Volo church bell to ring after 55 quiet years
An old country church in Volo is recreating an important piece of its history taken out in a storm more than 50 years ago.
Work continues to restore the original bell tower and spire at the Gothic-style St. Peter Church, 27551 Volo Village Road, once the Main Street of the little town.
The bronze bell, which has been silent since the tower was damaged by lightning in 1961, also is being refurbished. It will ring once more on the hour and before Mass and other occasions when the work is complete.
"It's been quite many years since there's been the look or the actual sound of the bell," said the Rev. Anthony Rice, who came to the small congregation nine years ago and has been pastor the last two.
St. Peter started as a mission in 1868 so farmers wouldn't need to walk or ride nine miles to the nearest Catholic church in Johnsburg. With its sesquicentennial next June, the parish council began planning the big project about two years ago, Rice said.
"We have the original blueprints so they'll pretty much match exactly," Rice said.
It took a crew from Chicago-based Berglund Construction several days to erect the towering scaffolding that now gives them access to the old brick structure.
Standing about 95 feet, the scaffolding can be seen from nearby Route 12 and even Route 120. It is about 40 feet higher than the current roof line, rising to a height where the tower and spire will be built.
"It stands out," Rice said.
The project will involve a concrete "foundation" as reinforcement and tons of masonry, block and stone to provide support for the restored structure and bell. Extensive tuckpointing and repair is needed before tower construction reaches that point.
"Basically we're bringing the tower back to life," said Karel Furst, construction foreman. "The lightning did some damage so we had to beef it up."
"The tower was designed to take the load but the '60s - that was a long time ago and there was some water damage," he added.
This is actually the third church building for St. Peter. The first small, wooden building burned down just before its dedication. It was replaced a year later and a school and home for nuns eventually added.
St. Peter was named a parish in 1904 and the rectory built that year still serves as the church office.
About the time of the 50th anniversary, plans were made for a grand new church and adjoining two-room school/convent. Ground was broken on July 5, 1925, and the first Mass was said June 20, 1926.
According to a church history, men from the parish hauled more than 1 million bricks, a few thousand loads of gravel and several train cars each of cement and lumber to the site from the railroad station five miles away in Fox Lake.
At a cost of nearly $100,000, the project was considered a major undertaking for a parish serving about 44 families, although Catholics from Chicago visiting the popular area during the summer attended on Sundays.
The congregation now stands at about 380 families, Rice said.