of the Rosary Parish Windows - Chewelah, WA
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 48° 16.571 W 117° 42.680
11U E 447221 N 5347242
This beautiful old Roman Catholic Parish can trace its roots back 128 years, to 1885.
Waymark Code: WMJNE5
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/08/2013
Views: 1
Organized in that year, 1885, St. Mary of the Rosary Parish began as a Jesuit mission under Jesuit missionary Father Aloysius Folchi. It continued as a mission until being taken over by the Diocese of Spokane in 1916. Before the construction of this building, the parish met in a building it had purchased and converted to a church. Today that same building is home to the American Legion, Post 54.
Construction of this building began in 1905 and was brought to completion in 1907, the construction being overseen by Jesuit missionary Father Balthazar Feusi. Renovations were undertaken in 1964 and 1971, and in 1994 the building received its striking copper spire, topped with a gilded copper cross. In 2001 a new parish hall was added to the building, which now houses the church's offices, meeting rooms, etc.
Down each side of the church are six arched windows, each glazed with stained glass. Not particularly showy, they're probably what the church could afford. Further, it is unlikely that they are the same age as the church. Building a large church such as this in an almost nonexistant town in 1905 would probably not have left sufficient money in the budget for extravagances such as stained glass.