Furnishings from former parish churches come together at renovated Sacred Heart

LACONIA — One of Laconia’s more historic churches will reopen this weekend after being closed for six months for major renovations.

The new look of Sacred Heart Church on Union Avenue incorporates ecclesiastical furnishings from each of the city’s longtime Catholic churches which were consolidated 10 years ago to form St. Andre Bessette Parish.

“The aim was to make the church (interior) look different, and so all the parishioners would see it as their church, and not feel like they were coming to the old Sacred Heart Church,” explained the Rev. Marc Drouin, the pastor.

To accomplish that, important furnishings from each of the former parishes have been incorporated into the redesign.

When one walks into the church the eye is immediately drawn to a large crucifix hanging on the front wall which once hung in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lakes Church in Lakeport. The altar — the focal point of most services in a Catholic church — is the one that has been in use Sacred Heart since the 1960s. The pulpit, which dates back to 1930, comes from St. Joseph Church, and the lectern for the cantor was used for years in St. Helena Church in Weirs Beach.

As part of the redecoration, the altar and pulpit were both refinished with a faux marble glaze, as have the new baptismal font, the wall behind the crucifix, the wainscoting along the walls of the nave, and the columns.

The stencil work on the sanctuary wall and vault was cleaned and touched up. In addition, the burgundy in the sanctuary wall stenciling was carried through to enhance the decoration on the capitals of the columns and the ribs of the nave vault in the Romanesque-style church. Stencil motifs were also added to the arches in the nave.

The project also involved replacing the church’s heating system, installing new pews, wood flooring in the sanctuary and vinyl flooring in the nave. In addition, up-lighting was installed to illuminate the vault of the nave and the facade of the pipe organ which is housed in a rear gallery — or choir loft.

The church, which today can accommodate 600 worshippers, was built in 1891 when Sacred Heart Parish was organized to serve the city’s growing French-Canadian community. Prior to that, Saint Joseph’s was the area’s only Catholic parish. As the population continued to increase, Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Lakeport was created. The three parishes continued to serve Catholics living in Laconia and Gilford until 2010, when they were consolidated to create St. Andre Bessette Parish.

Our Lady of the Lakes Church closed shortly thereafter, but St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart continued to serve as worship sites for the unified parish. However, last year it was announced that St. Joseph Church would close in an effort to eliminate the parish’s operating deficit. When the closing was announced last May, the plan was to demolish the church. But that plan was later withdrawn, and Drouin said Thursday the hope is that a new purpose can be found for the gray stone Gothic church.

Egan Church Furnishings and Restorations oversaw the project. The decorative work was carried out by Milan Restoration, a family firm which worked on the stenciling, faux marble finishing, and also restored and repainted the Stations of the Cross — a series of images depicting Jesus on the day of his Crucifixion — and a bas-relief tableau of the Last Supper which for years was the reredos of the altar in St. Joseph’s, and more recently hung on a side wall of the church.

The project cost about $450,000 Drouin said. The cost was covered by money contributed to the parish’s capital campaign.

Beginning Saturday, Sacred Heart church will be used for all weekend Masses as well as for weddings and funerals. Weekday Masses on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday and Thursday mornings will continue to be offered at St. Joseph’s until sometime in the spring, when that church will be formally closed.

Drouin acknowledged that the changes that have come about because of the parish consolidation and church closings have been painful for some parishioners.

“It’s hard for people these churches have been part of people’s lives from the time they were born until the time they died,” Drouin said. “I grew up in all three of these parishes, so I understand their emotion.”