St. Stanislaus Church

Situated in the ethnic Slavic Village neighborhood, the church stands as a beacon of light in a slowly revitalizing community. Once threatened with closure, this church has been a mecca for Polish Catholics. In 1998, Conrad Schmitt Studios restored the High Victorian Gothic-style church interior. Those who appreciate pre-Vatican II environments will want to have their cameras handy. Among the elegant wood-carved pews, pulpit, high altars and furnishings are shrines containing relics of Saint Anthony, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Francis, Saint Gemma Galgani, Saint John Vianney, Saint Pius X, Saint Stanislaus, and of the True Cross. In 2005, the archbishop of Krakow, Poland, presented the church with the miter of the late Pope John Paul II, now on display in the epistle transept. While enjoying these sacred surroundings, organist Rhonda Sider Edgington will demonstrate the two-manual 1909 William Schuelke organ. Freshly returning from Brenan, Germany, as a Fulbright scholar, Rhonda will feel right at home on this large-toned German Romantic organ. The Schuelke was installed following the collapse of the massive 232¢ twin spires during a tornado in 1909. It is one of the last built by the firm, then under the direction of William’s son, Max Scheulke. Most likely of tubular, membrane, or other similar action, the organ would have been an expected candidate for electrification in the early 20th century. In 1933, the Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling Company carried out such work including the reuse of most, if not all, of the Schuelke pipework, console shell, and casework.