St. James Roman Catholic Church renovation completed in time for Christmas in Johnson City
Workers scurried around the inside of St. James Roman Catholic Church in Johnson City a week ago. They were laying carpet and putting other last-minute touches on a six-month renovation at the church, which was founded in 1900.
Father Charles Opondo-Owora, the pastor, walked over and hugged the base of a newly installed statue of the patron saint. It’s from that spot about five years ago that the project had its beginnings.
Opondo-Owora was new to the parish and decided to move the tabernacle from there on the side to behind the main altar.
“The Lord — that's being the center of our life,” he said.
Then he noticed the sanctuary should be cleaned, which led to more.
“We really need to clean up the whole church. Why would one spot look so great and then the other one just like ... ah?” Opondo-Owara said.
With more than four years of planning and discussion, and six months of intense work, the restoration was recently completed. Parishioners had been attending Mass in the basement until Christmas.
“A new pair of eyes came in and saw the church completely, totally different than we saw,” said lifelong parishioner John Kolly.
Kolly, whose parents and grandparents also went to St. James, volunteered to help with the project.
Ryan Jenson, parish business/facilities manager, made up the third member of the renovation team.
Jenson said they consulted parishioners as plans were being put together. And they worked with Martin Rambusch and Troy Simmons, both from companies with years of experience with renovating churches.
One major change leveled off a sloped floor directly in front of the altar. It now allows easier access for people with wheelchairs and their families. There’s also improved space for the folk choir.
“You're never going to see it if you were not here before, but it was a lot of work to level that floor. I think we're pretty proud of how it came out,” Jenson said.
A hearing loop has also been installed in the floor that links the sound system with T-coil hearing aids.
In the side aisles, pews have been shortened to provide easier access to aisles and around pillars.
Looking up, there are vibrant images of saints in the domes on the ceiling and a mural above the altar. They were painstakingly cleaned and restored by experts who at times used cotton balls to do their work.
Jenson said colors on the walls and pillars are brighter now. He’s amazed by a change brought on by different lights, "new LED architectural lighting and dimming control for different scenes.”
Stained glass windows were also restored. Jenson said that includes a decades-old name correction on one pane requested by a descendant of the original donor.
Nearby to that is the main entryway, where terrazzo tile features a scallop shell that is the symbol of St. James.
The cost of the project was approximately $1.8 million. The parish drew from two endowments left by parishioners, as well as money donated by current members.
“The plan is always to pay back anything leftover,” Jenson said. “We pay back to the investments.”
“I’m very, very grateful for the fact God’s people were involved as far as they could,” Opondo-Owora said of the project.
“Thank God for God's people,” he added.
“The first time the church was used, the first time the doors were opened was on Christmas Day, when the monsignor renovated it and reopened it in 1980; it was on Christmas Day," Opondo-Owora said. "I think that was God’s plan, wait until Christmas Day.”
St. James Roman Catholic Church
Where: 147 Main St., Johnson City, 13790
Phone: 607-729-6147
Email: stjamesjc@syrdio.org
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: St. James Catholic Church in Johnson City, NY completes renovation
