Stained Glass Window Project

We’ve been working hard over the last couple of years to make St. Mary’s in Richlands, VA, — one of four churches in our rural parish cluster — a more beautiful place of worship, a place that feels truly sacred, truly Catholic. We’ve installed new carpeting, painted the church and gathering space, removed upholstered chairs and procured pews from a closing Episcopal church in Washington D.C. We were also able to refurbish our old and tarnished tabernacle. We’ve done all of this work at as little cost as possible. Parishioners painted the entire facility and drove to Washington D.C. to pick up the pews, which were given to us free. The tabernacle work was done via a Patrimony Grant from the diocese. The only costs have been for materials and the installation of new carpet.  

Despite these efforts, we find ourselves now with a problem that we can’t solve without additional funds from generous donors. The stained glass windows at St. Mary’s are failing and must be removed, repaired, and reinstalled with new protective outer windows. Ten windows need repair, along with the main entry door windows. This work, based on an August 2024 estimate by Associated Crafts–Willet Hauser, the nation’s premier stained glass window studio, will cost approximately $30,000. While St. Mary’s is slowly growing, this is money we simply don’t have.

We pray that you’ll offer a generous donation to help us repair these windows and ensure the integrity of St. Mary’s Catholic Church for years to come. We believe in the power of beauty to draw others to Christ. We are a tiny island of Catholics amidst a sea of Evangelicals, Baptist, Pentecostals, and other Protestant denominations. We know the Holy Spirit will help us to grow and to thrive and so we pray as if everything depends on the Lord, while we ask for your help as if everything depends on you.

Thank you for considering our humble project.