A stunning 155-year-old church, St. Alphonsus, which is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings, had been undergoing restoration when Katrina hit. As a result, aesthetic funding was diverted to repairing structural damage caused by the hurricane, and restoration work was abruptly cancelled.
Last year, for a week in January, roughly two dozen members of the Society of Gilders answered the call to help restore this glorious, but devastated, church. Gilders from across the U.S., Canada, and Europe contributed their expertise and time, along with donated goldleaf supplies from several manufacturers.
St. Alphonsus Church, originally decorated by European artists and craftsmen, to this day rivals the splendor and majesty of Europe’s finest churches. But restoration of this exceptionally beautiful edifice is far from complete. The Society of Gilders needs the help of experienced sign-industry gilders to continue the restoration work. Our brothers and sisters of the Society of Gilders (www.societyofgilders.org) have invited us to join them in doing pro bono work in their annual Community Service Project in New Orleans during the third week in October 2010. It will be time well spent with other professionals and a chance to further your gilding knowledge. More importantly, this will be a golden opportunity for you to do something good for a community in need.
Last year, we accomplished a modest but beautiful bit of restoration. Much more needs to be done. Will you join us in continuing this Project? To learn how you can help, write to Francis Lestingi at Francis@SignsOfGold.com